[00:00.10]From VOA Learning English,
[00:03.22]this is the Agriculture Report.
[00:05.88]The United States is one of the world's
[00:08.58]leading agricultural powers,
[00:10.84]but few Americans are farmers.
[00:13.74]One recent study showed just two percent
[00:17.66]of the population do the job in agriculture.
[00:20.87]Yet, small farms seem to be appearing in many areas
[00:25.80]to meet a growing demand for locally produced food.
[00:30.20]The people operating these farms often have little
[00:34.91]or no experience in farming.
[00:38.29]Mark Mills once worked as a pastry chef.
[00:42.49]He decided to leave his secure job and turn to farming.
[00:47.85]He says his decision was based on two things
[00:52.17]- a strong interest in agriculture
[00:55.58]and his ignorance about what it takes to be a farmer.
[00:59.73]Mark Mills was a history major in college,
[01:04.37]all he knows about producing food
[01:07.54]comes from growing plants in his home garden
[01:11.39]and 26 years of working in restaurants.
[01:16.16]So why did he become a farmer?
[01:19.16]"Well, it's beautiful.
[01:20.22]Why wouldn't you want to come to work here?
[01:21.33]I'm my own boss.
[01:22.60]But really, it's my love of food," Mills said.
[01:24.20]In recent years,
[01:25.76]many Americans have developed a taste
[01:28.76]for fresh locally grown foods and vegetables.
[01:33.48]The number of farmers' markets has increased
[01:37.19]over 50 percent in the past ten years.
[01:41.20]Federal, state and local governments
[01:44.90]believe now is the time to create jobs and new businesses.
[01:50.09]Mark Mills was one of four people accepted
[01:54.85]in the New Farmer Pilot Project
[01:57.70]in Montgomery County, Maryland.
[02:00.61]Sarah Miller works with the local
[02:03.77]Department of Economic Development.
[02:06.58]She says the program has worked better
[02:10.39]than many people expected.
[02:12.30]"Boy, we didn't even know how many we would get.
[02:14.35]We thought maybe one or two would be great,
[02:16.12]but I don't think that we expected four," Miller said.
[02:17.97]The project provides the new farmers
[02:20.53]with specialised business training,
[02:23.17]like marketing and business planning.
[02:26.89]"They provided the connection with the landowner,
[02:29.39]so I could actually have the land to farm on, which is key.
[02:31.49]Then, certainly, they provided the financing
[02:33.21]for the deer fence and the irrigation,
[02:34.91]some basic things to get going," Mills said.
[02:36.26]The program links the new farmer with an experienced one.
[02:41.17]For Mark Mills, that person is Woody Woodroof,
[02:45.95]he works at the Red Wiggler Farm in Maryland.
[02:50.01]"The big thing to work with him on now is season extension,
[02:53.42]helping him to do the things that will allow him
[02:58.18]to harvest crops deeper into the fall
[03:00.95]and early winter," Woodroof said.
[03:02.02]Mr Mills' first year in farming was successful.
[03:06.41]He produced about 450 kilograms of turnips,
[03:11.88]90 kilograms of carrots,
[03:14.88]and 130 kilograms of green leafy vegetables.
[03:20.00]The hardest part was not growing the crops, he says.
[03:24.56]The problem has been selling them.
[03:27.77]Mr Mills says, his farm probably lost more money than it earned.
[03:34.34]Luckily, his wife has a non-farm job,
[03:38.96]and can provide financial support, at least for now.
[03:43.46]Experts say many new farmers need to support themselves
[03:49.69]with another source of income.
[03:51.93]And that's the VOA Learning English Agriculture Report.
[03:57.30]I'm Bob Doughty.