Midwest farms struggle with aging population, lack of labor
Dec. 29 (UPI) -- A new analysis from the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis indicates the area's farms are having increasing trouble finding and hiring the labor needed to operate.
The Minneapolis Fed, which is one of 12 Federal Reserve Banks in the country, attributed the challenge in a report this month to the region's low influx of migrant workers and aging workforce.
The bank covers the Ninth District, composed of Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, 26 counties in northwestern Wisconsin and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.
The report found that 39% of respondents to a survey said labor availability has gotten "much worse" over the past five years and 44% said it's "a little worse."
The Minneapolis Fed report also showed a 10% estimated share of foreign-born workers in animal production in 2021, compared with 18% nationwide.
"The difference is even more stark for crop production. Just 5% of Ninth District farm labor is foreign-born (the highest in 10 years), compared with 32% nationally," it said.
According to census data, the median age of agricultural workers in district states rose to 56 in 2021 from 51 in 2012. The rest of the country where it increased to 48 from 47 within the same period.
