AgriCULTURE 2026 | Editorial: Empty barns 

I recently took a trip to my old stomping grounds in eastern South Dakota. The small acreages, silos, and fertile prairie soil were all a stark contrast to my current home in eastern Wyoming. Still, I love to see the differences in land and agriculture across our great country.  

One pattern stuck out to me as I drove further and further east on Highway 212. Empty barns.  

Now, I don’t know about you, but I have an affinity for barns. You know the ones: red or white with a rounded roof and hayloft. Those that still exist have been helped along by continued refurbishing – and thank goodness for that – but few seemed to have any animals in or around them.  

While many old barns still stand, that’s nearly all they do. I think of three generations ago when the barn was the lifeblood of the farm. It’s where cows were milked, teams were hitched, and all manner of animals took shelter from the harsh prairie wind and snow.  

Now, many historic barns are used for storage sheds, if they are even used at all.  

Assuredly, this pattern has been compounding for many years, but I believe the empty old barns are representative of larger issues in the ag industry.  

It is more difficult than ever for younger generations to get involved in agriculture due to ever-increasing land prices and interest rates. Older generations seem to be hanging onto land and homes, rather than downsizing or transferring land to the next steward. Consolidation of land and assets make it difficult for small operators to expand. And those small acreages with once-great barns are hardly profitable enough for people to want to be involved in production agriculture. So, barns are empty.  

This short list is certainly not exhaustive and numerous books could be written about the issues named. However, I will live up to the stereotype that “ranchers are eternal optimists” and choose to find hope and offer encouragement.  

Even though agriculture rapidly changes, some things don’t change. Those who want to be involved in agriculture still need to be flexible, business-minded, and gritty – a lot like those who built those barns. Homesteading wasn’t a walk in the park, but neither is it simple to operate today. The common denominator is that one must be determined in their pursuit of finding an open door.  

One advantage of the modern era is that we live in the information age. That means that there is a plethora of educational resources available to aspiring and operating producers. It may be harder than ever to increase margins, optimize land or run a profitable farm or ranch. But the good news is that one can take affordable online classes, read good books, use agency resources and listen to podcasts to hone one’s knowledge on business, marketing, grazing, production and more.   

Still, no man is an island. Relationships are key to building and growing in agriculture. It is my hope that those who are passionate about entering into ag cross paths with mentors willing to help them achieve their goals.  

The small, growing subset of people who are passionate about growing their own food and raising their kids in agriculture give me cause to hope.  

As an industry, I hope we can collectively work to fill those barns once again.