HANCEVILLE, Ala. – Wallace State Community College will host two three-day camps for teens and young adults interested in learning about building their own farming business. The Young Farmer Entrepreneur Camps will be held June 1-3 on the main campus in Hanceville and the other June 15-17 at the Oneonta campus.
Wallace State Farm Manager and Instructor Travis Kress said area high school students who are looking for ways to earn money during the summers might consider farming as an option. “They could farm and have the flexibility of setting their own hours and create a cash flow,” he said.
Another important fact to note, Kress said, is that the average age of the American farmer is the late 50s and that age has been increasing by a decade with each census.
“That age increase tells you that there’s nobody coming in behind them,” Kress said. “They’re looking into retirement; who’s going to take their spot?”
Kress added that with the ongoing pandemic, it’s more important than ever that we secure the future of America’s food supply.
“It really ought to open eyes about our food supply,” he said. “If we get 10 to 15 years down the road and something like this happens again and all the current farmers are retired, where’s our food security? With imports being shut down, we’re relying more on domestic food now than we ever have.”
The camps will cover the subjects of:
- Soil Science to understand the different soil types, what crops grow best in those types and how to manipulate the soil for specific purposes
- Fertilization to understand how to read soil samples and how to apply the proper type of fertilizer
- Agriculture Equipment Usage and Safety to learn how to safely mount and dismount tractors and how to hook and unhook implements
- Marketing to learn how to develop a marketing plan, the difference between retail and wholesale markets and other options for selling products
- Business Planning to learn how to plan crops from start to finish to determine where a farmer will make money and funding options
- Agriculture Assistance Agencies for Young Farmers to learn what programs are available for assistance
- Vegetable and Fruit Production Basics to learn how to grow and maintain fruit and vegetable crops
The camps are for ages 16 and up and will be limited to eight participants each to comply with social distancing. The camp fee is $100, but participants can save $25 by registering by May 15.
For more information or to register, contact Amanda Aris at 256-352-8386 or amanda.aris@wallacestate.edu.
