United States Agriculture AGST 3000 Agriculture, Society and the Natural World

Facts about American Agriculture Today, agriculture (the entire food and fiber industry) accounts for 13% of America’s worth. The food and fiber industry generates approximately 20 percent of our nation’s Gross National Product and 20 percent of our national employment. Production alone (farms) added $82 billion to the GDP (Gross Domestic Product) 17% of the American workforce, or 25 million jobs, were involved in some phase of agriculture, either growing, processing or distributing... making the food and fiber system the nation’s largest employer.

U.S. Ag Exports U.S. agricultural exports (excluding fish and forestry products) totaled $51.6 billion dollars and generated an additional $116 billion in business. Eight states had exports of $1 billion or more

Trends Direct sales to consumers increased 37 percent from 1997, totaling $812.2 million in The value of organically produced commodities reached $392.8 million in 2002.

Number of U.S. Farms

Number of Farms and Acres There are 2.7 million farms in United States. The average farm size is 469 acres. There are more than 972 million acres of farmland nationwide. Crops are harvested from approximately 296 million acres of farmland in the United States. The remaining farmland is used for grazing, timber and other agricultural uses.

Farms in the United States

Where are our farms distributed?

Types of Agricultural Activity

The American Farmer The American farm population is only 1.9 percent of the total population. One U.S. farmer feeds 129 people, 101 in the United States and 28 abroad.

Trend in Ag Labor Force

Family workers, including farm operators and unpaid workers, make up approximately 64 percent of all farm labor. Only 0.4 percent of farms are owned by non- family corporations.

Corporate Farms The number of corporate farms declined by 18.4 percent from 1997 to 2002, which reverses a trend that has continued without interruption since 1974.

Ninety percent of farms are operated by an individual or family.

A. The estimated market value of land and buildings on the Nation’s farms rose 24 percent from 1997 to B. The average value per farm increased by over $100,000 during the five-year period, reaching an average of $537,833 in C. The average value of land and buildings per acre is up more than $200 during that same time period to $1,213 per acre in 2002.

Farm Income vs Government Payments

In 2002… The average total annual sales per farm in the U.S. is $84,459 and expenses average $67,928. A total of 333,865 farms have sales of more than $1 million, accounting for 17 percent of all farms, but 83 percent of total sales. What is this figure today?

Is there any $$$ in Farming?

What are the costs in farming?

Who receives the Ag $$$$ ? The American farmer receives 22 cents of every dollar in agricultural products sold. Of the balance, over 55 cents goes to labor, taxes and interest, and product packaging. The remainder goes to fuel, electricity, rent and other miscellaneous expenses.

Average Age of the Operators In 2002, the average age of principal farm or ranch operators was 55.3-years-old compared to 54-years-old in But, for the first time, NASS collected information about more than one operator on the same farm results showed an average age of second operators at 49.4-years-old and third operators at 41.9-years-old.

The Aging of Agriculture

Who operates the farm? The are 237,819 farms operated by women in the United States.

Top 5 States The top five states in value of agricultural products sold are: (2004)  California ($31.8 billion)  Texas ($16.5 billion)  Iowa ($14.7 billion)  Nebraska ($11.8 billion)  Minnesota ($9.8 billion)

Top Three Counties