NASHVILLE, Tenn. (RFD-TV) — Passing the farm on should not be guesswork. With margins tight and operators aging, the stakes for rural communities — land stewardship, jobs, and local tax bases — are rising fast.
While nearly 70 percent of farmers planned to transition by 2025, according to AgAmerica, only one in four families has a formal succession plan — even as family farms make up 95 percent of U.S. operations and nearly half of all farmland could change hands over the next 20 years.
The backdrop is not easy.
The U.S. lost more than 140,000 farms from 2017 to 2022, plus another 20,000 since; total farms have dipped below two million; and farmland has fallen to about 880 million acres. Average farm size has grown by 20 acres — nudging more estates into potential federal tax exposure. One-third of producers are 65 or older, while fewer than one in ten is under 35.
Practical steps help
Set clear goals; talk early and often; use asset-splitting or long-term buyouts for multiple heirs; choose tools for machinery, livestock, and land transfers; and lean on pros — tax advisors, ag mediation, and lenders — to structure a durable, affordable plan.
Farm-Level Takeaway: Treat succession like any major crop — plan early, document clearly, and calibrate cash flow so the next generation can succeed.
Tony St. James
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Michelle Perez shares more about the American Farmland Trust’s resource to help farmers and producers plan soil health improvements.
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Farm CPA Paul Neiffer outlines the key difference between previous ECAP payments and the Farm Bridge Assistance Program.
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Jeff Johnston with CoBank’s Knowledge Exchange explains the growing role of Rural America in supporting the nation’s digital infrastructure.
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Larger operations maintain cost advantages, while softer equipment sales suggest producers are pacing machinery upgrades amid tighter margins.
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Farm Legal Expert Roger McEowen with the Washburn School of Law joins us to share more about the North Dakota court decision and the its larger impact on agriculture.
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“I’m not sure where this bridge goes,” trader Brady Huck with Advanced Trading told RFD-TV News earlier this week.
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Strong Farm Credit finances help cushion producers, but prolonged low crop margins could strain renewals in 2026.
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USDA data confirms that U.S. agriculture remains overwhelmingly family-run despite structural shifts in scale and production, according to a new analystis by Farm Flavor.
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