A few of our young farmers. Michael, Robin, and Mathias.
The average age of the American farmer is 57.6 years old and climbing. For every one young farmer who steps into one of the agricultural trades, there are five who are retiring. With them goes generations of knowledge and wisdom in which current and future generations feel has little value in today’s world.
There are a lot of variables that go into the decline of agriculture and the hesitance of the younger generations to go ingot the Ag trades, but none are as pressing as the costs. There was a time in American history when buying a few acres to start up a small farm wouldn’t exactly break the bank. There were parts of the country where all you would have to do was ask for it and it was as good as yours, but that has certainly changed. Now, the average cost of land in the United States is around $2200 per acre, where here in the Northeast, it’s much higher, around $5000 in New York state and averaging $13,000 in Rhode Island, where the cost is the highest in the nation. On top of the cost of land is the cost of equipment, the cost of seed, the cost of insurance, chemicals (if you’re a conventional farmer), and the list goes on and on. It’s not unusual for a start-up farm to cost the young farmer in the hundreds of thousands of dollars, and often in the millions. Not really money that most people right out of college or high school has. Certainly not the kind of money a farm hand has to start his or her own farm.
Though we could certainly put money as the main cause for the decline in young farmers, we could also strike up reasoning for the lack of glamour. We live in a society where it’s important to be flashy, as well as it’s important to have a job that offers the most pay for the smallest amount of work. The people who are looking at what they want to do with their lives aren’t seeing that in agriculture. It’s a hard job with long hours, and little return, for the most part. Though there are some, you’re not going to meet very many rich farmers. For most, it’s a lot easier to sit behind a desk and not get dirty than to find ways to deal with drought and growing prices.
As the average age of the American farmer continues to go up, we edge closer and closer to our next great agricultural crisis. We’re already experiencing what’s said to be the worst drought since the Dust Bowl, what’s going to happen when the farmers who have the knowledge and experience to still produce under these conditions decide to retire?
It’s becoming more and more important that we educate our youth on the importance of agriculture and the real benefits of being a farmer. It’s important for the young people today to understand that as a farmer, you’re not the only person who depends on you, the world does. If anything is needed, it’s an agricultural renascence where we are able to bring the excitement and passion of farming back to the youth. We need to create programs, not necessarily through the government, where we can make land and equipment more affordable for the young people who would have considered becoming farmers, but haven’t, as they could never afford the costs in the first place. Maybe cooperative farms? There are options. I’m just trying to get a dialogue open…
One of the problems that I’ve seen in our area is that when a farm is handed down to the next generation, it gets sold off … typically turned into housing developments. While the younger generation doesn’t have to buy the land, keeping it and making it a profitable farm, is tough in today’s climate. Farmers are competing with the “big guys” and it’s hard to make a living. Frankly, they can make a lot more money by selling the land to a developer. It’s a sad situation for all of us!
We’ve been seeing a lot of that here as well. It’s really sad.
There are organizations that pair aging/retiring farmers with younger people looking to get into agriculture. I count myself lucky to have found the situation I did, even though it was by chance. It’s excellent to have several years of overlap, to sort of transition and share information and knowledge. One of the toughest parts that you didn’t even touch on is that even if you have the start-up capital or find a place to farm, you don’t automatically start with the skills or know how. It’s very easy to fail early on simply because you couldn’t keep up with nature.
I could write a book on the subject. There are many subjects I never had the chance to touch on that I wish I could have. I only have so much time.
Kira’s right. The knowledge is a vital part. And even people who have interned with experienced farmers often struggle or fail when they get their own farm because the growing environment can vary so greatly from farm to farm within the same geographic area. And that doesn’t count the ones that fail because of divorce, illness and other personal conflicts that interfere with the business. Its one wild ride for the ones that are able to make it work.
We have similar situations here, first an acre of land in my area, undeveloped goes for $25,000, little cheaper if you go even 10 miles south. As many of the older farmers pass on, their land is sold for subdivisions where those who inherit will see instant cash for the life they prefer to live. Also, getting a bank loan for farmland you will find the interest on the loan is much higher than for residential making it even harder to afford.