USDA Report Characterizes US Farms and Ranches

USDA has released the 2023 America's Farms and Ranches at a Glance Report and USDA Economic Researcher Katherine Lacy has definitions for various small family farms, per the reports.

“Eighty-eight percent of farms are considered small family farms, but these farms only account for 46% of agricultural land operated and 19% of the value of production. A small family farm is defined as a family farm with gross cash farm income less than $350,000 a year the small family farm category is broken into four different typology groups. A retirement Farm is a small farm with a principal operator who reports having retired from farming while continuing to farm on a small scale and awesome occupation Farm is a farm with a principal occupation who reports a primary occupation other than farming. We have farming occupation farms with a principal operator who reports farming as their primary occupation. And this category is split into two groups, low sales or farming occupation farms with gross cash farm income less than $150,000 a year moderate sales or farming occupation farms with gross cash farm income greater than or equal to $150,000, and less than $350,000 a year.”

Lacy says it describes nearly two million farms in 2022. The report examines what farmers produce, how much they profit, and whether or not they participate in federal ag programs. The report is available at ers.usda.gov.