Novice Farmers Face Big Challenges Making It in Today’s Ag Sector

Novice farmers face big challenges making it in today’s ag sector

Katherine De Boef pours chicken feed into a feeder while doing chores with her husband Ben De Boef during their morning farm chores at their family farm in Montezuma, Iowa on Nov. 13, 2025. (Savannah Blake/The Gazette)MONTEZUMA, Iowa — Ben De Boef grew up working on his grandfather’s 400-acre farm in Montezuma, Iowa, and hearing stories about it.  “I loved it since I was a kid,” said De Boef. “I didn’t really want to do anything other than farm.…

Ag Mag: 5 challenges facing modern farmers

Agriculture is a building block of nations. The United States Department of Agriculture reports 22.1 million full-and part-time jobs were related to the agricultural and food sectors in 2022, representing 10.4 percent of total U.S. employment. Statistics Canada reports agriculture in Canada employed around 280,000 people as of 2023. Today’s farmers face a convergence of environmental, social and economic pressures. Each of these pressures has th…