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.
Roger McEowen joins us to explain the USDA appeals process and how farmers should navigate adverse decisions and crop insurance disputes.
April 29, 2026 02:20 PM
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The House is moving forward with debate on the Farm Bill after a lengthy session in the House Rules Committee cleared the legislation for floor consideration.
April 29, 2026 11:28 AM
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March pork gains lifted total meat production, but first-quarter output still ran below last year.
April 29, 2026 07:00 AM
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Weekly export movement stayed solid, with corn and sorghum continuing to show the strongest overall pace.
April 29, 2026 06:00 AM
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Lewis Williamson with HTS Commodities joins us to break down the latest USDA crop progress report, share insights from growers, and discuss how global factors are shaping planting decisions this season.
April 28, 2026 04:25 PM
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RFD News correspondent Frank McCaffrey spoke with the Texas Shrimp Association at the Port of Brownsville about the future of the USDA’s new Office of Seafood.
April 28, 2026 12:03 PM
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