The Census of Agriculture provides a wealth of data on the state of the industry. Economists with NASS recently took a look at farm topology, peeling back the layers of each operation.
“The farm topology sort of slices this up by looking at what’s called the gross cash farm income. Under value production, that farm produces many, many dollars in value production. But the part that comes back to the farmer is just the fee he receives. Cash farm income and the farm topology just count the part that the farmer gets for his fee. Value production counts everything that came off the farm,” said Joseph Parsons.
Economists uncovered that producers on small farms tend to be new to the profession and have served in the military, and they also likely rely on off-farm work to get by. They also discovered that farming has become a retirement plan, with many new small farmers over the age of 65.
Lower shipping costs favor corn, while soybeans face pressure.
April 09, 2026 11:41 AM
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Farmers this year will finally be able to update their base acres with the USDA, something that experts warn must be done with complete accuracy.
April 08, 2026 02:10 PM
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Faster approvals could speed projects, but may face scrutiny.
April 08, 2026 10:45 AM
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Strong corn and China-driven demand support the pace of U.S. grain exports. RealAg Radio host Shaun Haney discusses Canada-China agricultural trade talks.
April 07, 2026 03:16 PM
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This Final Rule adopts the changes introduced in the Interim Final Rule, consolidating seven agency-specific NEPA regulations into a single, department-wide framework, reducing the overall volume of regulations by 66 percent.
April 07, 2026 02:45 PM
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Rich Nelson with Allendale joined us to break down early planting progress, market expectations, and what producers should keep an eye on as the season moves forward.
April 07, 2026 12:23 PM
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