Some 90 percent of the 2.1 million farms in the United States are small operations with less than $350,000 a year in gross cash farm income, says a new USDA publication, “America’s Diverse Family Farms.” Small farms operate nearly half of the farmland but account for less than a quarter of crop and livestock production. There are roughly 70,000 large-scale family farms, with more than $1 million in gross cash farm income, and they generate 47 percent of farm output. Midsize farms account for 21 percent of output.
Small farms produce more than half of U.S. poultry, mostly under contract to processors, and hay, said USDA. Dairy production is dominated by big operators. Large-scale farms and non-family farms, such as corporations and partnerships, grow 81 percent of the fruits and vegetables.