When they say “Old MacDonald” they’re not kidding…

As the number of farms dropped during the last century, the age of the remaining farmers has steadily increased, experts told a Senate panel Thursday.  In 2002, nearly a quarter of American farmers were 65 or older compared with about 8% in 1910, Agriculture Department census reports show.  That has caused concern among agriculture-dependent communities about their economic vitality in the future.  “As our population has aged, so has America’s farmers,” said Sen. Gordon Smith, R-Ore., the top Republican on the Senate aging committee, which held a hearing on farmers.  #We need to be proactive in recruiting more youth into farming to effectively turn their current trend around.”  Smith said another reason for concern about the lack of young farmers is that the United States could face a security risk if it is forced to become a food-importing nation. Although American farmers grew a record crop of food last year, the country also imported a record amount, he said.  Keith Collins, chief economist of the Agriculture Department, said the average age of farmers increased by nearly five years to 55.3 in 2002 from 50.5 in 1982.

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