Family Farms Are Running Out of Heirs
America’s family farms are facing a growing succession challenge. Aging farmers nationwide are confronting a hard truth: their children often don’t want to carry on the family business. According to USDA data, there are now more farmers age 75 and older than those under 35, leaving thousands of farms without a clear next-generation successor.
Don Guinnip, a 74-year-old fifth-generation farmer in Illinois who manages roughly 1,000 acres of corn and soybeans along with 40 cattle, is one example. His son works in pharmaceuticals, his daughter is a lawyer, and none of his siblings stayed in agriculture. “It’s disappointing to me,” Guinnip says. “That’s the way the dice were rolled, and you have to accept what life gives you.”
This demographic shift is colliding with economic pressures. Rising costs, low commodity prices, and trade disruptions have made farming less appealing to potential heirs, who now have a wider array of career options. In 2025, 315 farms filed for bankruptcy—a 46% increase over the previous year, according to U.S. court data. Even with billions in federal bailout and disaster-relief funds approved in recent years, corn growers are projected to face losses again in 2026. At the same time, skyrocketing farmland values make it difficult for one child to buy out siblings without taking on significant debt.
“Family agriculture is in crisis, and American farmers and ranchers are fighting for their livelihoods,” says Rob Larew, president of the National Farmers Union.
For families like the Guinnips, the situation brings difficult decisions. Their farm, in operation since 1837 and now held in trusts among five siblings, may need to be leased, restructured, or eventually sold if no successor emerges. Guinnip believes the future may favor contract farming, with fewer farmers owning land and fewer communities built around shared stewardship. He worries the pride and cohesion that once defined rural life could disappear.
“When farmers owned the land and lived on the land, they took care of the land and formed communities that worked together and solved problems and took care of everybody,” he says. “You’re not going to have that in the future.”
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