Mississippi Agriculture Commissioner Andy Gipson recently told American Family Radio that though more than half of the country had a tie to a local family farm in 1946, right after WWII, less than 2% of people in America are farming today.
Meanwhile, the few who are farming are nearing retirement age. In Mississippi, for example, the average age of a farmer is about 58 years old.
"The same trend is true in just about every other state," Gipson relayed. "So, you have an ageing out of our farm producer population and not a whole lot of young people coming in to fill the gap."
The United States does have food available, but still, many things today are imported. And due to what Gipson calls "the Walmartization of America," people have kind of taken for granted their ability to get food.
He says states need to make sure food is more readily available. Mississippi has tripled its meat processing capacity in the years following COVID, but Gipson assured AFR that more needs to be done.
"A country that cannot feed itself independently of anyone else, that is the most vulnerable situation to be in," he stated. "Not trying to scare anybody, but I do think it's one of the biggest issues we face as a nation and as states to make sure that we have the resources available to keep our people fed and clothed."
Gipson advised his fellow Americans to encourage the farmers who are out there and to get more young people involved in producing our food.
