{"id":6426,"date":"2022-08-26T11:37:51","date_gmt":"2022-08-26T15:37:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/new-farmers\/?page_id=6426"},"modified":"2024-02-01T15:03:36","modified_gmt":"2024-02-01T20:03:36","slug":"2022-survey-results","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/new-farmers\/2022-survey-results\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Are You Seeking Out Farm Training?"},"content":{"rendered":"

2022 New Farmer Survey Results<\/a><\/h3>\n

\u2014 By Jonathan Malacarne, Assistant Professor of Agricultural Economics, University of Maine, and Christina Howard, Maine New Farmers Project Manager, University of Maine Cooperative Extension<\/em><\/p>\n

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Please Note:<\/strong> Click on any photo to enlarge it in a lightbox window.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

The \u201cWhy Are You Seeking Out Farm Training?\u201d survey received 118 responses in the winter of 2022 from new and beginning farmers. According to the USDA, new and beginning farmers are people who have been farming for less than 10 years. The responses came from every county in Maine (Figure 1<\/strong>, below). There were responses from every adult age bracket with the highest percentage (25%) in the 35-44 range. 71 percent of the respondents self-identified as women, 15% were veterans or in active military service, 71% self-identified as white, and 16% self-identified as having a disability. UMaine Extension educators will use the survey results to design farm trainings. These trainings will be based on the interests and needs of new and beginning farmers.<\/p>\n

The funding for this survey is from the USDA-NIFA grant that funds the Maine New Farmers Project (MNFP). The goals of MNFP include teaching farm production and farm business practices to new farmers. The target is to reach underserved populations in Maine, specifically women, and veterans.<\/p>\n\n\t\t