George T. Wittman’s newest blog post!
The America imagined by Thomas Jefferson was an America of small farmers. And for a long time, it looked like he was right; the vast majority of Americans lived a rural existence as subsistence farmers well into the 19th century and long after Jefferson’s death. However, that image has completely changed in the modern era, as America has since turned into a sprawling suburb, and fewer and fewer young people are turning to a profession as farmers. I recently came across an article that discusses the surprisingly low number of young farmers in America.
The Census of Agriculture, released every five years by the US Department of Agriculture, discovered that the average age of “principal operators” (the person most responsible for decision-making on farms and ranches) climbed from 57.1 in 2007 to 58.3. Compare that to 1982, where the average age was 50.5. Data released just this past week put the average even higher in six states at 60 or older. Of course, the median age of all American workers, 42.4, is climbing across the board. By 2020, an estimated 25% of the labor force will be 55 or older. Nonetheless, the overall trend pales next to the rate that the age of farmers is increasing. A surprising 10% of farmers and ranchers are currently 75 or older. This is because farming is a tough business for young people to break into, due to the sky-high costs of prime farmland and necessary equipment such as combines and tractors. From 2007 to 2012, the number of “beginning farmers” declined 20 percent. Less than 120,000 of America’s 2.1 million principal operators were younger than 35, and just last month the Agriculture Department announced that $19 million will be set aside for a program designed to help younger farmers and ranchers.
The sad fact is that farming and ranching is hard, back-breaking work. There are a lot of young people who would like to experience farming, but unless they have land that’s been in their family, then it’s nearly impossible to break into. According to Michael Duffy, a longtime chronicler of farm demographics who recently retired, the agricultural numbers aren’t nearly as dire as they sound. Many farms are passed down to younger family members, and many farms are absorbed by larger farms, a process of consolidation that’s been going on for decades. Duffy also noted that due to advances in technology, there are fewer farmers needed.
There are also opportunities available for younger farmers, such as selling directly to consumers at farmers’ markets. The operators of large farms are typically younger than those who tend smaller farms. The average age of an operator with $1 million or more in sales is 55, compared to the average age of 61 for a farmer with $1,000 or less in sales.
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