Change in U.S. Farm Numbers Over the Past 170 Years

The number of farms in the United States peaked in the mid-1930s before undergoing a steep decline during the next four decades as farm operations became fully mechanized with better larger equipment. The decline since the 1970s has been more gradual and it is now projected that there are 2,012,500 farms in the U.S. with gross receipts over $1,000 annual, which is the minimum size to be counted as a farm according to USDA. Of the total farms, 51.1% have gross revenues of $1,000-$9,999 and 30.4% have revenues of $1,000-$99,999. In other words, about 19% of the farms are commercial size.

In addition, the following graphic shows that the total amount of land on farms has slowly decreased since the 1950s to 915 million acres in the U.S. that were classified as agricultural in 2021. The slow decline is mostly caused by the conversion of farmland to housing and commercial developments.

As farm numbers declined over the decades and acres decreased much more slowly, overall crop production grew many times over because of better practices, improved seed varieties, technological improvements, and equipment efficiencies.

Editor’s Take:

Yes, farming has changed in very dramatic ways over the years. One fact still stands out – the many improvements adopted on the farm to make them more productive and efficient is the primary reason we need fewer farmers in the first place. There was a time when a farmer barely fed their own family and maybe a few more. Today, one farmer can feed not only their own family, but an estimated 166 others in the U.S. and abroad. The two million farms are the reason all the rest of us have the opportunity to pursue our passion and dreams. But the innovation doesn’t stop there. Biotechnology, precision farming, autonomous equipment and much more is on the horizon. And, don’t forget each farm has an average of three trucks and typically purchases one or more every year!