The involvement of the population in farming in the United States has undergone significant changes over the past two centuries.
Farming was so common that it is believed that potentially 90% of the population was involved in it at one time or another. However, as the population of the US grows, we are seeing a reduction both in percentage and overall number of farmers. This means that fewer must do more.
Here is a breakdown of the proportion of the population involved in farming and the average age of farmers at various time periods.
200 Years Ago (Early 19th Century)
In the early 19th century, a substantial portion of the U.S. population was involved in farming. By 1820, about 72% of the U.S. population lived in rural areas, and a significant percentage (approximately 2/3rds of the entire population) of these individuals were engaged in agricultural activities[7].
100 Years Ago (Early 20th Century)
By the early 20th century, the proportion of the population involved in farming had begun to decline. In 1900, approximately 40% of the total U.S. population lived on farms, and 60% lived in rural areas. This period saw a large number of farms, with between six and seven million farms existing from 1910 to 1940[7].
50 Years Ago (1970s)
In the 1970s, the trend of declining farm population continued. By 1970, only about 4.7% of the U.S. population was engaged in farming. The number of farms had also decreased significantly, with around 2.9 million farms in 1970[9].
Current Era (2020s)
- Today, the proportion of the population involved in farming is much lower. As of 2022, there were 1.9 million farms and ranches in the U.S., which is down 7% from 2017. These farms account for a very small percentage of the total U.S. population, with farming and ranching activities involving less than 2% of the workforce[3][5].
- The average age of U.S. farmers has been increasing. As of the 2022 Census of Agriculture, the average age of all U.S. farm producers is 58.1 years, up 0.6 years from 2017. This trend reflects a long-term increase in the average age of farmers, with a significant proportion (39%) of farmers now being 65 years or older[2][6][8].
Other Problems
There are several other problems that we see with modern farming.
Climate Changes
The weather has always been the enemy of the farmer/rancher. A dry season can mean fewer to no crops, or a season with a late frost, can cause newly planted plants to freeze and die.
Similarly, too much cold, or heat, could cause animals to perish as well as crops.
Some believe that changes in our climate are making these situations worse for farmers.
Cost to Farm
Just as the cost to buy a house is getting more expensive, so is the cost to farm. Not only do we have to pay more for seeds to grow, fertilizers, starter animals, feed for those animals, and even the land we use is getting more expensive.
In the 1970s farmers were told to get big, or get out. The economies of scale have made it difficult to start a larger farm without a huge investment.
Nutrition
Many fruits and vegetables are losing the quality of nutrients. [10]
What I wasn’t able to tell was is this because of changes to the varieties of plants being used (see Heritage vs Hybridization vs GMO) where a product looks good, but isn’t nutritious, because of climate (as mentioned in the article), and/or because we are getting our food from further away, which means it has to be picked earlier, before all the nutrients are embedded into the food we eat?
Sources:
[1] https://sustainableagriculture.net/blog/examining-the-latest-agricultural-census-data/
[2] https://ipmnewsroom.org/aging-farmers-and-fewer-farms-in-the-new-agriculture-census-should-be-a-wake-up-call-says-vilsack/
[3] https://www.ers.usda.gov/data-products/ag-and-food-statistics-charting-the-essentials/farming-and-farm-income/
[4] https://origin.farmdocdaily.illinois.edu/2020/02/age-of-us-farmers-is-the-wrong-issue-being-addressed.html
[5] https://www.census.gov/about/history/stories/monthly/2024/november-2024.html
[6] https://farmdocdaily.illinois.edu/2024/05/age-of-us-farmers-not-a-problem.html
[7] http://jaysonlusk.com/blog/2016/6/26/the-evolution-of-american-agriculture
[8] https://www.agdaily.com/news/farmers-are-getting-older-yet-young-farmer-numbers-growing/
[9] https://www.gilderlehrman.org/history-resources/teacher-resources/statistics-trends-american-farming
[10] https://getpocket.com/explore/item/vegetables-are-losing-their-nutrients-can-the-decline-be-reversed?utm_source=firefox-newtab-en-us
Farming, the Population, Age, and Other Problems was originally found on Access 2 Learn
