Family Farms Still Lead in Commodity Production

With your Southeast Regional Ag News, I am Haylie Shipp. This is the Ag Information Network.

For Abbott and Costello, it was “who’s on first,” but, for the USDA, it is who is on the farm.

Reading into a new report out from the USDA’s Economic Research Service, you’ll find the numbers show that large-scale family farms account for a majority of the value of commodity production. At least that the case looking into 2022. Specifically, these farms accounted for 51 percent of cash grains and soybeans, 56 percent of hog production, 65 percent of cotton along with 65 percent of specialty crops, and 76 percent of dairy products.

On the other hand, small family farms accounted for three percent of the value of production for dairy, four percent for cotton, seven percent for specialty crops, and 26 percent for beef, but they produced the majority of hay—53 percent—and 45 percent of poultry and eggs.

The value of production by nonfamily farms ranged from five percent for both hay production and poultry and eggs production to 19 percent for specialty crop production. Large scale family farms are those with a Gross Cash Farm Income of more than $1 million.