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Senate aging panel warns aging farm workforce threatens succession and calls for a modern farm bill
Summary
At a U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging hearing, witnesses and senators said an older farm workforce, falling farm counts and rising costs threaten generational transfer of family farms and urged passage of a modern farm bill and support for succession planning.
At a hearing of the U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging, witnesses told senators that the nation’s farm workforce is aging, threatening the ability of family farms to transfer operations to the next generation and putting U.S. food security at risk. "US food security is national security," Chairman Scott said in opening remarks, noting the average farmer age and rising retirements.
The committee heard a string of data and firsthand accounts showing the scale of the challenge. Chairman Scott said the average American farmer is 58 and that roughly one-third of farmers and ranchers are older than 65; he added that in Florida about 40% of producers are 65 or older. Zippy Duvall, president of the American Farm Bureau Federation, urged Congress to…
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