USA: agriculture wins more and more money, but he didn't get in the pockets of farmers

Last year, the US Department of Agriculture â€" species of Ministry of Agriculture of the United States â€" has compiled some data about the sector, a census held every five years.

The first conclusion of the study explains that American agriculture increasingly wins money. In 2012, the American farmers sold $ 250 honorarium billion (R $ 927 billion) in products, 33% more than in 2007. In fact, this number is not surprising, since prices are higher, but the study questions who's really making money in this sector â€" some experts say it is not in the pockets of farmers that this money is in â€" and that explains some of the remaining data in the report.

The study draws attention to the growth of large agricultural estates and medium farms disappeared. The number of small farms has remained in line with the 2007 numbers, but the truth is that these are not making money. Almost half â€" 1 million-2.1 million of u.s. farms rely on a family member the full time, but even these don't make money, even in more prosperous agricultural.

On the other hand, the number of people who identified other occupation aside from agriculture fell 9% compared to 2007, but these numbers are not positive. "I think that this number reflects the lack of jobs in rural communities," explained the Civil Eats Katherine Ozer, Executive Director of the National Family Farm Coalition.

Farmers are older

The Census found that the American farmers are older, with an average age of 58 years, and that this number has been growing for 30 years. Still, the number of farmers between 25 and 34 years has risen.

"The number of young farmers is growing, but the range between 35 and 44 is lower," said Traci Bruckner, of the Center for Rural Affairs.

The number of agricultural farms too is decreasing in relation to 2007 â€" 4%-as well as male farmers (4%) and women (6%). Still, there are more women who say that the farmer is their only job (125 thousand against 122 thousand in 2007). "There are more and more women to follow a career in a farmer," said Bruckner.

Interestingly, these women are older, mostly between 55 and 75 years. Which means you can are entering agriculture as a second career or to cultivate some land inherited.

Agriculture as an obligation

According to the Guardian newspaper, Americans Cook less and less and Cook became a hobby â€" people cook with the chefs on TV. The loss of cooking skills means that American citizens are increasingly distant from farmers and, on the other hand, about 40% of their meals are lonely.

On the other hand, Americans don't see the agricultural career with good eyes, and those who choose to are, almost always, obliged to do so.

All these data have a meaning: that still make more money, the agriculture sector, in the United States, goes through a period of major challenges and will have to reinvent itself quickly. As in Europe, in fact.

Foto: PhillipC/Creative Commons

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