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.
Paul Neiffer joined us to explain how USDA’s base acre expansion will be calculated, outline key deadlines for farmers, and discuss how the changes tie into farm program decisions and the broader Farm Bill outlook.
April 30, 2026 04:51 PM
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Farm Bureau Economist Dr. Faith Parum discusses USDA’s efforts to expand fertilizer capacity, signals for farm profitability, and AFBF’s Farm Bill expectations.
April 30, 2026 01:22 PM
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Expanded export financing could provide greater support for ag sales abroad if buyers and lenders use the additional tools.
April 30, 2026 12:38 PM
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Kansas Congressman Derek Schmidt joins us to discuss House passage of the Farm Bill, its potential impact on farm profitability and stability, key policy compromises, and the outlook for Senate consideration.
April 30, 2026 11:18 AM
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The farm bill is still moving, but the toughest amendment fights were pushed into today’s session. ASA President Scott Metzger joins us to discuss the risks of tariff actions on soybean exports, concerns over trade policy and production costs, and the importance of Farm Bill updates.
April 30, 2026 10:22 AM
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