Home » Agriculture needs to attract more young people, Quarles says at national summit

Agriculture needs to attract more young people, Quarles says at national summit

Held in Washington D.C.

FRANKFORT, Ky. (March 20, 2017) — Agriculture Commissioner Ryan Quarles said today that industry and government leaders must do more to attract young people to careers in agriculture.

“We must do all we can to make farming attractive to young people so our country can continue to produce and export agricultural products to sustain us at home and to export around the world,” Quarles said at the Agri-Pulse Farm Bill Summit at the National Press Club. “Kentucky farmers are a crucial part of the safest, most abundant food supply system in the world.”

Quarles participated in a panel discussion about barriers to getting a new generation back to the farm. The audience included members of the U.S. House and Senate agriculture committees, other government officials, congressional and administration staff members, industry representatives, and reporters from national media outlets. Other panels discussed risk management, conservation, and linking farm to food policy.

The panel discussion was part of “Harvesting Farm Bill Perspectives,” a summit designed to open a conversation about the 2018 Farm Bill and the future of food and farm policy. Agri-Pulse is a Washington-based multimedia news source focused on agriculture and rural policy.