The U.S. lost nearly 10,000 farms last year and a farmland analyst suggests the trend will continue.
Randy Dickhut with Agricultural Economic Insights says he expects more farms to consolidate into larger operations.
“We’ve got a lot of farmers in that baby boom or older age who are coming upon retirement,” he said. “It’s going to continue to be a natural progression.”
The USDA’s recent Summary of Farms and Land in Farms Report estimates the number of farms in 2022 at 2.02 million, down 9,350 from 2021.