Farm Size & Ownership

USFRA’s Point of View

• USFRA's View on Farm Size

  For agriculture to provide healthy choices for all Americans as well as people around the world, we need all types of farms and ranches – big and small, organic and conventional, rural and urban. Only when farmers and ranchers work together, sharing best practices and providing a range of choices, can we meet the desires of the marketplace as well as the real needs of a growing population.

  USFRA affiliates’ members represent farms and ranches of all sizes and production models. We welcome diversity and believe that only through sharing and dialogue can American agriculture – and its consumers – thrive. Our values reflect this philosophy.

  http://www.fooddialogues.com/about/our-values/

  In America, the vast majority of farms and ranches – large and small – are family-owned and operated. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) 2007 Census of Agriculture, 95 percent of farms are family farms, accounting for the farming of 84 percent of all farm acreage. And The Atlantic recently reported that for farms with $1 million or more in revenues, 88 percent are family farms. This number is based on gross income rather than net income. Farmers and ranchers in turn invest much of that money back into equipment costs and inputs to run a farm or ranch. According to a University of Illinois Extension ag economist, to raise a corn crop in 2011, the average cost per acre was estimated at $832/acre. That number includes land costs, labor, crop protection, fertilizer and seed.   

  Like any other business owner, farmers and ranchers reinvest a great deal of their profits. Farmers and ranchers are part of an ever-changing and innovative industry.  That’s why farmers and ranchers put much of their profits back into their farm or ranch to stay competitive, upgrade technologies and meet regulations while also planning for difficult and uncontrollable circumstances. 

  Farmers depend on several local businesses, helping them to stay in business. Farmers and ranchers need veterinarians, suppliers, local agribusinesses and others in order to do their work. A larger farm will add to the overall infrastructure that makes it profitable for supporting industries in similar businesses to stay in the area. These larger farms help support the local economy and also support smaller farms by helping them maintain outlets for their local needs as well.

  http://www.agcensus.usda.gov/Publications/2007/Full_Report/usv1.pdf

  http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2012/07/the-triumph-of-the-family-farm/8998/

  http://ohioline.osu.edu/as-fact/0011.html

  Today there are about 2.2 million farms in America, compared to 5.3 million in 1950. Over the past century, massive consolidation occurred for many reasons. The availability of industrial jobs drew more people to cities. Inputs and resource costs made farming additional acres more manageable, contributing to consolidation. Urban sprawl also began to eliminate farmland.  In some cases, fewer farms reflect growing productivity and innovation – today’s farmers and ranchers do more with less. This helps make food more affordable and has allowed our society to flourish because so many people can pursue other vocations and pursuits beyond farming. http://www.agcensus.usda.gov/Publications/2007/Full_Report/usv1.pdf  http://www.agclassroom.org/gan/timeline/1950.htm

  Today, there is a growing interest in farming and ranching from many new faces, driving the growing urban, artisanal and local food movements. This brings diversity and new thinking to agriculture while also bringing more people closer to the land by connecting them with where their food comes from.  As the average age of a farmer in America is more than 55 years old, we need new farmers and ranchers. We encourage support for programs to help new farmers get started.

  Farms and ranches in America are a major driver of economic output.  U.S. farms sold $369 billion in goods in 2010, contributing approximately 1.2 percent to the overall Gross Domestic Product (GDP). In comparison, the automotive industry contributes 3 to 3.5 percent to the overall GDP, historically.  In addition, U.S. farms create one of the few industries in America with major exports to other countries, accounting for $137.4 billion in farm goods in 2011. The direct and indirect economic activity by farm exports supported 907,000 jobs in 2010.

  http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/docs/rural_communities_06_11_2012.pdf

  http://www.farmpolicyfacts.org/index.php/real-facts/

  https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/fields/2012.html

  http://www.cargroup.org/?module=Publications&event=View&pubID=16

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Questions & Answers

• Why don’t we grow more produce in the middle of the country versus commodity grains?

  Different parts of the country – based on soil, weather and other factors – are good for different types of farming and ranching. Much of the farmland in the middle of the country is best suited for cereal grains.

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• How much farmland is used for conventional farming practices versus organic farming?

  Total farms: 2,204,792; Total organic farms: 20,437

  Total acres: 922,095,840; Total organic acres: 2,577,418

  http://www.agcensus.usda.gov/Publications/2007/Full_Report/usv1.pdf

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• Only organic farms are sustainable, right?

  The vast majority of farmers and ranchers operating all types and sizes believe sustainability is their business. If they don’t take care of the land or their animals, their business will not flourish. A new report released by Field to Market and the Keystone Alliance for Sustainable Agriculture, demonstrates how six commodity crops (corn, wheat, soybeans, cotton, rice and potatoes) are being produced more efficiently in the US than they were thirty years ago, accompanied by important improvements in farm safety and economic sustainability for producers.

  http://www.fieldtomarket.org/news/2012/field-to-market-releases-national-report-on-agricultural-sustainability/

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• Can we feed the world on organic farming?

  The world needs both conventional and organic farms to meet its needs. Organic farming can continue to develop sustainable practices that can be adopted more widely. At the same time, conventional practices are necessary to improve productivity to feed everyone.

