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Aging Agriculturists


By Steve Tarter, The Journal Star

July 26, 2005

At 77, Bill Harmon no longer runs the 2,300-acre farm he put together in Brimfield. He leaves that to son David. 
Yet Harmon still goes to work every day. "If you see it, you've got to do it," he said of various farm chores he tackles on a regular basis.

Harmon may be well past standard retirement age, but he's in good company. More than one-quarter of the farmers in the United States are 65 or older, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

The average age of the U.S. farmer is 55 years old, according to the USDA's latest ag census, released earlier this year.

That census noted the only age category showing a substantial increase was that of farmers age 70 and older.

Today Harmon will travel to the John Deere plant in Moline to drive a new combine off the assembly line, a ceremonial act Deere bestows on its good customers.


"I still do the harvesting," said Harmon, looking forward to handling the big machine.

"This year was the first time I backed off on the planting with those 60-pound bags of seed corn," he said. Harmon chose to do field preparation instead, driving a tillage tool around on a big tractor.

What Illinois farmers view as cutting back would strike most of us as hard work. 

According to a recent University of Illinois survey, Illinois farmers just aren't big on retirement. A survey of 13 western Illinois counties found that farmers are twice as likely to continue working beyond age 65 as are people of similar age doing other jobs.

"These farmers are not about to get off the tractor seat and relax in the rocking chair," said Andrew Sofranko, a retired U of I professor who did the survey. 

While that speaks for a strong work ethic and the independence farmers are known for, Sofranko sees another side. 

"You've got people farming in this state in their 60s, 70s and 80s. That can't go on forever. If their kids don't take the farm over, you'll see a lot of turnover in that land," he said.

Others see the conflict involved with a community of aging farmers. 

"It's a mixed blessing," said Dennis Vercler, communications director for the Illinois Farm Bureau in Bloomington. "For some, it's great fun. For others, they're keeping the next generation from running the farm."

Vercler's father, Bud, who continues to farm at the age of 82, calls himself semi-retired. He lives in town (Chenoa) but travels each day to the farm two miles away for four hours a day of "Mickey Mouse work."

"There are plenty of young people in this area in their 30s and 40s that are taking on additional acres," he said. 

But Vercler understands young people that take over come from farming families. "Young people don't have a chance to get into farming. No stranger could get into farming in Chenoa," he said.

It's not just men that are staying on the farm. Women are, too. Eleanor Zimmerlein has lived in the same house in LaMoille in Bureau County for 57 years. At 80 years old, she's staying put on the farm.

"I won't move to town if I can't possibly help it. I want to stay on the farm," she said. "My son farms my ground. He lives three miles away. But I still drive the tractor in planting season. It's a good feeling to see the crop coming in."

Zimmerlein is a farm widow who stays busy. Past president of Agriwomen of Illinois, she now serves as legislative chair for that group. "I've gone to Washington, D.C. every June for the past 15 years for the (Agriwomen) meetings," she said.

Staying busy is a way of life for farmers, so it's not surprising they would stay busy late in life, said Adam Nielsen, spokesman for the Illinois Farm Bureau in Bloomington.

Nielsen cited other reasons for farmer longevity. "People are living longer, in general, plus there have been so many changes in equipment that enables people to farm longer," he said. "Not so many farmers are doing livestock anymore. They used to have to shovel manure and wrestle livestock but grain farmers work primarily at planting and harvest times."

Harmon recalls having to put up hay for cattle. "But we're specialized now - just corn and soybeans," he said.

Harmon credits his son's interest in the farm for his continued involvement. "If I had the whole thing on my shoulders - if I didn't have the next generation following me - I would have sold out before this," he said.

Another thing that keeps farmers on the farm is money. "America's farmers are at a higher risk of experiencing declining standards of living in retirement," said Larry Mitchell, CEO of the American Corn Growers Association, the Washington, D.C.-based group that's seeking additional retirement benefits for farmers. 

"With less access to employer-based pensions and volatile business risks, farmers face a more difficult retirement path than the average American," Mitchell said.

Yet another reason for life-long farmers is the independence that goes with the farm territory, said Dennis Vercler. "They don't have a boss to say, 'You should really stop now,'" he said.

 

 

 

 


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