Farms in the central U.S. generally face steeper challenges, according to data from the latest USDA Agriculture Census survey. Consisting of six of the most agriculture-intensive states, Midwestern farms have declined by more than 30,000 since 2017. As farms continue to get larger, small and mid-sized farms struggle to keep pace.

And since the startup production costs are so significant, it is all but impossible for new and beginning farmers to drum up the capital necessary to compete. In Iowa, the average farmer’s age has seemed to stabilize at 58 years old, but the older generation still owns two-thirds of Iowa’s land. Analysts say the age disparity will continue to grow as more data is collected.

Read more on census data here.