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USDA’s latest census of agriculture: not an encouraging picture

Food Politics

It summarizes the highlights: Number of farms: 1.9 million (down 7% from 2017) Average size: 463 acres (up 5%) Total farmland: 880 million acres of farmland (down 2%), accounting for 39% of all U.S. Average farm income: $79,790. Farms with sales of $50,000 or less: 1.4 For example: What more to say?

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Book Excerpt: Commodities and Consolidation

Food Tank

Instead, the Wall Street Farm Bill directed most of the subsidies to incentivize overproduction of a handful of key commodities, particularly corn and soy. Under the New Deal Farm Bill, a farmer faced with low corn prices could switch to another crop or even idle a portion of farmland in exchange for financial support.