The industry is speaking out after the release of the latest Census of Agriculture.
The U.S. Secretary of Agriculture shares the benefit of the report and his appreciation to the participants.
“Our statisticians tell us today they’re a little less than 15 cents of every food dollar that’s spent at the grocery store ends up with the farmer. Time the farmer pays for the production of that product, he or she got about seven cents. Can we create a better deal with direct to consumer opportunities? This survey talks about farmers beginning to embrace and we’re seeing an increase in the number of farmers understanding that dynamic. So, I really appreciate the hard work that went into this survey. I appreciate the farmers, the over million farmers who spent the time and had the confidence that in responding to this survey they would be moving the agriculture and food industry forward.”
Tom Vilsack, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture
Secretary Vilsack says the question is now, what will our friends in Congress do with this information?
The American Farm Bureau Federation says the newly released data is a cause for concern as both the number of farms and farm acres have dropped significantly.
The 2022 Census of Agriculture reports 141,733 fewer farms in 2022 compared to the last set of data in 2017. The number of farm acres fell to 880,100,848, representing a loss of more than 20 million acres from just five years ago.
“The latest census numbers put in black and white the warnings our members have been expressing for years. Increased regulations, rising supply costs, lack of available labor and weather disasters have all squeezed farmers to the point that many of them find it impossible to remain economically sustainable.”
Zippy Duvall, AFBF President
