Justin Young considers himself lucky.

At 32 years old, he is a farmer helping his family operate a 20,000-acre livestock and row crop operation near Marlin.

It’s a job he wanted to do as a child — and he likes the work.

Justin Young, 32, serves as general manager of the livestock and row crop operation of his family's 20,000-acre farm near Marlin.
Jerry Larson/Waco Tribune-Herald

“I get up every morning and do something different,” he said. “I couldn’t stand to go somewhere and do the same thing all the time.”

Young is part of a shrinking group of young farmers. The trend is nationwide, and in Texas the average age for farmers and ranchers is now 59, according to Texas Department of Agriculture reports.

The Texas age is two years older than the national average of 57 measured in 2007. In 2002, the national average age for farmers was 52.

The state and the Texas Farm Bureau are taking steps that officials hope will encourage younger people to get into agriculture and help reverse the trend.

About 300,000 farmers are ages 65 or older nationwide, said Kent Politsch, chief of public affairs for the Farm Service Agency, a part of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

“In the Farm Service Agency, we take it very seriously. You have to have people to operate your farms,” Politsch said.

There are 2.2 million farms and ranches in the nation, according to the Farm Service Agency.

Texas leads the nation in the number of farms and ranches and in agricultural acreage. The state has 247,000 farms and ranches covering 130.4 million acres.

What will happen if the trend does not reverse is unclear, but it’s important for new people to come into farming and ranching to push innovation, said Rebekka Dudensing, agriculture economist with the Texas AgriLife Extension Service.

Young farmers are more likely to raise diverse crops and try new crops and new farming techniques, she said.

“Younger farmers bring new ideas and a different risk tolerance, and they set us up for the next stage,” she said.

Fewer small farms is a likely result if the age trend doesn’t change, she said.

It’s important for the health of rural communities that the trend be changed, said Dean McCorkle, AgriLife Extension program specialist.

“If for no other reason than to keep our rural communities and allow our rural communities to thrive,” he said.

High startup costs are a leading factor in keeping young adults from becoming farmers and ranchers, Texas Agriculture Commissioner Todd Staples said.

He noted that more than 80 percent of the farmers operating in Texas are older than age 45.

The state has developed a set of awards, educational and financial programs in an attempt to reverse the trend.

Leading the way is the Young Farmer Grant Program, in which farmers getting started can get grants from the Texas Agriculture Finance Authority, which the Legislature set up in 2009.

Under the program, farmers ages 18-46 who want to begin or expand an agricultural business can receive grants from $5,000-$10,000.

Since the program started, $100,000 in grants have gone out. Another $100,000 will be issued in a few weeks since a May 15 application deadline has passed, said Bryan Black, an agriculture department spokesman.

The TAFA also has an Agricultural Loan Guarantee program, in which it will guarantee loans by young farmers for as much as $750,000, and offers interest-rate reduction programs.

The Waco-based Texas Farm Bureau helps out with its Young Farmer and Rancher program.

Awards programs are offered to recognize young farmers and ranchers who do good work using sound agricultural principles, said Coleburn Davis, Young Farmer and Rancher Program coordinator. They include cash prizes of hundreds or thousands of dollars or even the use of a Case tractor for a year, he said.

The AgLead leadership training program lets younger farmers travel to different locations in Texas, the United States and overseas to see what is happening in agribusiness domestically and internationally.

They also meet with people who are working to change agriculture, including the Humane Society of the United States, Davis said.

Robert Cervenka, 79, checks on his cattle at his ranch east of Waco. He has been involved with farming since age 10.
Duane A. Laverty/Waco Tribune-Herald

In the field

Robert Cervenka, 79, has been farming since he was 10 years old. For somebody wanting to get into farming, the cost is daunting, he said.

To make farming work as a business, they’ll need at least 1,000 acres of land. To buy land for farm and ranch uses, price estimates from farmers and real estate professionals varied from $1,500-$5,000 an acre in McLennan County, depending on the use and land features.

The smallest useful tractor with 100 horsepower will cost at least $50,000 new, but farmers sometimes must pay as much as $200,000 for the tractor they need.

Other equipment, such as combines, can run $350,000.

“It’s just too costly for young farmers to farm unless they inherit or marry into it,” he said.

Another alternative would be to partner with another farmer. In some cases, people who farm also work other jobs to cover the bills.

Justin Young serves as a general manager on the family spread. His uncle, David Young, and his cousin, Kevin Young, also are involved.

Justin Young said he grew up with friends who wanted to farm but couldn’t see dealing with the cost.

“If something goes wrong, it will ruin you,” he said.

Political uncertainty in other countries is another factor. Such activity can shut off markets fed by Texas farmers.

And there are some realities about rural life. Business opportunities, quality of life and common technology may be hard to come by in rural areas.

The state is working to reverse those factors, Staples said.

The Department of Agriculture is expanding broadband access to rural areas now lacking it, and there is work to improve the economic climate in rural parts of the state, Staples said.

Financial support to protect farmers from weather disasters and rapid market changes is lately hanging in the balance, with some legislators eyeing farm support programs for cuts or elimination, Staples said.

“We continue to see mixed signals out of Washington about whether or not there is going to be a continuing safety net,” he said.

bteeter@wacotrib.com

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