Decline of the American small farm (1935-present)
The United States had 6.8 million farms in 1935. Today it has about 2 million, and most agricultural output comes from large operations, according to long-running USDA data.
Mid-size family farms have been squeezed; small diversified operations often close or are absorbed.
Farm consolidation continues, with the smallest operations surviving mainly as part-time or market-focused ventures.
A third-generation honey farm possibly closing its Saint Paul stand fits this long-running pattern: small, family-run operations are the ones most often disappearing from local markets.
