By Clint Thompson
American Farm Bureau (AFB) President Zippy Duvall testified last week at the Senate Special Committee on Aging hearing to discuss the need for Congress to support younger farmers as they enter the industry.
It’s a concerning issue for the future of the country’s food supply, considering one-third of America’s farmers are over the age of 65 with a median age of 58. It comprises the nation’s oldest workforce.
“As I travel the country and see farms across our great country, I see a lot of gray hair. While the wisdom of older generations is critical, we must ensure that we make a way for young and beginning farmers to fill our boots,” testified Duvall, who is a third-generation farmer himself. “As this committee has identified, there are many challenges facing the agricultural communities, but there’s also opportunities for Congress to support young and beginning farmers, starting with a new farm bill. As I shared with the Senate Agriculture Committee earlier this year, we need a modernized five-year farm bill. Farmers and ranchers have faced unprecedented volatility since 2018 when the farm bill was put into place, making it harder for many of our farmers to hold on.”
Need for Legislative Assistance
Duval cited the 2022 Census, which showed a loss of more than 141,000 farms in five years, equating to 77 lost farms every day. This year’s crop is the most expensive crop ever planted. Farmers need legislative assistance, especially those just starting to find their footing in the industry.
“Our members support streamlining farm loans programs to meet the evolving needs of farmers and ranchers and make agriculture more accessible to young and beginning farmers,” Duval added. “Of course, we can not paint the full picture on this issue without talking about our employees. Many of those employees are like family to us. They are aging right alongside us. That’s a problem, because most Americans, they aren’t interested in working on our farms any more.
“Congress needs to recognize that farmworkers as essential to feeding and fueling our country. It’s time to modernize our outdated system and only Congress can meaningfully do that. A country that cannot feed its people is not a secure country.”