Consolidation in U.S. Agriculture Continues

James MacDonald

Amber Waves:The Economics of Food, Farming, Natural Resources, and Rural America, 2020, vol. February 2020, issue 01

Abstract: Over the last three decades, cropland has increasingly shifted to large operations with 2,000 or more acres. In 1987, 57 percent of cropland acres were operated by midsize farms (100-999 acres), while large farms operated 15 percent of all cropland. By 2017, the midsize farm share had fallen to 33 percent, while the large farm share had grown to 41 percent of all cropland. The consolidation of cropland into larger farms was persistent over time and widespread across most crops and most States. Major consolidation in livestock production continued to affect dairy, hog, and egg production. In contrast, the cow-calf sector, along with associated pasture and rangeland, showed little consolidation.

Keywords: Agricultural and Food Policy; Crop Production/Industries; Farm Management; Financial Economics; Livestock Production/Industries; Production Economics (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:ags:uersaw:302913

DOI: 10.22004/ag.econ.302913

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