An aging workforce, growing demand for food around the world reinforce the need for solid farm transition plans.

From an aging workforce to the pressures of a growing population, the agricultural sector is at a pivotal moment, said Shannon Ferrell, an agricultural economics professor at Oklahoma State University, during his keynote address at the 2025 Cattle Industry Convention (CattleCon) last month. 

“We are a quarter of the way through the 21st Century,” Ferrell said, addressing a packed hall of farmers, ranchers and industry professionals. “2050 is only 25 years away (when the world’s population is expected to reach double what it was in 1990), and we’re all going to face challenges.”

The urgent need to...