The recently released 2022 Census on Agriculture, a five-year snapshot on the state of the U.S. agriculture industry, was well … rather depressing. The report is the government's most detailed and comprehensive look at America's farms and ranchers with granular data down to the county level.
The new census showed that multiple trends have not been reversed. Since the 2017 report, the number of farms and ranches fell 7% to 1.9 million. The average farm size inched up 5% to 463 acres. That's fewer and larger farms. Consolidation.
The average age of farmers and ranchers was 58.1, up slightly from 57.5 in 2017. And therein lies a silver lining. The age increase is smaller than that of prior censuses. And the number of beginning farmers increased 11% from 2017 with an average age of 47.1. Also, 9% of all producers were under age 35.
Since at least 2014, the government has been trying to encourage young people to become farmers. It's been mostly an uphill slough.
The USDA defines beginning farmers and ranchers as folk who have operated a farm or ranch for 10 years or less — either alone as a sole operator or with others.
Beginning farmers and ranchers in the U.S. face at least two major hurdles — start-up costs including access to affordable farmland and access to safety net programs.
In 2023, the national average value for cropland was $5,460 an acre. That's 8.1% higher than in 2022.
The reality is that few aspiring beginning farmers have pockets deep enough to farm row crops like corn, soybeans, cotton, and wheat. Instead, they often tend to focus on specialty crops, which require less capital and more labor than large-scale commodities.
Some programs, such as the federal safety net of commodity programs, disaster assistance and insurance programs, tie support to production or production history.
The National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition — a grassroots alliance calling for policy reform to improve the sustainability of agriculture — recently released a new report on the farm safety net.
The report concludes that smaller and more diversified farms — exactly the type beginning farmers may gravitate toward — are underserved by safety net programs.
The NSAC is calling for Congress to address the problem in the farm bill debate currently underway by:
- Improving the Whole-Farm Revenue Protection insurance program by expanding the micro farm option, removing the limit to revenue expansion, and offering additional compensation to agents who sell the product.
- Improving the Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program by streamlining the application process, expanding options for base coverage, and creating an “on-ramp” option that allows for seamless graduation to WFRP.
- Aligning the definition of beginning farmers and ranchers enrolled in the federal crop insurance program with the less than 10-year definition used by all other USDA agencies.
The three proposals are a step in the right direction to better serving beginning farmers. But just a step. The National Young Farmers Coalition has a host of recommendations to break down barriers for younger folk wanting to farm including accessibility of USDA programs and improving access to credit to acquire farmland.
Hopefully, the House and Senate agriculture committees — immersed in writing the next farm bill — are paying attention. Hopefully.
