By Tracy Turner
As Ohio’s farming population ages, the most vital upcoming harvest for many families might not be corn or soybeans — it might be the successful transfer of the farm to the next generation.
According to the 2022 U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Census of Agriculture, the average age of U.S. farm producers has risen to 58.1 years, up 0.6 years since 2017. Ohio’s median operator age was 55.8 years in 2017 and has continued to climb to 56.3 in 2022, underscoring a pressing need for farm succession planning.
Without it, experts warn, the state risks losing not just family legacies, but the farmland and economic productivity that sustain rural communities.
Source : osu.edu