For the third straight year, survey respondents ranked overall profitability as the biggest challenge, the poll indicated. Nearly a third (32 percent) of the young farmers surveyed said overall profitability was their top concern, down slightly from last year’s 36 percent and 1999’s 32.4 percent.

Despite a high level of off-farm employment and supplemental income, America’s young farmers and ranchers are feeling the same economics pressures as their more established counterparts, the AFBF reported. The ninth annual survey of participants in AFBF’s Young Farmer and Rancher Program revealed the traditional optimism of younger producers continues to be tempered by economic challenges.

Those polled indicated that the limited availability of land and other resources was the second-highest challenge (20 percent). That number was up from last year’s 11.7 percent, when land and resources ranked third. Third on this year’s list of challenges was the cost of government regulations (13.5 percent).

The survey found that young farmers view international trade as the key to profitability, saying that boosting U. S. agricultural exports was the most important step the U. S. government could take to help them and their farms.

The young farmers were evenly split on a question dealing with the future source of farm income. Just more than half (50.63 percent) said that once the current farm program expires, farm income should come totally from the marketplace, while 49.37 percent said farm income should continue to be supplemented to some degree by the federal farm program.

The use of technology by young farmers and ranchers continues to be high, but the sharp upward trend appears to be leveling off. Internet access among young farmers reached 79.7 percent. Just five years ago, only 10.5 percent reported having Internet access, AFBF reported in a recent release.

Young farmers and ranchers use the Internet for entertainment (85 percent), family education (75.9 percent), and business. Business uses include: record-keeping assistance - 62.4 percent; purchasing - 57 percent; commodity marketing and trading - 40.3 percent; and collecting information - 40 percent.

Respondents reported a strong commitment to conservation. More than six out of every ten (62.7 percent) said they employ conservation tillage on their farms. More than half (51.9 percent) said they practice crop rotation with three or more crops, and nearly half (47.12 percent) said they regularly test soil or crop tissue prior to the application of nutrients.

Regarding other practices, 22 percent said they have land enrolled in the conservation-reserve program; 19.7 percent leave buffer strips to benefit wildlife; 17.3 owned wetland resources that they actively manage; and 12.6 percent use contour farming or strip cropping.

Other management and marketing practices included: hedging with futures and options - 35 percent; marketing information services - 30.2 percent; contract production - 28.1 percent; professional farm financial planning - 18.1 percent; and marketing or management consultants - 18 percent.

To supplement farm income, 74.9 percent of the young farmers surveyed said that they, their spouse or both work off the farm. That’s up from last year’s 71.3 percent.