America’s aging farmers

According to the 2007 Census of Agriculture, the average age of the principal farm operator in America is 57.1 years old. That same census data shows the majority of farm operators are between 45 and 64 and the fastest growing group of farm operators is those 65 years and older.
Carl Zulauf, an Ohio State agricultural professor, has been causing a stir recently with a short paper denouncing widespread concerns about aging American farmers. The paper reviews labor data regarding the age of farmers and the basis of the paper is this: “While much is written about the need to replace the aging U.S. farmer population, the 1970 period of farm prosperity suggest the current period of prosperity will lead to an influx of younger farmers, sons and daughters of existing farmers and from non‐farm backgrounds.” Zulauf argues that the aging trend is not a concern and—for different reasons—I agree.
To begin with, I think the statistic is narrow and does not reflect the true picture of America’s farmers. When I was on the family farm, my father (then 59), brother (29), sister (26), and I (24) all worked alongside each other to harvest our rice and walnuts. The one who was captured in the principal operator statistic was my white, male, 59-year-old father. The statistic does not note that half of the managers on the farm were women or that three-quarters were under 30.
Another reason the average age is increasing is because farmers do not retire. Farming is a lifestyle and it is not always easy for the older generation to step aside. On my family’s farm, I took over our walnut harvesting operation when my great-uncle finally threw in the towel at the age of 89. My brother is an excellent farmer and a great businessman. He has been adding acreage to our farm, diversifying our income streams, and expanding our crops. My brother works alongside my father and waits patiently until he can take over the farm. My dad still has at least another decade in him so my family farm will continue to nudge up the average age of the American farmer until (if) my father retires and my brother takes over.
It is also worth noting that farmers are aging along with the rest of the American work force. According to the Ohio State paper, in 2007 the average age of the American farmer was 15 years older than the median age of the U.S. labor force, just as it was in 1980.
If anything, I think the trend of aging farmers can be seen as a strength. Older farmers typically have more experience they can share with the next generation and their wisdom contributes to sound decisions. Aging farmers demonstrate just how much we use technology in agriculture. Today’s farmers and ranchers rely more heavily on mechanization to get more work done with less wear and tear on our bodies.
I never learned of the concern that the average age of the American farmer is increasing until I left the farm. Reflecting on the men and women I know in agriculture, I know that many generations often work together and so I shrug off the statistics. On its own, aging American farmers is not a concern. The real challenge is to ensure there are new farmers coming along to take over on America’s farms and ranches. Whether our current farmers and ranchers are young or old, they can’t farm forever.