Iowa Agriculture Secretary Mike Naig says he noticed two surprises in the latest Census of Agriculture, as he says it’s always interesting to see where Iowa bucks the national trends.
Naig says several factors may be behind these emerging agricultural trends for the state.
While he’s pleased by elements of the survey, Naig says a host of obstacles are still in place for farmers who are just starting out.
Naig says the ag census shows there is generational change underway on Iowa’s farms.
The 2022 Census of Agriculture shows Iowa gained 800 farms, about 1% more than the 2017 Ag Census, and the number of farmers under the age of 35 is 10% of the total.
