Small Farm

Zippy Duvall, President of the American Farm Bureau is the nation’s food security relies on a diversity of farm sizes and commodities.

In 2023, small family farms sold $2.4 billion worth of food commodities directly to consumers, more than any other farm type, through outlets like farmers’ markets, farm stands, and community-supported agriculture.

In 2023, roughly 86% of all farms across the United States were small, family farms.  A USDA report says these farms have a gross cash income below $350,000 and operate on 41% of all U.S. agricultural land.  The family farms produced 17% of the total value of U.S. agricultural pro...

USDA’s annual Farms and Land in Farms Report shows the country’s largest farms with sales of $1 million or more operate nearly 26% of all American farmlands.  The agency also says there were 2.003 million farms in the nation during 2022, a drop of 0.5 percentage points f...

Lawmakers in Olympia focused on the future of the Washington’s farming sector, thanks to a bill that cleared the state Senate Wednesday.  The legislation, put forward by freshman Republican senator Nikki Torres, expands the state’s farm internship program.   “This is a g...

New data from the USDA shows nearly half of all family farmers and their spouses reported having a job off the farm in 2018. USDA’s Economic Research Service reports the majority of households, regardless of farm size, say they work off the farm because it is more lucrative than farm work, provides more reliable income, and may offer health and retirement benefits. Am ...

In an effort to expand breakfast access for Washington most impoverished students, a North Central Washington lawmaker is teaming up with regional farmers.  Chelan Republican Mike Steele has introduced House Bill 1508, also known as the “Breakfast After The Bell”.  The legislatio...