Fewer young farmers, growing cost putting pressure on US agriculture

PENDER COUNTY, NC (WWAY) — According to the USDA, there are more than 1.9 million farms in the US, but many of those operations are finding it harder to make a profit—or just break even. 

Mark Seitz with The Pender County Cooperative Extension says while local farmers are seeing good yields this year, it’s becoming harder for farmers to break even, especially when extreme weather leads to crop failure. 

Last year, many local corn farmers declared total losses due to a summer drought. 

“You know, for a 100 acres, you’re borrowing $80,000 to put all that seed, fuel, and fertilizer into that crop before you ever harvest; and you’re hoping mother nature gives you a break and gives you that yield that will pay that bill,” Seitz explained. 

Climate isn’t the only challenge. 

One of the biggest issues in agriculture today—Seitz says—is attracting the next generation. 

With high start-up costs and shrinking profits, very few young people are choosing to farm. 

“In the next 10 to 20 years, more than 50% of our farm population is going to retire or be deceased. Our average farm age is 60 years,” Seitz said. 

According to the US Agriculture Census, in 2022, farmers under the age of 35 represented less than 10% of all farmers in the US. 

“Where I live at, I’m the youngest farmer around and I’m 41 years old,” Michael Patram said. 

Patram has been farming in Pender County since 2006—and with his family before that.

“We grow wheat, soybeans, corn, and we grow green peanuts for the boiling market,” Patram said. 

Patram says today, farming is almost exclusively a family business. 

“Just to get started today, you’re probably looking at north of a million dollars just to get started to even think about farming,” he explained. 

Even if you can get a farm started, Patram says growing more crops per acre is the name of the game. 

“When you’re looking at corn back in the 70s, 80s, 100 bushels a yield was phenomenal. Now a 100-bushel yield will put you out of business,” he said. 

As the industry looks to the future, Seitz says the risk remains—but so does the need. 

“Today, less than 1% of our population grows all our food. So, in a lot of ways, we need people that are willing to take that risk on,” he said. 

If you’d like to learn more about Patram’s family-run peanut business, you can visit their Facebook.