Weekly Column:   –  “Our nation undergoes a census every ten years, but that’s not the only census we have in the U.S.  Every five years, the U.S. Department of Agriculture conducts a census of U.S. farms and producers.  It only makes sense to do so.  The results of the Ag Census are a valuable tool for policymakers seeking to best shape the programs and services available to our ag community.

The findings of the most recent Ag Census offer some interesting insights that are important for all of us to be aware of.  Not only are farms and ranches our neighbors in Southern Missouri, but they are also key contributors to our local economy.  Along with our manufacturing operations, agriculture constitutes the bulk of Southern Missouri exports to the rest of the nation, and to the world.

So it is encouraging to note that there were 76,000 more American farms counted in the new Ag Census than there were five years ago – an increase of about four percent in the number of agricultural operations.  On its surface, the statistic indicates more American farms are diversifying, but on the down side farm income has diminished.

Also concerning is the fact that the number of middle-sized farms is decreasing in favor of many more small and large operations.  The number of farms doing less than $2,500 in business per year rose by nearly ten percent, and the number of large farms with sales of $100,000 or more went from around 311,000 to around 357,000.

The drop in the number of medium-sized farms means fewer family operations, and new challenges in the drive to recruit young farmers to take on the agricultural business of their parents and grandparents.  More than half of U.S. farms are owned by retirees or by farmers who have off-farm income.  The long-term trend points to a future in which few young Americans farm full-time, and that should be a concerning idea to everyone in our nation who appreciates and enjoys the world’s safest, most affordable and most abundant supply of food.
The Ag Census tells us that, to protect the heritage and the viability of the family farm model, we have to encourage new innovations and better target federal programs.  For the 2,204,792 farms in the U.S., the mandate of government is to make the rules and regulations that govern their operation clear, concise and easy to implement.  Recent challenges, like the difficulty USDA has encountered in bringing a better computer system online to serve farmers, only underscore the ways we need to work to make it easier to farm – not harder.

Like any small business, a family farm is burdened with paperwork and reporting requirements at tax time.  The federal laws, which only apply to farming operations, complicate the business model.  They also require a lot of the farmer’s time (especially at tax time) that he or she would rather spend planting in the fields, working on machinery, or managing their operation.

Measuring the sheer number of American farms should tell us that issues like the implementation of new technology is a matter that affects lots of Americans in addition to being important to a food production system that lots more Americans depend upon.  We depend on safe and affordable food; and it is important to remember that we depend on the more than 2,000,000 farmers who produce it, too.”