It is no longer the case that rural means farming. It also means manufacturing, food processing, research and development, a myriad of small businesses, mining (of course), and countless other industries and areas of innovation.

The farms are still there, however, and so are the young farmers and farm workers. We’ve met and written about a handful of them already, and now we want to hear from you.

We also want to hear from Minnesota farmers who do not fall into the 18-25 age bracket we’ve focused on throughout our Generation at the Crossroads project.

If you started farm work young, what changes in the lives of rural youth have you observed? If your children work with you on the farm, what are your hopes for them? What are your fears?

If you feel like writing, we want to hear your story. If you’d rather just talk, we’ll be glad to call or visit. If you want to introduce us to some of the young farmers in your area, we’d be thrilled.

Whatever the case, you can connect with us using the simple and secure form below.

And if you are already writing about rural life and rural youth in particular, send us a link to your stories or your blog. We would be glad to feature your writing here, if it fits the project.

If you don’t have any personal experiences to share but would like to share your questions or observations about rural Minnesota, please do so in the comments section below, we’re always glad for guidance.

Finally, if you are not a farmer of any age, but you know somebody who might be interested in being a part of our project, please pass this link along! We look forward to hearing from you.