Family farms face succession cliff

Photography by Bob Miller

A New Yorker photo essay with images by Bob Miller follows a third-generation Kentucky farmer who expects his family’s operation to end with him, reflecting a broader national pattern.

Small farms are being squeezed by rising input costs, land prices, and policies that favor large-scale producers, while younger generations increasingly opt out. Tariffs have added pressure by raising the cost of fertilizer and equipment and triggering retaliatory trade measures that weaken export markets. With farm bankruptcies rising and consolidation accelerating, many multigenerational farms are reaching a breaking point — not because of a single shock, but from years of compounding economic strain.

Read more: https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2026/03/30/the-last-generation