The Heart of America at Risk
Small family farms, the lifeblood of rural America, are disappearing. The 2022 USDA Census of Agriculture reports a loss of 140,000 farms since 2017, with small operations hit hardest. Over 20 million acres of farmland have shifted to corporate hands or non-agricultural use. This trend threatens not only farmers but the foundation of our food system. If we lose these farms, we lose a piece of who we are.
On May 19, 2025, the USDA unveiled its Farmers First: Small Family Farms Policy Agenda. Secretary Brooke Rollins promises streamlined applications, better credit access, and tools for passing farms to the next generation. These ideas sound helpful, but they fall short. The agenda leans on market fixes and deregulation, ignoring the deeper forces crushing small farmers. Can we really save farms by doubling down on a system that’s failing them?
Family farms do more than grow food. They sustain rural communities, protect diverse ecosystems, and keep our food supply resilient. Yet, with corporate giants like the top four meatpackers controlling over 85 percent of beef and pork processing, small farmers can’t compete. The USDA’s plan offers some tools, but it sidesteps the need for systemic change. Tweaking processes won’t fix a broken market.
What’s Driving the Decline
Young farmers face towering barriers. Soaring land prices and scarce credit keep them out, while an aging farm population—1.3 million operators over 65, fewer than 300,000 under 35—signals a generational crisis. Estate-tax exemptions, set to drop from $28 million to $14 million after 2025, could slap inherited land with 40 percent taxes. The USDA suggests extending Section 179 expensing, but that’s a small fix. Why not fund grants or low-cost loans to help new farmers break in?
Corporate consolidation tightens the squeeze. A few companies, like John Deere with over half the large tractor market, dominate seeds, equipment, and processing. This control drives up costs and blocks market access for small farmers, while monoculture practices harm the environment and rural towns lose people. The USDA’s risk management portal is a step, but without cracking down on monopolies, it’s not enough.
Labor challenges add pressure. The USDA’s H-2A visa reforms aim to secure farm workers, but they risk locking in low wages and weak protections. Farmers and workers both need fair systems. A strong farm economy supports everyone, from the fields to the towns. Ignoring this connection undermines the future.
A Vision for Change
Saving small farms demands courageous policies. Redirect farm spending from large commodity programs, which inflate land prices for a few thousand big producers, to climate-smart conservation and local food systems. Programs like the Conservation Reserve and Conservation Stewardship help small farmers thrive sustainably. These investments build resilience, unlike policies that favor the biggest players.
Break corporate dominance. Enforce the Packers and Stockyards Act, block harmful mergers, and strengthen antitrust laws. The Investing in Rural America Act of 2025 offers loans for rural hospitals and childcare, but we need more—broadband, clean water, and local processing to keep communities alive. Vibrant towns draw young farmers, ensuring farms stay in family hands.
Ease generational transfers. Fund succession planning, mediation, and tax protections to prevent estate-tax shocks. The 2018 Farm Bill’s Commission on Farm Transitions set a foundation; now, add grants for young farmers and safeguards against tax hikes. The USDA’s trust and expensing ideas are useful, but they need broader support to work.
Why You Should Care
This matters to everyone. Small farms diversify our food, shielding us from risks of corporate-controlled systems. They anchor rural economies, where declining populations and crumbling infrastructure threaten stability. The USDA’s market-focused agenda risks abandoning these communities. We need policies that put people first.
Some argue deregulation and big farms drive efficiency, claiming they feed the world affordably. But this efficiency hollows out towns, spikes grocery prices, and degrades the environment. Prioritizing corporate profits over family farms weakens our nation. True progress values people and sustainability over short-term gains.
The way forward is clear. Support small farmers with fair markets and strong communities. Invest in rural vitality. Protect family farms for the next generation. This fight is about food security, environmental health, and preserving a way of life. Will we let family farms vanish, or will we act to save them? The future depends on our choice.