NASHVILLE, TENN. (RFD-TV) — Most U.S. farms remain family-run, but state-level differences shape how much agricultural output those farms deliver, according to Farm Flavor’s review of USDA Census data. States such as West Virginia, Tennessee, and Kentucky top the national rankings, with more than 96 percent of operations family-owned and output shares above 88 percent, underscoring how closely local economies rely on multi-generational farms.
Across the country, about 1.8 million family farms produce over 80 percent of national agricultural sales. Still, some states show weaker alignment between ownership and output. Texas and Oklahoma each report about 96 percent of farms as family farms, yet barely 70 percent of sales come from those operations.
In Alaska and Hawaii — the only states where family farms generate less than half of total sales — scale and specialization give larger non-family farms a disproportionate role.
These extremes highlight how structural differences, not ownership alone, determine economic contribution.
Farm-Level Takeaway: High ownership does not always translate into high output, underscoring the importance of structural differences in understanding state-level farm performance.
Tony St. James, RFD-TV Markets Specialist
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April 20, 2025 03:34 PM
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