Small Farms in the United States: Persistence Under Pressure

Ninety-one percent of U.S. farms are classified as small - gross cash farm income (GCFI) of less than $250,000. About 60 percent of these small farms are very small, generating GCFI of less than $10,000. These very small noncommercial farms, in some respects, exist independently of the farm economy because their operators rely heavily on off-farm income. The remaining small farms - small commercial farms - account for most small-farm production. Overall farm production, however, continues to shift to larger operations, while the number of small commercial farms and their share of sales maintain a long-term decline. The shift to larger farms will continue to be gradual, because some small commercial farms are profitable and others are willing to accept losses.

Keywords: Family Farms, Farm Businesses, Farm Financial Performance, Farm-Operatorhousehold Income, Farm Operators, Farm Structure, Noncommercial Farms, Small Farms, Small Commercial Farms

Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation

Hoppe, Robert A. and MacDonald, James M. and Korb, Penni, Small Farms in the United States: Persistence Under Pressure (February 1, 2010). USDA-ERS Economic Information Bulletin No. 63, February 2010, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1557208 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.1557208