2. Development Report

13) Ageing American Farmers

Studies show the average age of American farmers is slowly rising.

Fewer young Americans are deciding to enter farming than in the past.

And the number of farmers and working farms in the United States has decreased over time.

The Economic Research Service released a report describing the findings.

The agency is part of the United States Department of Agriculture.

The Economic Research Service says the average age of an American farmer is fifty-four years old.

It notes the per- centage of farmers fifty-five or older rose to 61% in 1997.

Only thirty-seven percent of farmers were fifty-five or older in 1954.

The new report says farmers generally are older than other American workers for several reasons.

Farmers can continue working on their farms long after most wage earners have retired.

The number of years that Americans can expect to live has increased.

This means many farmers can continue working until they are very old.

The increased use of ma- chines in agriculture also has helped older farmers.

They can use machines instead of physical labor.

The Economic Research Service notes that the future of farming in the United States

depends on the employment of more new workers on farms.

However, fewer young Americans are becoming farmers.

The percentage of farmers younger than thirty-five years old has dropped from 15% in 1954 to 8% three years ago.

People usually enter farming through the family farm business.

Other people enter farming through what is called the agricultural ladder.

Under this method, someone working on a farm becomes the owner and operator.

The report says there has been a recent increase in the number of some groups of minority farmers.

This may suggest that more and more farms in the United States are being operated by former workers.

A person's decision to enter farming is linked to economic and business conditions.

The report says many young Americans have chosen non-farm positions with higher wages and better job guarantees.

It notes, however, that more than half of all farm families have at least two people earning money.