Officials say the average farmer in California is nearly 60 years old -- and nearly 20 percent are older than 70. They say without an influx of younger and more ethnically diverse farmers, the state's $37 billion industry will suffer.
KQED's Forum discusses the graying of the agriculture industry in a broadcast from our Sacramento studios.
Original Broadcast: Fri, Jan 13, 2012 -- 10:00 AM
Host: Dave Iverson
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Guests:
- Craig McNamara, president of the California State Board of Food and Agriculture, owner of Sierra Orchards and president and founder of the Center for Land Based Learning
- Emma Torbert, farmer and partner at The Cloverleaf at Bridgeway Farms
- Rich Collins, farmer and owner of California Vegetable Specialties
- Thomas Vang, outreach specialist with the Lao Family Community of Stockton
- Tony Serrano, general manager of ALBA Organics
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More info:
- California FarmLink: at CaliforniaFarmLink.org
- The Center for Land-Based Learning: at LandBasedLearning.org
- The UC Small Farm Program: at UCDavis.edu
- The Agriculture and Land-Based Training Association (ALBA): at AlbaFarmers.org
- About the Lao Family Community of Stockton: at LaoFamilyofStockton.org
- EcoFarm Conference: at ecofarmconference.org