CBS News
As America’s farming population ages, a new program looks to cultivate its next generation
Cream Ridge, New Jersey — On an acre of land in Cream Ridge, New Jersey, Christina Couch is a one-woman force.
Months of prepping, planting and nurturing, seven days a week, have turned her brown field into tidy rows of lush vegetables and herbs.
Couch, a former cook, is now a newly-minted farmer.
“We’re growing a lot of specialty varieties,” Couch told CBS News. “…So when you go to restaurant, you see a fancy, colorful beet, or a beautiful garnish, or a delicate herb.”
At 26 years old, she’s more than three decades younger than the average farmer in the U.S., which is 57.5, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Almost half the nation’s farms are owned by farmers 65 and over, making them the oldest workforce in the country, according to the U.S. Senate Committee on Aging.
“It is a crisis in the sense of, we do have to have a next generation,” said Bill Hlubik, an agricultural professor and third generation farmer who is serving as Couch’s mentor. “…We absolutely have to have the next generation of farmers to produce food for us.”
Hlubik actively recruits promising farmers for the Beginner Farmer Training Program at New Jersey’s Rutgers University.
“Many people are not raised on a farm, or don’t have access through their parents or relatives,” said Hlubik on why it is often difficult to break into farming. “People don’t often know the resources that are out there to help them.”
Hlubik says the goal of the program is to ensure that “young people and middle-aged people are coming into this with some knowledge, and we’re transferring that knowledge from people that are experts in the field.”
The three-phase program begins with online classes covering farming basics, followed by hands-on training. Select students develop a farm business plan and put it into action. They can rent land from the program with access to equipment and agricultural experts.
“We are attracting a very diverse group of people into our program,” said Hlubik, who noted 60% of those enrolled in the program are women, and close to 60% are from minority groups.
Novices like Couch, many without a farm background, are seeking customers in a non-traditional route.
“We’re just going about farming a bit differently, a little bit against the grain, and leveraging things like social media, like fundraising, and just building communities that people are attracted to want to support young farmers,” Couch said.
A CBS News crew saw greens that had been picked by Couch just hours earlier delivered to Jasper Stone Restaurant in Monroe Township, New Jersey, where Couch used to work as a line cook and realized her dream of farming.
“I just had this light bulb moment that I could grow this and help fill the gap, so that we don’t have to get produce from so far away to put on the tables at restaurants,” Couch said.
Now she’s proud to have her locally grown produce turned into delicious salads.
“It’s the hardest job I’ve ever had,” Couch said. “It is really, really difficult, the physical labor and the heat of the summer, but at the end of the day, I wouldn’t trade it for anything.”
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Washington — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will visit the White House next week, in what could be his last visit to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue before President Biden leaves office.
The two leaders will meet on Thursday. Vice President Kamala Harris will meet with Zelenskyy separately as well, according to White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre.
“The leaders will discuss the state of the war between Russia and Ukraine, including Ukraine’s strategic planning and U.S. support for Ukraine in its defense against Russian aggression,” Jean-Pierre said in a statement. “The president and vice president will emphasize their unshakeable commitment to stand with Ukraine until it prevails in this war.”
The meeting comes as Ukraine has pushed U.S. officials and NATO allies to lift restrictions on Kyiv’s use of Western-supplied long-range missiles against targets in Russian territory. Zelenskyy discussed the matter with Secretary of State Antony Blinken in a meeting last week. Russian President Vladimir Putin has said the firing of long-range missiles into Russia would represent a major escalation of NATO’s involvement in the war, which has dragged on for two and a half years.
Zelenskyy has been appreciative of Mr. Biden’s support for Ukraine and in rallying other nations to support Kyiv over the course of the war. Harris has pledged to continue that support.
“I’m looking forward to hosting my friend President Zelenskyy of Ukraine next week at the White House,” Mr. Biden posted on X. “During his visit, I’ll reaffirm America’s commitment to supporting Ukraine as it defends its freedom and independence.”
The next week is heavy on foreign policy for Mr. Biden. Over the weekend, he will host the Quad Leaders Summit — composed of the leaders of Australia, India and Japan — at his home in Wilmington, Delaware. That summit will focus on their shared vision of a free and open Indo-Pacific region. The president is also attending the United Nations General Assembly in New York City, where Zelenskyy is likewise slated to speak.
CBS News
Scarlett Johansson on bringing Avengers-style physicality to voicing Elita-1 in “Transformers One”
Scarlett Johansson says she’s embracing the similarities between herself and the character of Elita-1 in her latest role in Transformers One. The Oscar-nominated actress voices a fierce leader of the Autobots in her role.
The role was tailor-made for Johansson after director Josh Cooley reached out to her personally and he said he could hear her voice in the role.
“It was a surprise to me,” she said. “It was such a great script. It had such cinematic qualities. It has so much heart. This film has so much heart. It really has amazing messaging in there, and it’s really funny, too.”
Johansson said physical demands of voice acting, particularly for action-packed scenes, are just as intense to some of her other action film roles. Johansson compared the experience to her decade-long work as Black Widow in “The Avengers” films, where intense physicality was essential.
“You’re squatting and punching and running in place … it’s just really very physical, but it brings the action to life,” she said.
When asked if she sees any similarities between herself and Elita-1, Johansson smiled.
“She’s very driven, she has a healthy ambition. She believes in her ability. She has all of these qualities that make a leader,” she said. “She’s a little bit of a control freak, which I may or may not know something about.”
“Transformers One,” distributed by Paramount Pictures, which is part of CBS’ parent company, Paramount Global, will be in theaters on Friday.
