Census of Ag Shows Farmers Continue To Age

Ag Statistics Board Chair Joe Parsons points to some of the demographic findings in the 2017 U-S Census of Agriculture.

"One of the things I thought was really interesting out of this census is we have a new set of tables around young producers.”

Parsons notes a map of young people, those under 35-years-old, shows there are more of them in the northern part of the country.

"Farms that have young producers tend to be larger than average, both in terms of acres and in terms of the value of production. And, one way to think of these is often these farms are sizable enough to support multiple family generations."

Meanwhile, the trend of aging on farms continues.

"The 2017 Census shows an aging producer population, with the average age increasing about one year per census cycle. The average age of primary producers increased from 58.3 in 2012 to 59.4 in 2017."

For additional numbers, check out the USDA’s Website.

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