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Tuesday, July 20, 2021

U.S. has very few millennial farmers; only 9% are 35 or younger, and only 4% of those are non-white, USDA says

96% of young producers in the U.S. are white
(Investigate Midwest chart; click to enlarge it)
In 2017, the most recent year for which data are available, farmers and ranchers age 35 and under made up only 9 percent of all American farmers, according to the Department of Agriculture.

"Nearly all, 96%, of the young producers were white. This left 14,111 young producers of color in the U.S. Socially disadvantaged farmers and ranchers, those who have experienced racial or ethnic prejudice, have additional funding opportunities through the USDA’s 2501 program," Mary Henningan reports for the Midwest Center for Investigative Reporting. "About 80% of the young producers started farming in the last 10 years and about 50% started in the last five years. Most young producers reported a primary occupation that was not farming in 2017. The USDA’s Farm Service Agency offers support to beginning farmers and ranchers through direct and guaranteed loan programs."

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