BISMARCK, N.D. (KFGO-AM) North Dakota farmers and ag leaders say the sharp decrease in the number of small farms and ranches last year is part of a growing trend toward fewer but larger farms.
The U.S. Agriculture Department's National Agricultural Statistics Service released its annual figures last week. The data show the 30,300 operations statewide at the end of 2014 was 500 fewer than 2013.
The agency says the number of farms and ranches with less than $100,000 in agricultural sales declined 1,100 farms from the year earlier, while operations with more than $100,000 were up 600 farms from 2013.
Darin Jantzi is the state statistician for USDA's National Agricultural Statistics Service in Fargo. Jantzi says bigger farms are growing because unlike small farms, they can absorb fluctuations in the market.