03/21/08 Farm Bureau survey of YFR members

The American Farm Bureau Federation took a survey of its Young Farmers and Ranchers and found that the future for agriculture is in caring and competent hands. It needs to be given the average age of today's producers, somewhere in the mid-50's. The survey shows that land availability and profitability are the top challenges for younger farmers and ranchers who believe they are better off now than five years ago. In the Farm Bureau survey 36 percent cited land and facility availability as their top concern while 20 percent listed overall profitability. Both of those issues ranked high in most previous surveys. Urbanization at 14 percent, government regulations at eleven percent and the cost of health care at ten percent were the next most pressing challenges for YFR members. 83 percent of the young farmers and ranchers say they're more optimistic today about farming than they were five years ago. 90 percent say they're better off now but in 2000 only 70 percent felt that way. 92 percent of these young ag producers see themselves remaining on the farm or ranch for the rest of their lives and 95 percent of them want to see their children follow in their footsteps. Voice of Idaho Agriculture Bill Scott