Melinda Wesley and her grandfather Louie Wesley.
Did you know the average age of the American farmer is 57 years old? According to the U.S. Senate Committee on Aging, farming has the oldest workforce in the nation. Furthermore, nearly 40% of all farmland owned in the U.S. is owned by farmers who are 65 and older.
This rapidly increasing age has left American farmers wondering who’s going to take over after the present generation and why young people aren’t going into traditional agricultural careers.
In a small town in rural Ohio, many farmers are approaching 65 or older. A retired dairy turned farmer operates a 200-acre farm that he’s owned since the late 1970s. He and his wife raised seven children, milked cows and made a significantly large farm payment through the 1980s Farm Crisis until 2010. Now 80 years old, this farmer still plants and harvests his crops every year while maintaining his farm. My grandfather, Louie Wesley, is the reason for my agriculture background and passion for the industry.
However, like many young agriculturists, I wonder how I can be as successful in the industry as my grandfather due to today’s rising issues. So, I’m going to address common issues young agriculturists are facing today that may turn them away from agriculture.
Louie Wesley empties a combine while harvesting soybeans.
Mental Health in Agriculture
Mental health has been a topic discussed often in the last few years. Why don’t farmers who are struggling seek help? Is there help for them in rural areas? Furthermore, helping farmers who are struggling and making mental health professions help more available for farmers may allow them to receive what they need.
However, 75 out of the 88 counties in Ohio are considered to be in a shortage of mental health professionals. In a recent study by the National Library of Medicine evaluating farmers, 97% of all participants had some form of depression. Facing a mental health crisis may mean young people decide agriculture is not worth the mental toll.
National Decrease in Agricultural Land and Land Prices
The U.S. has more than 800 million acres of farmland. Although this seems like a large amount, on average the U.S. loses 1.9 million acres of farmland annually. In central Ohio, for example, Intel purchased more than 1,000 acres of prime farmland to house its multibillion dollar chip factory, not to mention the rising costs of acreage due to this development here and across the country.
According to the USDA, the national average price for farmland is more than $4,000 an acre. This is a 7.4% increase since 2022. Young farmers who are just starting maybe can’t afford to purchase or rent a large amount of acreage and be profitable at the end of the year. A lack of farmland in their area may also discourage them to farm altogether.
Finances
The average American farmer makes $99,300 per year; however, most farms experience debt up to $1.3 million. With the total farm sector debt expected to exceed $3 trillion in 2025, young people looking to join agriculture may be intimidated. Commodity prices are also projected to fall this year, so the outlook for finances in agriculture may take a long time to look appealing to newcomers.
What Can We Do?
As agriculturists, it’s our job to ensure a sustainable future for agriculture. After all, it feeds us, clothes us and provides us with the fuel to get from point A to point B every day.
Advocating for youth programs in agriculture may urge more young people to see how the positives outweigh the negatives when it comes to farming. National FFA and 4-H educate students from all backgrounds about agriculture. Involvement in these organizations may also be the first step in youth’s agriculture involvement and instill a passion that will be with them for a lifetime.
Like me, others know the joys and discomforts of agricultural life and have lived it. However, we cannot deny the passion for agriculture has been passed down through generations and the desire to continue feeding, clothing and fueling the world.
