FarmEconomy

'A Wake-Up Call' for Rural America

Are America's farms facing a crisis? Addressing the USDA's annual Outlook Forum -- which looks at the year ahead in agriculture -- Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said Thursday, "I want to express concern about the 2.2 million farmers and 50 million people who live in rural America." He noted that rural America has fewer college graduates and an average income $11,000 per-capita less than the national average. Rural America is also older than urban or suburban communities; this year's agricultural census puts the average age of farmers at 57. And as those farmers retire or move on to ...

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