Iowa report shows large farms continue to grow

A recent farm trends publication from Iowa State University Extension discusses changing farm trends between 2011 and 2021, including farm sizes, production values, net incomes and debt.

In “Rural Iowa at a Glance, Farm Trends (2022 Edition),” David Peters, professor and Extension rural sociologist at Iowa State University, shares data that shows the way agriculture in the state is shifting.

One aspect of farming that has seen a great deal of change is farm size, according to a university news release.

In the past 10 years, the number of large commercial farms has doubled, while the number of small farms has decreased by 27%. Small farms have also seen sizable reductions in sales and acres farmed, with sales dropping by 59% and acres farmed dropping by 47%.