 |
| CLICK HERE TO VIEW CURRENT ISSUE |
 |
| Best of NAMA 2026 |
|
 |
|
USDA: SMALL FAMILY FARMS ACCOUNTED FOR 86% OF U.S. FARMS AND GENERATED 17% OF PRODUCTION
Oct. 5, 2026
Source: USDA news release
In 2024, about 86 percent of all farms were small family farms. These farms, which have gross cash farm income (GCFI) below $350,000, operated on 40 percent of U.S. agricultural land while producing 17 percent of the total value of agricultural production.
Though representing 5 percent of farms, large-scale family farms (those with GCFI of $1 million or more) contributed 50 percent of total production value and accounted for 33 percent of agricultural land operated. Midsize family farms, with GCFI of between $350,000 and $999,999, represented 6 percent of farms and accounted for both 18 percent of agricultural land operated and 18 percent of the total value of agricultural production.
In total, family farms accounted for about 97 percent of total farms, 91 percent of agricultural land operated, and 85 percent of total production value in 2024.
The remaining 3 percent of farms were classified as nonfamily farms, a category that varies in size and ownership structure and includes partnerships of nonrelative partners, nonfamily corporations, and farms with a hired manager not related to the owners. Nonfamily farms accounted for 14 percent of the total value of agricultural production, a decrease from 17 percent in 2023.
|
|
|
|
|
