I sit in a lot of meetings for my career. I’ve listened to a lot of speakers on a lot of topics, all in the course of reporting on events. It’s not as tedious as it sounds. I usually come away with a nugget of wisdom or two to share.

In the past five years or so, there’s been one interesting topic trending among speakers at farm and ranch meetings. And that’s what effects, if any, the millennial generation and younger generations will have on food and agriculture policy, our rural society and our overall economy.

Tipping point

In 2020, U.S. Census Bureau data had millennials and younger finally tipping over the 50% mark in this nation. That is, they outnumbered the Gen X, baby boomers and older generations combined. And that was before the pandemic.

Let’s also consider three other bits of trivia. First, farmers and ranchers actively growing crops and raising livestock are less than 1% of the U.S. population. Second, the average age of the American farmer is 58 years old. And third, most Americans are now four generations removed from the farm.

Logic tells us that we’re in the minority now. And that will bring some interesting conversations in the future about how we raise crops and livestock, feed our fellow countrymen and contribute to our nation’s GDP through agricultural production. And if we don’t figure out how to sit at a table and talk through some differences of opinion with people we may not have much in common with, then we will surely be on the menu.

Labels and perceptions

I bet when you read “millennial,” an image or a phrase comes to your mind. Probably something to do with Tide Pods, or the phrase “entitlement.” I get it. It’s only human to sort people into labels.

But if there’s one thing I learned as a participant in the Kansas Ag and Rural Leadership Program, (KARL Class X), it’s that in order to have a conversation with someone you may not agree with, you have to look past labels and your preconceived notions of that person. Put those aside and focus on the issues and the goals, for the greater good.

That’s something we should keep in mind as well, as we navigate the shifting politics on food and environmental issues, sociological concerns around diversity and equality, purchasing decisions in the store, and more that millennials and Gen Z are bringing up.

These are going to be uncomfortable conversations. I won’t sugarcoat it.

But in order for us to pull together critical numbers to vote for commonsense environmental regulations or conservation policy or regulations regarding livestock production, we’re going to have to have these uncomfortable conversations.

Find commonalities

Too often we tend to divide ourselves into teams, and look at issues as a winner-take-all, scorched-earth path. That’s not very sustainable in the long term.

I find that when I’m in a situation where I need to accomplish a goal, and I must work with someone I don’t agree with, that I start by finding the points we do agree on. Understanding their motivation also helps.

We’re about to navigate farm bill negotiations, which will set the course for farmers, ranchers and agribusinesses for the next five years — and maybe even longer. We need to be able to have real dialogues that educate and help those millennials and Gen Zers understand the decisions we make on our farms and ranches, instead of just writing them off.

Their numbers are too great for us to label and ignore them.

Much like baby boomers changed the world by their sheer numbers, you can bet millennials and Gen Zers are going to change things too. We need to get this right.