# Ag Majors in High Demand.



## Vol (Jul 5, 2009)

From Growing Tennessee.

Regards, Mike

http://growingtennessee.com/features/2015/05/feature/?utm_source=Growing+Tennessee&utm_campaign=9ef27eaec5-growingtennessee-daily_newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_d75710df8e-9ef27eaec5-296641129


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## Tim/South (Dec 12, 2011)

From the link:



> "The USDA doesn't describe this (gap) as a crisis, but that's how we talk about it internally," said Angle, the dean of UGA's agriculture college.


Tonight our county had a meeting designed to attract and help young or beginning farmers. Several of my friends and I went because we like to keep up with what is out there.

Only 2 younger type couples showed up. This was well advertised and publicized and only two from our entire county had any interest.

The American farmer is aging.

How many of us will be doing what we are now in 10 years?

How many in 15 years?

There is trouble brewing on the horizon. The USDA has a right to be concerned that Ag will follow the path of big oil.

Food and water are essential. Word on the street has it that a foreign company is buying U.S. water companies.

Not sure there is a solution. We have a generation who believes the store grows food in the warehouse.


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## deadmoose (Oct 30, 2011)

Not that whole generation Tim.

Here I have a hard time seeing the average age of the farmer decline much. Not because people are not willing and ready to step up. The land is tied up. And the guys farming it don't retire. Why would they? When I started up that was one of my first aspirations to have a big enough farm when I retire to keep me kinda busy.

The American farmer will continue to evolve as (s)he has done for many generations.

We overproduce everything but beef basically. And that isn't due to lack of cattle farmers.


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## Bazooka (Sep 17, 2013)

Corporate farms. A Corporate Farm may own land across the nation and have managers that take care of it for a salary , with incentives for production. I believe that is why the dealerships have moved to Multi store owners. The dealer group I work for has 22 stores in 8 states and their focus is on the large corporate farms. In my region our largest customer leases 60 tractors per year. I guess I can't fault them for catering to their every whim, but growing up on a family farm makes me kind of partial to that sector. I quit managing that store service department and another one partially for the reason that I got tired of being told to put off the little guy to be available for the big guy. Dealerships cater to the big farms for the market share , consistent cash flow and steady business. I guess it makes sense from a business perspective. There will always be farmers, but mostly employed by corporate owners to manage their acres. None of the owners or upper management have ever lived on a farm, heck the owner himself said that he has never sat on a tractor seat. Personally, I think that is shameful and tells me it is all about the $$.


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## Tim/South (Dec 12, 2011)

deadmoose said:


> Not that whole generation Tim.
> 
> Here I have a hard time seeing the average age of the farmer decline much. Not because people are not willing and ready to step up. The land is tied up. And the guys farming it don't retire. Why would they? When I started up that was one of my first aspirations to have a big enough farm when I retire to keep me kinda busy.
> 
> ...


The USDA says the average age of an American farmer is 57. One third of U.S. farmers are 65 or over.

Less than 6% of all farmers are under the age of 35.

Not a lot of children stayed on the farms here.


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## Magard (Mar 6, 2015)

My 13 year old home schooled daughter was talking to a preschool teacher today. The lady asked her what she wanted to do when she got older, she said farming and ranching. The lady said yeah but what are you going to do if that isn't in demand. My daughter said people got to eat. I think they'll always be work there. The lady said yeah but what if it gets really bad. What are you supposed to tell people like that? I told my daughter at least she would eat. 
People are crazy!!


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## bluejourney (Aug 26, 2015)

I'm 30 and work under my uncles learning everything they'll teach me eating grit and dirt. My wife and I work full time making huge off farm incomes in our respective trades. More than I'd ever hope to make farming. The problem is having a future plan to pass the knowledge and land on instead of this hire Mexicans for nothing and just manage it attitude big farmers take. The older farmers in our area do it and I'm sure everywhere else they do. I love working the farm and do as much as I can. It was never in my deck of cards to become a farmer believe me, but the health issues and need to continue have come up. There needs to be less keep away and more succession planning.


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