  Fact:  A recent Nature article stated: “Crop yields from organic farming are as much as 34% lower than those from comparable conventional farming practices. . . organic agriculture performs particularly poorly for vegetables and some cereal crops such as wheat, which make up the lion’s share of the food consumed around the world.”  McGill University in Montreal and the University of Minnesota performed an analysis of 66 studies comparing conventional and organic methods across 34 different crop species. Additionally, according to the FAO, we must increase food production by 70 percent by 2050 to feed an estimated 9 billion people. 

  www.nature.com/nature/journal/vaop/ncurrent/full/nature11069.html

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• Examples of producing more while using less

  Foodborne illnesses have tremendously decreased, thanks in part to safe farming and ranching practices paired with advancements in processing: “CDC’s FoodNet surveillance system data, which tracks trends among common foodborne pathogens, has documented a decrease of 20 percent in illnesses from key pathogens during the past 10 years.” http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/17/1/p1-1101_article.htm

  • Each pound of beef raised in 2007, compared to 1977 uses 19 percent less feed, 33 percent less land, 12 percent less water and 9 percent less fossil fuel energy.
    http://www.explorebeef.org
  • Each pound of pork raised in 2009, compared to 1959, uses 41 percent less water, 78 percent less land and has a carbon footprint that is 35 percent lower.
    http://www.pork.org
  • Modern dairy practices require considerably fewer resources than dairying in 1944 with 21 percent of animals, 23 percent of feedstuffs, 35 percent of water and only 10 percent of the land required to produce the same one billion kg of milk.
  • In the past 30 years, total soil erosion for corn production decreased 31 percent on average for full time period, per acre soil erosion decreased 43 percent on average for full time period and per bushel soil erosion decreased 67 percent on average for full time period.  For soybeans, the average total decrease has been 28 percent, average per acre decrease has been  41 percent, and average per bushel decrease has been 66 percent.
    http://www.fieldtomarket.org/news/2012/field-to-market-releases-national-report-on-agricultural-sustainability/

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• Wouldn’t it be better if farms in America went back to the practices our grandparents used?

  Today’s farms and ranches are far more efficient than they were 50 years ago.  Farmers and ranchers are producing more food and safer food today using fewer natural resources and fewer inputs.  Going back to farming and ranching practices from 25, 50 or even 75 years wouldn’t benefit the environment or the population. 

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• Do today’s farms have more or less environmental impact than in the past?

  According to the Field to Market Keystone Alliance for Sustainable Agriculture, many commodity crops are being grown much more sustainably than 30 years ago. Some examples for corn, wheat, soybeans, cotton, rice and potatoes from the study include:

  • Soil erosion per unit of production has improved from 47 to 67 percent (over 30 years)
  • Energy use and greenhouse gas emissions per unit of production have decreased between 15 percent and more than 42 percent for all crops (over 30 years)
  • Improvements in efficiency were driven, at least in part, by improvements in yield for all crops, ranging from 25 percent to 64 percent  (over 30 years)

  http://www.fieldtomarket.org/news/2012/field-to-market-releases-national-report-on-agricultural-sustainability/

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• Haven’t farms in America gotten too big?

  America needs farms of all shapes and sizes to thrive.

  It is unfair to characterize big farms as bad. Often, large farms and ranches are deploying the most innovative processes in sustainability and animal welfare because they have the resources to do so. In addition, large farms can be better equipped to deal with growing regulation requirements. Further, large farms and ranches create economies of scale that can keep prices low. Agriculture employs 14 percent of the U.S. workforce, or about 21 million people. http://www.farmpolicyfacts.org/index.php/real-facts/

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• What is the average size of farms in America? Are fewer big farms family run?

  According to the USDA 2007 Census of Agriculture data:

  • There are about 2.2 million farms in America; the average size is 418 acres.  An acre, by comparison, equates to a little less than a 100-yard long American football field.
  • Small family farms, averaging 231 acres, make up 88 percent of farms and 48 percent of total acres.
  • Large family farms, averaging 1,421 acres, make up 3.9 percent of farms and 13 percent of acres.
  • Very large family farms, averaging 2,086 acres, make up 4.6 percent of farms and 23 percent of total acres.

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• Most farms in America aren’t family-run anymore, right?

  Fact: In America, the vast majority of farms and ranches – large and small – are family-owned and operated.

  According to the USDA 2007 Census of Agriculture, 95 percent of farms are family farms, accounting for the farming of 84 percent of all farm acreage. And The Atlantic recently reported that for farms with $1 million or more in gross revenues, 88 percent are family farms. And while some farms and ranches have been deemed corporations, the title has little to do with the makeup of their farm or ranch. Rather, this is a standard business practice across all sectors of the economy, that not only assists with accounting purposes, but also protects a family’s best interests in an effort to keep the family farm within that family.

  http://www.agcensus.usda.gov/Publications/2007/Full_Report/usv1.pdf

  http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2012/07/the-triumph-of-the-family-farm/8998/

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Infographics

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Videos

Kristin Reese, a small farmer and chef, says local is great but big is better. It's going to take big to feed the world. She says at her small farm, local helps make connections to more conventional farms.

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