Ag’s Next Generation Is Slipping Away and With That, The Heritage Of This Country
Hello out there!
I hope this blog finds you all doing well and blessed. Today I want to talk to you about something near and dear to my heart. To be honest it is something that keeps me up at night sometimes, worrying.
It’s something the mainstream media does not report on and so many remain ignorant to what is going on, but hey, let’s get into it and have an informed conversation.
We are slowly losing our knowledge base and legacy within the agriculture industry as our older generations are aging out and passing away.
We all know it. We have all seen the stats. We know that the average age of the farmer/rancher is 58 and rising every year.
This is a growing concern across the U.S., and the numbers paint a sobering picture:
🌾 Generational Transition Challenges
Nearly 70% of U.S. farmland is expected to change hands in the next 20 years. Much of it will be bought by large corporations and foreign entities.
A major reason? Lack of succession—many children are unwilling or unable to take over family farms, generally for two reasons. Either they bought the lie that farming is for the uneducated and holds no value to them; or they realize, much to their dismay, that the financial side of the farm is struggling and they see no way out.
In 2022, there were 1.3 million farmers aged 65 or older, compared to just 300,000 under age 35.
Loss of Heritage: Each farm sold represents generations of accumulated knowledge, relationships with the land, and community identity; to be forever lost, with the passing of that farmer.
📉 Farm Decline Trends
Between 2017 and 2022, the U.S. lost 141,733 farms, a 7% decline.
Much of this loss is attributed to small and mid-sized family farms being sold or consolidated due to economic pressures and generational disinterest.
We must reframe cultural trends and begin to once again celebrate farming as noble, innovative, and aligned with ecological stewardship rather than portraying it as backbreaking labor done by the uneducated, with no future.
💸 Economic Pressures
Rising input costs, market volatility, and debt burdens make farming less attractive to younger generations.
Many small farms operate on margins under 10% and rely on off-farm income to stay afloat.
Food System Resilience: Small family farms are critical to local food security, soil health, and regenerative practices.
Even at small scale, farming is important. Did you know that hobby farms produce, according to the FAO, a third of the food grown worldwide.
This shift isn’t just about economics, it’s literally reshaping rural communities and the future of sustainable agriculture and our food systems.
What does this all mean?
It means we are heading towards a massive labor and knowledge shortage in the next 15 years. And, I get it, this applies to all blue-collar professions across the board, and that in and of itself is a travesty. BUT there are only two professions that feed and nurture us, and hold the ability to heal the environment....
Farmers and Ranchers. Full stop! I’m not interested in debate. If you disagree, well then you could be another casualty of the war that is being waged against agriculture of any kind. It’s true.
The common trope today is that we need more automation, we keep saying automation will solve the problems, AI agronomists are the future and digital platforms will replace handshakes.
We are dehumanizing the most basic of our human needs….. food. It’s like living in the twilight zone. Soylent Green anyone? How about Maggot milk or bug burgers?
That is by far the biggest push across the Ag business space currently and at this point it seems inevitable.
We need to encourage this new crop of prospective farmers that are coming up, because I don’t care how good AI gets, it can never replace the human mind - filled with reason, passion, love and devotion to a cause that many can’t and won’t understand.
Sure, you can mechanize and automate a farm…
But here’s the big caveat, all the little details of the operation still exist in the producer’s head. You know, like that one fence line that gets washed out every spring. I am sure that’s not written down. That one field that’s got the funky gate with the hidden key behind the no trespassing sign. Probably not written down. The one animal that has to have special consideration, because well it’s that one animal. Look, If you know, you know! ;)
I could go on, but I know you get the picture.
Without that next generation on the farm or ranch walking around, absorbing all those little details, we are about to see the decay and destruction of a crap-ton (that’s a real word 😊) of knowledge and potentially land, livestock and waterways.
In other words, we are about to lose our grasp on reality in lieu of a false sense of technological security.
The answer isn’t autonomy and AI replacing human ability and intelligence, it’s those technologies working hand in hand with the next generation of producers to enhance value and discover new efficiencies.
Technology is not evil. It can be though, when absent of humanity.
Until next time, stay strong in your faith, love your family, and support your local community farmers!
Kevin
