Investing in the Next Generation of Agriculture

Agriculture has long relied on more than just land and livestock to do its work,  it has required the help of willing people, who are needed to put their backs into the labor and their minds into advancing the industry. However, educators and agriculture leaders around the country are sounding the alarm that too few young people are being introduced to the industry early enough. Now a new bipartisan bill in Congress is stepping in.

Earlier this week, U.S. Representative Henry Cuellar announced his co-sponsorship of the “Growing Opportunities in Agriculture Act” (H.R. 4945), which would set aside $5 million in federal grants over the next three years to provide help for schools that wish to develop or expand their agriculture programs. The target for the initiative is specifically rural and underserved areas, where students may find themselves surrounded by ranching or farming but without opportunities to learn about current agricultural practices, technology, or agri-business career options.

The money would be allocated in the form of competitive grants, which would allow schools the flexibility to tailor programs to local needs. That could mean bolstering existing FFA and 4-H programs, or it might be as simple as providing hands-on training in animal science or crop management, establishing a partnership with a local college, or working with ag-related companies in the area to offer internships or mentorships for students.

The theory is straightforward, if you want to ensure America’s food supply, you have to invest in the pipeline of future farmers, ranchers, and agricultural professionals. In areas such as South Texas, where Cuellar announced the bill, schools are often working with tight budgets and competing educational priorities. Agriculture programs can be overlooked, even though they offer practical skills, leadership development, and a connection between school and the working world that often can be missing.

But supporters of the measure also present the bill as more than a workforce-development plan. It’s about helping to keep agriculture rooted in communities, to give young people the knowledge and pride to continue family farms, or the confidence to bring modern business and technical know-how back to rural areas. 

The U.S. farm economy is slowly but surely entering a demographic crisis. The USDA Census of Agriculture, which is released every five years, offers a window into the issue. The most recent release showed the average American farmer or rancher was 57.5 years old, with more than a third of all producers over 65 years of age. In other words, a rapidly growing share of the nation’s food supply is resting on the shoulders of a generation that is rapidly nearing retirement age.

The numbers, on paper, are stark. As millions of acres are expected to change hands over the coming decades, without a next generation ready to step in that land is either at risk of leaving production or being consolidated into fewer and larger operations. For rural communities, the risk is even more immediate as when young people leave or don’t see opportunity in agriculture, small towns not only lose farm families but the economic base that supports entire communities.

This is where the Growing Opportunities in Agriculture Act is seeking to plug the gap. The idea is that if you seed more agricultural education in high schools, that can start sparking interest early,  before young people make educational and career decisions that steer them away from the land. 

Proponents argue that agriculture has to be presented as more than backbreaking labor. It’s also technology and data analysis, biology and logistics, and even entrepreneurship. Ag programs, developed with the money from the act, could expose students to a future in agriculture as a pathway to running a ranch, or developing new crop genetics, or overseeing precision drone fleets.

As importantly, the programs would also provide students with soft skills like leadership, communications, and teamwork that translate into success whether on or off the farm. Leaders in FFA and 4-H have long made the case that agricultural education in schools is not just about teaching kids how to grow corn or raise cattle. It’s about teaching responsibility and giving kids confidence, leadership skills, and a sense of civic pride. With the proper funding, that lesson can be reached more widely.

Critics are likely to dismiss the $5 million nationwide as an insufficient amount of money to meet the challenge. But supporters counter that it’s not being offered as a panacea, just as a spark. Rural school districts have shown that they can use relatively small amounts of money to develop programs that have a lasting impact, an agricultural mechanics lab in one place, a greenhouse or garden in another, and a partnership with a local ranching family or feedlot or ethanol plant down the road. When grants are used smartly, the impact multiplies.

For lawmakers, the measure also fits in neatly with broader questions about food security and national resilience. As trade wars, climate volatility, and supply chain disruptions buffet the food system, there’s a need to ensure a constant flow of skilled and knowledgeable producers is available. By investing in students now, the thinking goes, Congress is helping to ensure that America will remain fed and competitive in the future.

In South Texas, where Cuellar made his announcement, the argument was put in simpler terms. Agriculture is not just an industry there, but a way of life. Every student that acquires skills and interest in agriculture is one more young person who may end up keeping the land in the family, contributing to the local economy, and sustaining a rural way of life that has been the bedrock of communities for generations.

The bottom line? It’s not just about money for schools. It’s also about building a bridge between the classroom and the community, between older farmers who are looking for a successor, and younger ones who are deciding whether to stay. If the program works, it could help close the widening gap between an aging farm population and the future of America’s food supply.