Average Age Is 58

[Trubadour]

A new report came out that puts the average age of a farmer at 58 years old. Does that sound too high to you? Or too low?

 

[Pinewood Acres]

Woohoo, I'm younger than the average farmer! I feel so spry all of a sudden. I'm kind of surprised by the age and figured it would be lower since it's hard physical work.

 

[Nathaniel]

That surprises me some. It seems a little high, but I guess it makes sense if you consider that many people end up changing careers in midlife, so maybe some people are becoming farmers in their 50s. I was in my 40s before I decided to move from the corporate world to farming.

 

[Jonny B Goode]

I've known a few who did that. They aged out of their previous career, or were nudged out, took their savings and used it to start this.

 

[leon]

Well, I am interested to know if this is a global statistic? If so, then we could say that most people opt for farming much later in life. Again, it depends on the nature of farming or the size of the farm(s) in question.