ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the research on farmers' retirement patterns, such as the age farmers are retiring or say they plan to retire and comparing these patterns across countries. It describes how the US Census of Agriculture data may obscure true retirement patterns because of the USDA definition of a farm and the phenomena of retiring to farming in the US. The chapter presents a summary of research about where retiring farmers plan to live, and their retirement income sources and how, in the context of retiring from farming and farm succession, this has an impact on true transition of management of the farm. The chapter talks about the need to move farmers from discussing the tangible details of retirement planning and immediately dismissing the possibilities to discussing the lifestyle they might enjoy if they recognize and process the emotional reasons for their hesitation in planning for their retirement.
