Why Small Farmers Are Disappearing with Joel Salatin – “Family farms in America are slowly disappearing, with a 2022 USDA census reporting that America lost 142,000 farms over just five years. The average farmer in America is now nearly 60 years old. But it’s not government subsidies that farmers need to stay afloat”, says Joel Salatin. What small farmers really need is the freedom to innovate and sell directly to local consumers — without facing a morass of red tape, regulations and mandates. Salatin, co-owner of Polyface Farms in Virginia, is widely recognized as a leading pioneer of sustainable or regenerative farming practices that enrich the land, rather than depleting it. American Thought Leaders – is hosted by Senior Editor Jan Jekielek and his reporting team.