Time stops for no one, or so the saying goes. And right now, the clock is not on the side of many U.S. farmers, who have suffered hit after hit in recent years. The U.S. Department of Agriculture's recently released five-year agriculture census, along with other newer data, paints a picture of an increasingly aging sector that is struggling with debt and bankruptcy. In recent months, U.S. farmers have had to contend with delayed harvests as well as uncertainty surrounding the recent government shutdown and support payments, and the agriculture sector's status as a bargaining chip in White House trade policies. Now, with elections in 2020 looming , the U.S. administration is looking for ways to maintain the support of a key political base.