By Clint Thompson
According to the 2022 Census of Agriculture, the average farming age was 58 with only about 9% of total producers less than 35 years old. It is a profession that needs to get younger, but how does that happen?
Alabama producer Taylor Hatchett believes industry leaders must focus on the worthy profession they get to serve and steer clear of the negatives that surround the industry.
“We have to make agriculture look appealing. If all we ever make it look like is doom and gloom and the worst job ever, that’s not very appealing to many people,” Hatchett said at the recent Alabama Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association (AFVGA) Conference and Trade Show. “I think we can acknowledge that it is hard and there are lots of hardships that we face, but there’s also obviously a reason that we’re doing it. It is a bug that when it gets in you, I couldn’t be happier doing anything else now because I’ve tasted the bug of farming.”
There is no doubt that specialty crop producers encounter numerous challenges every year, ranging from labor needs, seasonal imports and production issues. But there’s so much more that growers can hang their hats on to know they’re doing something worthwhile – like feeding the world.
Feeding the World
“I think not always telling the doom and gloom but being sure to overlay that with the unbelievable things we get to do in agriculture is important; and the significance of what we do,” Hatchett added. “If you want to do a job that in my opinion is the most important job in America, it is feeding people. Your doctor doesn’t matter. Your accountant doesn’t matter. No one else matters if you don’t have food.”
The census indicated that there were 3.4 million producers in 2022 with 53% between the ages of 35 and 64 and 38% over the age of 65.