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AVERAGE AGE OF FARM OWNER JUMPS
Monday, April 25th, 2011 -- 10:38 am
Posted by Riley Hebert-News Director
 While dairy cows still easily outnumber people in Clark County, the number of dairy herds here continues to dwindle.
The National Ag Statistics Services says there are now around 990 herds in Clark County; there used to be well over 1,000.
Maria Bendixen says it’s nearly impossible for someone to start farming from scratch, and it’s difficult for farmers to transfer farms to others.
"Ag is extremely capital intensive," she explains. "You have to have a lot of stuff. We have to have cows, we have to have machinery. It's really difficult for someone that's young and just getting started to have those things."
Lenders are now requiring 40% equity for those looking to get into the business, Bendixen notes.
Dairy accounts for a huge chunk of Clark County’s economy. It’s estimated 7,696 people are employed by the industry. The average cow brings about $4,000 into the local economy.
There’s been a definite move away from smaller operations to large-scale farms. Besides the fact that breaking into farming takes a lot of money, there are other factors pushing younger generations out of the business.
"The profitability of farms, the volatility...it's a scary situation for someone who doesn't have a lot of financial security," she notes. "Plus, it's the idea that this is a 7-day-a-week job. You can't just take off for a ballgame."
The average age of the operator of a farm in the U.S. is now 57-years-old; here in Clark County, the average age of the principal operator jumped from 50.6-years-old in 2002 to 53-year-old in 2010.
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