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.
USDA Chief Economist Justin Benavidez says the cattle industry may be nearing a turning point that could gradually reshape supply, prices, and profitability in the years ahead.
The behind-the-scenes role helps guide jump crews as they protect rural communities.
HTS Commodities broker Lewis Williamson joins us to break down the latest USDA Crop Progress Report and how weather and global supply chain issues could influence planting conditions moving forward.
Federal officials are signaling a more aggressive push on beef packer concentration, but any direct market impact will depend on what the investigation actually finds.
The USDA’s annual report leaves dairy producers with a mixed picture. Output and herd size expanded, but weaker prices kept income from rising with production.
Total cash receipts from marketings of cattle, calves, hogs, and pigs climbed by 18% in 2025 to $165 billion.
