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They make it sound like millions are doing this...more likely, they found two distant relatives.

From the article:

"The number of young farmers entering the field is nowhere near enough to replace the number exiting, according to the USDA: Between 2007 and 2012, agriculture gained 2,384 farmers between ages 25 and 34 — and lost nearly 100,000 between 45 and 54."

So, yes: They are talking about a group of "youngish" people roughly equalling in size the student body of an average high school - in a nation of 330 million.

Big deal!

Regards,

You can bet they're not making enough to have a car, a decent home, two tvs, two children, ....and someone is either working or collecting welfare. The return just isn't there.

And the acres lost is 1000 times what was gained.

In my neck of the woods in Upstate NY, development has done away with most of the farms. But we got a great wino industry.

The USDA loss of farmers probably has to do with the efficiency of farming causing farms to be much larger employing fewer people. Many farms up here are in terms of square miles, not acres, all managed by a single person with a computer. Machinery is precision GPS directed. Where there used to be 2 ton single axle grain trucks there are semi’s. It’s truly unbelievable. Combines are so huge their width takes up an entire two lane road. I could go on and on.

These folks have a good business head, know agriculture and the markets inside and out and are not afraid to get greasy maintaining equipment or dirty working a field. They work in freezing to scalding hot weather, all hours of the day when required.

The generation they are talking about would be just lost in modern farming on so many levels it would be laughable. I suspect they will be growing a some corn, a small garden, raise a few chickens with their cash crop being pot.