Lesson in Farming - KXNet - Bismarck/Minot/Williston/Dickinson

Taking over the family farm can be a difficult and intimidating transition.

Farm Credit Services is trying to help make the process of getting a start in farming a little easier with a young farmer and rancher workshop.

Ag Reporter Sarah Gustin explains.

 It's where many farmers come to take out a loan, but today these young producers are getting some advice for putting together the pieces of the farming puzzle.

(Kyle Ferebee / Young Farmer) "Marketing, that's kinda my big weak point. Just understanding all the marketing and how everything affects each other."

(Jayme Boeshans / Young Farmer) "The financial thing with helping make decisions. and deciding where to start investing."

John Phipps is a sixth generation farmer and news anchor of the U.S. farm report.

Phipps travels the country offering advice to young producers wanting to get started in farming.

(John Phipps / U.S. Farm Report) "Failing makes us less unhappy than we thought. We think failing is the end of the world. I have lived long enough, been in this business long enough and seen guys make some horrendous mistakes and actually fail and it was not the end of the world. In the same sense, I have seen guys be remarkably successful and it didn't solve their happiness problem either." 

Phipps says in his 20 years, he's never seen so many young people interested in farming.

(John Phipps / U.S. Farm Report) "Now we are seeing the echo of the baby boom our children. We went a long time with farm organization groups disappearing because there just weren't any because no one would come back, now we are seeing this resurgence." 

(Kyle Ferebee / Young Farmer) "Ever since we were pretty young we would help dad on the farm and even when I went to college, I went to NDSU. I would come back in the summers and help on the farm. Dad let me rent some land from him, it's just always been what I like to do. Dad said, after I graduated from college I have to go get a different job for a couple of years and make sure this is what I want to do, and as of right now, I still want to end up back there." 

(Jayme Boeshans / Young Farmer)  "I've been farming and ranching with my dad since I was a little kid. I've had cattle since I was 14 so about 11 years already I've had cattle. Farming is more of a recent interest. It's kinda a side job for now, maybe something to look at for the future."

Phipps says often young producers will get plenty of caution and need an encouraging word.

He says it typically takes 20 years before the success curve starts to turn up, but a career path he says is well worth the wait. 

Nearly 40 young producers attended today's workshop.