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Show DAILY Sunday, Apnil 23, 2006 HERALD JEREMY HARMON/Daily Herald Arancherfeedshis cattle in a pasture on Center Street in Provo near Utah Lake. Farms If you go Continuedfrom Al ‘We're able to make aliving at it " Anderson said, but “it’s tough sometimes. Farming in Utah Countyisjust as important as » What: A meetingfor landowners concerned aboutpreservingtheir freedom to farm, yet want to know how to simultane- ducing the same amount of agricultural product ously capture the value of their property for development, sponsored bythe U.S. Departmentof Agriculture. havechanged » When: Wednesday, 7 p.m it has ever been, Miner said. The county is pro- as it was 20 vears ago. hesaid, but the channels Rather than having 18 dairies, each with 150 cows, betweenProvo and Lindon,there are maybe three dairiesin that area with thousands » Where: High Chaparral Building on the Spanish Fork Fair Grounds of dairy cows, Minersaid. Palmyraresident Brent Moneyraises beefcattle andis experiencing the samestrains as Anderson. Although Money hasn't beer forced to look for alternative markets to sell his cattle, he has had to changehis operations. Evolving and working withthe changing market. rather thanagainstit, is what farmers need to do to stay successful, he suid. If Money can't make moneyin the beefcattle business, hesaid he might lookat raising crops, or something elseto fill market demands. Therewill always be people who want to make alivinginthe agriculture business, he said, but getting into it and being successfulis challenging. “We need people to understand thatit’s here andit’s important.” Money said about the agricul- Mountainland Apples. By creating a place for consumers'to have anexperience while purchasing products, Rowleysaid thereis a higher rate of returning customers and a meansto spread word-of-mouth marketing about the business. “Theyget a farm experience,” hesaid. “They feellike they're apart of agriculture.” The big, red barn offers hayridesin thefall, ice cream, donuts and,of course,fruit. Describing agritainmentas the future of the industry, Rowleysaid he hasseenan increasein profits af- ter marketing Rowley South Ridge Farms as an experiencein addition to tastytreat. ture community Niche marketing living farming, hesaid, but they might have to change the waythey run their operations. Changing market forcesare challenging fulltime farmersto find a niche marketfor their Therewill always be people who can-‘makea There is no roomin agriculture to fear change it can cripple a farmer's chances for success “We've tried to stay innovativ loney said, while sporting a “Beef, it’s what's for dinner” hat Originally, Money's operationran as both rais- ing and afattening center for his beefcattle, but working ona limited number of acres — and knowinghe can’t afford to buy more land — Moneyhashadtochangehis tactics. Success comes down toefficiency. Sending his cattle to Nebraska to be fattened and sold is more efficient than conductingall fac- ets of his businesslocally, Moneysaid {t also opens up moreland for morecattle to be raised on. Staying profitable as a full-time farmer. Money doesn't just work, he studieshis trade. Beinginvolved in Utah Cattleman’s Association ind subscribing to farming magazines, Money said heis continually learning how to improve and adjust his business to the changing social and products, said Rex Larsen, a farmer and Farm Bureau agent. Some cattlemen are using video to highlight their products andoffer a different way to viewthe product, he said. Farmersspecializing in grain have shifted from producing oats and barley to reap the benefits of producing wheat They're kind of being forced to do that because someofthe local an purchasers have changed their focus,”hesaid. Larsen has added morevaluetohis product by Agritainment Many businesses are bringing people to the farmproducts rather than the products to the people. Agritainment has become a buzz word in the industry. with farms opening up barn doors to consumers. ‘We've tried to diversify ourselves justa little bit by doing someagritainment,” Jace Rowley, a manager at Rowley South Ridge Farms, said. More commonly knownas the big, red barn south’of Santaquin, Rowley said the operation doesn't solely focusonselling fruit, such as threatening to pushout the ag community. Utah County's continual growth spurt is not onlya frustrationfor city councils, but has been a constantbattle for the ag community as well. In the past 20 years, many farmers from Lehi to Pleasant Grovehave been pushed out from growing com- munities. With no room to expandtheir operations, farmerssell their land and movetheir operations to No new generation part of the county in Spanish Fork, Lake Shore, “For right now, we're farmers,” Anderson said, but passing the family business downtohis children doesn’t look like a viable option. “My children aren't interested. I don't see it going another generation.” The top three reasons farmersoptout ofthis field of work are a lackofprofitability, difficulties passing the land to the next generation and environmental/urban pressures from sprawling communities, Minersaid. Coming from a family that ran a dairy 20 years ago, Minersaid he saw the difficulties his father faced with trying to keepthe dairy going after he retired by giving eachofhis six children an inheritance. ing community now resides in the south and west Benjamin, Palmyra, Goshen and Alberta. For many ofthe older generational farmers, land doublesas their retirementpolicy as well. Selling bundles of straw as seasonal deco- Theenticing prices that farm land goesfor in Utah County brings up an interesting question: rationsis one of the many things Larsen has changedto stayin business. In fact, Larsen said heis contemplatingbuilding a mini bailer to bundle straw for decorative purposes. “It's definitely a challenge,” he said. “You have Larsen is finding additional market outlets for his products, such asraising steers for 4H groups and growing certified barely seed. “I think there is still going to be agriculture in Utah County, butit's going to be different than it hasbeenin thepast,” he said.