摘要：Perhaps the main thrust of what I want to convey today, would be "How Farmland PreservationProgram dollars have benefitted my Farm operation.Let us examine what constitutes and is considered a "young" farmer!. I believe that I readsomewhere that the average age of a farmer on the Eastern Shore is about 66 years old. Contraryto appearances and the way I sometimes feel, I am relatively young in the business.Farming has become virtually out of reach for a young person, say 20 to 30 years old. The reasonfor this is that farming has changed from a labor intensive operation to a capital and costmanagement operation. Start-up costs have become exorbitant due to two (2) major factors:1. The capital cost of land.2. The capital cost of the necessary farm equipment.
