The USDA’s Economic Research Service’s 2024 edition of America’s Farms and Ranches at a Glance says most U.S. farms, 86 percent, are small family farms. These farms operate on 41 percent of U.S. agricultural land and account for 17 percent of the total value of American production. Large-scale family farms accounted for 48 percent of the total value of production and 31 percent of agricultural land in 2023.
In total, family farms accounted for about 96 percent of total farms and 83 percent of the total production in 2023. Large-scale farms accounted for the majority of the value of cash grains and soybeans (52 percent), cotton (71 percent), and dairy (77 percent). Small family farms produced 45 percent of the value of hay and 46 percent of the total value of U.S. poultry and egg output in 2023. Small farms accounted for 22 percent of the overall U.S. beef production.
