By Andi Anderson
The 2022 Census of Agriculture, released by the United States Department of Agriculture National Agricultural Statistics Service, reveals significant trends in the agricultural landscape in the country.
- Decrease in Number of Farms: The total number of farms in the U.S. decreased from 2.04 million in 2017 to 1.90 million in 2022.
- Production Value Increase: Despite the decline in the number of farms, U.S. farms and ranches saw an increase in the production value, reaching $543.1 billion in 2022, up from $388.5 billion in 2017. Crop and livestock commodities each accounted for approximately half of the total value, with crops contributing 52%.
- Farm Size and Sales: The largest farms, those with sales of $5 million or more, constituted less than 1% of all farms but accounted for 42% of total sales. In contrast, farms with sales of $50,000 or less represented 74% of all farms but only 2% of total sales.
- State and County Contributions: California continued to be the largest provider of agricultural products, with sales totaling $59 billion, representing 11% of the U.S. total. The top nine U.S. counties in terms of agricultural sales are in California, with Fresno County surpassing 23 individual states in sales.
- Top 10 States for Production: The top 10 states for agricultural production in 2022 were California, Iowa, Texas, Nebraska, Minnesota, Illinois, Kansas, North Carolina, Indiana, and Wisconsin.
- Top 5 Commodities: Cattle and calves ranked as the top commodity with $89.4 billion in sales, followed by corn, poultry and eggs, soybeans, and milk. The top five commodities accounted for 67% of total U.S. agriculture sales.
- Producers: In 2022, 3.4 million producers operated 1.9 million farms, covering 880.1 million acres. The number of producers remained relatively stable, but the number of farms decreased by 6.9% since 2017. The average age of U.S. producers increased to 58.1 years.
- Demographics of Producers: Female producers accounted for 36% of the total number of U.S. producers. The average age of producers increased, with a decline in the number of producers between the ages of 35-64 and an increase in producers aged 65 and over. The number of young producers (under 35) slightly increased.
- Ethnicity and Race: The majority of producers, 95%, identified as white, while Hispanic producers constituted 3% of the total.
- Beginning Producers: Beginning farmers, defined as those with 10 or fewer years of farming experience, increased in both number and share of all producers. Over 1 million of the 3.4 million producers in 2022 were beginning farmers, with an average age of 47.1 years and smaller-than-average farms in terms of acres and sales.
The data provides insights into the evolving landscape of American agriculture, highlighting changes in farm numbers, production values, demographics of producers, and the contribution of different commodities and states to the overall agricultural output.
Photo Credit: gettyimages-artqu
Categories: Illinois, General