Young Farmer Helen Reeve.

Farming in America conjures up images of huge machines cutting swathes of corn or ranches full of cattle.

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Could there be opportunities for new entrants to farming? Eight Norfolk young farmers flew to New York State to investigate.

They went to a two-day Young Farmers Conference at Stone Barns, Tarrytown. Sited on land acquired by the Rockefeller family, the centre is an educational farm with micro-enterprises including Finn Dorset sheep, Hampshire pigs, Angus cattle and greenhouses for leafy vegetable production.

We met young people making a living on five or six acres growing salad and vegetables for sale at the farm gate or at farmers’ markets akin to market gardeners, using polytunnels to spread the season to about 11 months.

A large-scale commercial beef enterprise, Yellowstone Grassfed Beef Co, was interesting. Although not organic, the key was producing home-grown forage to rear steers and heifers, which are handled as little as possible. And this welfare-friendly system has attracted paying guests, who want to help with normal farm tasks. A neat niche idea.

A rare breed enterprise was another venture using Dexter Cattle for milk production, also by grazing woodland. It was music to Helen Reeve’s ears because she runs her own herd of Waveney Dexters.

Another idea was rearing rabbits – for meat. The talk ended with the efficient despatch of four cute bunnies, which were prepared for sale, watched by a crowd of enthralled young farmers.

The concept of Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) was intriguing. People buy “shares” in a farm, typically on rented land, often with short tenure, and then receive goods in return.

Farmers set up these groups and grow fruit and vegetables. They sell “shares” of between $350 and $500 a year to low-income families, who have a weekly supply of fresh produce. Some have a more “hands-on” role as part of payment in kind, also popular with low income families.

Some farmers used the CSA system to improve cash flow. One spoke about using his CSA on 3.5 acres, which is part of the family’s larger 92-acre farm. His CSA began with 20 and now has 70 members, which cost them $745 pa; about 60 are regular members and 12 are harvest helpers, working on the land for a share of the produce. Each member gets eight items per week, eg carrots, onions etc. Some beef producers are using this model too.

It was a fascinating trip for the eight visitors – Helen Reeve, Lucinda Winchester, Sarah Lake, Rob Copeland, Emily Rout, James Spinks, Andrew Griffiths and Ches Broom.

On our last day, we went to New York City. What a culture shock. It is just like the movies or television with steam rising from the subway and hot-dog stands on the pavement.

We did not expect to see a thriving farmers’ market in the heart of the city. Union Square market, one of the largest in New York, is held four days a week. We were given an insider’s guide to the market, which began in the 1970s.

It has dramatically improved the image of the area and given consumers the chance to buy fresh produce and exchange food stamps for low-income families.

We managed a brief tour of the Empire State Building (up to the 86th floor) and the Statue of Liberty and also Ground Zero, too, which was moving.