Illinois Farms Get Bigger, Fewer, As Farmers Age
A farm field awaits spring planting in Somer Township, Champaign County, Illinois. Jim Meadows/Illinois Public Media
Illinois agricultural officials say the number of farms in the state is going down, and the remaining operations are growing bigger as aging farmers struggle to find successors.
The Peoria Journal Star reports that the Illinois Farm Bureau says the state has 71,000 farms, down from 241,000 farms a century ago.
Ross Pauli has an 800-acre farm in Edwards. He says succession is a problem for older farmers. He says many farmers don't have relatives who will take over the business, so neighboring farms take over the land instead and grow.
Bureau spokesman Chris Magnuson says already established farms are likely to continue growing. He says farmers are always looking to acquire more land.
Pauli says new farms likely aren't starting because the industry is expensive and difficult to break into.
Links
- Farmers Dig Deep To Weather Slumping Ag Economy, But Don’t Call It A Crisis
- Soybeans Singled Out In U.S.-China Trade War, But Small Farmers Bear The Brunt
- New Illinois Director Of Ag Says Knowledge Of Farming Industry Gives Him ‘Credibility’
- U.S. Hog Farmers See A Real Threat As Deadly Pig Virus Races Through China, Europe