Magdeburg (dpa/sa) – Many farms in Saxony-Anhalt have a problem with young people. According to the Farmers’ Association of Saxony-Anhalt, the search for business successors is particularly challenging. “Skilled workers are sought in all branches of the company and at all levels, in managerial positions as well as in production,” said a spokesman. In practice, this means that there is also a national search for workers.
In addition to the cross-industry need for young talent, the economic and, in particular, the political situation are also causing uncertainty. “The agricultural job is one of the most expensive in the economy as a whole. Being able to farm requires large investments,” said the spokesman. In addition, many farm managers do not have enough planning security due to new legal requirements every year and long bureaucratic processes.
In Saxony-Anhalt, almost half of the 4,344 managing directors and managers in the year of the most recent agricultural census in 2020 were over 55 years old. Ten years earlier, according to the State Statistical Office, the proportion of older people was just under 38 percent.