Having said that, my reason for returning to farming has not changed. Difficulties in Succeeding As a Young Agricultural Producer Agriculture continues to change with the advent of new technology. In general, farms are declining in number and growing in size. Crop production is extremely capital intensive and farmers are seeing production costs rise and commodity prices fall. It has become virtually impossible to enter production agriculture without the assistance of family members who are already farming.
Young people are long on labor but short on capital.
I was the youngest full-time farmer in my township 10 years ago and still am today. There is only so much land available and it is difficult for young producers to compete with established producers. Rental rates may be too high to cash flow or younger producers may be forced to farm land that is only marginally-productive. Younger producers with little equity can be wiped out in a single year. Risk management is critical to younger producers who can ill-afford significant income losses.