Conventional wisdom is that U.S. farmers are aging. One-third are over the age of 65, they have a median age of 58 years old, and they constitute the nation's oldest workforce, which threatens long-term viability of food and fiber in the country.
However, a number of nuances explain why active farmers are older, said Chris Wolf, the E.V. Baker Professor of Agricultural Economics in the Charles H. Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management, part of Cornell SC Johnson College of Business. Wolf testified at a U.S. Special Senate Committee on Aging hearing on June 4 on the topic of "The Aging Farm Workforce: America's Vanishing Family Farms."
The committee is led by U.S. Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL). U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), who invited Wolf to testify, serves as the committee's ranking member.
Wolf, who is director of Land Grant Affairs at Cornell, was among several experts who shared insights and best practices for addressing the aging demographics of U.S. farmers, strengthening farmers' ability to transfer their businesses to younger generations, and bolstering the long-term sustainability and security of the American food supply.
During his testimony, Wolf pointed out that some commercial farms are multigenerational, with kids and grandkids becoming owners and taking on management roles, while statistics on the average and median age of farmers only consider the primary farm operator.
There are also financial considerations that contribute to the aging workforce, he said. "Modern agriculture tends to be quite capital intensive, and that accumulation occurs over the manager's lifetime, the result being that the average farm age is getting older," he said. And the U.S. Department of Agriculture defines a "farm" as producing and selling $1,000 or more annually, so statistics include many hobby and part-time farms that in some instances serve as a retirement pastime.
However, Wolf said, "This is not meant to imply that there are no issues with farm viability related to increasing farmer age."
One issue includes barriers to entry for potential younger farmers. For example, transferring farm assets to the next generation can be tricky in family-owned farms, which account for 96% of U.S. farms. "While these farmers hope to pass the business on to the next generation, they also need to recover the equity value to fund their retirement," he said.
In order to attract the next generation of farm business owners and managers, the profession needs to offer income and rural amenities, he said. And younger generations often have information gaps about how to run the farm, which can be addressed by partnerships with land grant extension programs, like Cornell Cooperative Extension, Wolf said.
For example, NY FarmNet, a free, confidential Cornell program, provides farmers with two consultants, one specializing in agricultural finances, the other in the social and emotional dynamics of running a family farm. Cornell is the only land-grant university in the U.S. to offer the service. This program is important, as farmers face major stressors due to finances, a high incidence of accidents, health issues, child and elder care, and substance abuse, said Wolf, who serves as faculty director of NY FarmNet. Many of these strains can be amplified when farms are transferred to younger generations.
"Land grant programs like FarmNet can provide valuable assistance to help ensure successful farm business transitions in a healthy U.S. agriculture sector," Wolf said.
Other witnesses who testified included Zippy Duvall, president of the American Farm Bureau Federation; Jim Alderman of Alderman Farms and 2025 Florida Farmer of the Year; and Aaron Locker, managing director at agricultural executive search firm Kincannon & Reed.
