Posted July 30, 2010

A new report issued this week by USDA’s Economic Research Service shows that U.S. farms are still largely family operations.

The Family Farm Report, 2010 Edition, issued by USDA periodically to update agriculture policymakers on the organization of farming in the U.S., indicates that most farms in America — 98 percent as of 2007 — are family farms.

Small family farms, or those with annual sales of less than $250,000, made up 88 percent of U.S. farms in 2007. They also held about 64 percent of all farm assets, including 63 percent of the land owned by farms. Small farms also accounted for 76 percent of the land enrolled by farmers in USDA land-retirement programs, mostly the Conservation Reserve Program.

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