Breaking down the barriers: The Schoharie County Local Agri-Preneurship Project for next generation farmers

The Schoharie County Local Agri-Preneurship Project for Next Generation Far mers (hereafter, the SCHOCO-LOCA project) was initiated to determine the op portunities and harriers facing that locale's new agriculturists. Using dat a collected from a series of focus groups including area high school studen ts, farmers, and agricultural, financial, educational and human service pro fessionals, the study identifies a set of barriers named by the acronym TAG S (Technical problems, Assumptions, Community concerns and Social issues) t hat is threatening the health and future of Schoharie County's agricultural industry. After examining the changing structure of U.S. agriculture and the concomit ant impact on Schoharie County, the study explains the problems that collec tively create the barrier of TACS. Technical problems included a lack of cu stom services, lack of knowledge about farm transfers, an unfulfilled deman d for information about alternative agriculture, and a need for improved bu siness management skills. Observed assumptions included feelings that the s tate's land grant school was not concerned with the county's agricultural f uture, impressions that new farmers were destined for a life of poverty, an d that new agricultural businesses were necessarily part of a conventional, input-intensive agricultural paradigm. Community concerns expressed by foc us groups included a lack of cooperation and communication between differen t agencies, an impression within the education system that agricultural cou rses arc generally meant for students who are incapable of handling traditi onal classroom instruction, a community-wide perception that the local stat e agricultural college is not a respected post-secondary education institut ion, conflicts among the agricultural and non-agricultural community member s, and confusion among the agricultural service industry regarding who is a farmer deserving of support services, and who is not. Social issues facing the farmers included relationship strife amongst themselves, an independen t mindset that prevents farmers from seeking assistance, isolation, apathy and depression, and a need to organize the agricultural sector for politica l purposes. Recommendations include suggestions for helping farmers work to gether, capitalizing on new agricultural trends for diversification and nic he marketing, and acknowledging the importance of local agriculture on a co mmunity-wide basis. While this study addresses the specific concerns of one rural community, practitioners in the yield of sustainable agriculture dev elopment may find some of the concepts insightful as they reflect on their own situations and experiences.