'Dating site' eases crisis for farmers

Innovative scheme aims to soften exodus from country to cities

NIEUWVEEN, Netherlands - Standing in his rubber boots in his fields surrounded by his beloved Red Holstein cows, Dutch farmer Gerard Hartveld has an air of resignation as he contemplates the future.

Hartveld says he is a dairy farmer in "his heart" and soul. Yet, his heart is heavy knowing that, like many who work the land today in The Netherlands, he has no one to inherit his family farm.