“If there are kids that wantto getinvolved andarewilling to get creative and think outside of the box, I think thereis a wayto doit.” Struggling with growth Butthere is no debate that housing develop- ments,like an unwelcomeneighbor, are movingin too close to rural Utah County farms and complaining about standardpractices such as hauling hayat 2 a.m. or the smell of manure. Communities close to farms begin to talk about regulating run-off water anddust, all things that are standard on farms. “You could easily regulate agriculture out of business.” Idaho, wherelandis cheaper, Jones said. The farm- dabbling in the growing homedecorindustry. Rather thanselling his certified weed-free straw forlivestock consumption, Larsen has found a newmarket niche — arts and crafts. to get more creative and comeup with more industrial pressures. “It’s gleaning off other people's practices,”said niche markets.” Money's wife Kris JEREMY HARMON/Daily Herald Schoolchildren take a look at pigs during a field trip to HarwardFarm in Springville on April 13. The farmhosts a FarmField Day for area second-graders to let them see what happens on a farm. “Thedifficulty in hanging ontothe farm,”is that farmersneedfundstoretire on, Minersaid. Whywork 14 hoursa dayif youcan sell your farm land for millions? Expanding farming operations in Utah County ‘is out of the question, Andersonsaid. High land prices coupled with the cost of equipment, most. farmers cannot afford to expand their opera- tions, he said. To buy moreland now would mean putting the rest of the farm in jeopardy, Ander- son said, who grew up on the same farm he now runswith his brothers. Moneyhas faced the sameroadblocks in expandinghis operations. Whenhefirst took overhis father’s business, Moneysaid he was able to purchaseland and expand, but nowhe can only rentlandat best. “Today youcan't do that, there's absolutely no way,” hesaid. Andwhile manypeople appreciate the experiencevisiting a farm, nearby homeowners are getting more and moretesty. “You'll have a lot more eyes on yeur operation,” Money said, which will lead to neighbors “The next generation can’t afford to buy,” land to start up a farm, Minersaid. Having to makethat choice himself, Miner said he got out of the business.“I was faced withthe situation of moving to stay in the dairy business or getting out,”he said. An additional problem faces many farmers and prevents most of them from farming fulltime — health insurance, “The crunch that comes on lot of people,”is providing health insurance, Money said. Being fulltime farmer doesn’t awardeligibility for health insurance, many farmerseither have two jobs or their spouses workin a careerthat brings in the much needed coverage, Lori It makes it difficult for other farmers to justify quitting their jobs if they are getting benefits their family needs, Money said. A dying breed The future may seem uncertain, but Miner and Money are in agreement — thereis a future for agriculture. Although the ag community is facing myriad threats, the future for farmers might not all doom and gloom. Combined with different marketing techniques and breaking into new niche markets, some determined farmers will be able to find success. The growingcraving for fresh produceandlocally madeproductsis propelling the popularity of | farmer's markets each year. Farmer's markets in the summerandfall season allow non-farming households to roam throughlocally oe fruits and vegetables and browse locally made Farmers markets = becoming morepopular, Minersaid, and this may be one ofthe last outlets many people may haveto experience — in a small way — the agricultural side of whatfills grocery stores. In addition to farmer's markets, Community Supported A; e groups are forming throughout the nation as well, Miner said. Farmers need to make a name for their product andpossibly create direct relationshipswith consumers, and CSA groups may be a saving a for some farmers and ranchers. Creating a direct relationship, consumers would pay a “subscriber” fee to the farmer and each subscriber pays for a “share” of the harvest in advance, Miner said. This gives the farmer not only a working rev- enue source, but guaranteed customers. Rather than going to grocery stores, waiting in lines and buying ther frut and vegetablethat cal farmers toope predic, Minesaid. eeha and you know this guy,” roeAion td Spanish Fork on the east side of the valley, oeBets a Janey aad renee JEREMY HARMON/Daily Herald Matt Jarvis tags a lambat his farm in Palmyra on April 13. Jarvis's family has worked the samepiece of !andsince his great-grandfather started raising cattle in the area. Minersaid, but “if you eat, then it applies to you” |