Saturday, August 29, 2009
(photo: small-farm.org)
American agriculture is steadily becoming an industry dominated by larger farms, according to a new study by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Statistics compiled for the report show production of many types of crops and livestock doubled or even tripled for agribusiness enterprises from 1987 to 2007. The average size of a herd of milking cows has gone from 80 to 570, while the average corn farm went from 200 acres to 600.
Researchers concluded the number of small commercial farms is continuing to decline, with most of those still in business focusing on beef cattle, grains and oilseeds, and poultry. The decline isn’t surprising, given that only one quarter of the nearly 800,000 small farms enjoyed what the USDA called “very good financial returns.”
-Noel Brinkerhoff
U.S. Small Farms: Decline and Persistence? (by James M. MacDonald, Robert A. Hoppe, Penni Korb, and Erik J. O’Donoghue, Economic Research Service) (PDF)
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