[screature2]

The number of U.S. farms continues slow decline: https://www.ers.usda.gov/data-products/chart-gallery/gallery...

Note the relatively constant amount of farm land and corresponding increase in farm size. See e.g. https://time.com/5736789/small-american-farmers-debt-crisis-...

"Many small family farms are struggling under crippling debt, and failed payments and farm bankruptcies are rising. To make things worse, the prices paid to farmers for commodity crops (agricultural crops grown in large quantities for sale in the global market, such as corn, soy, cotton, and wheat) and subsidies are falling because of increased supply due to technology and globalization." https://foodrevolution.org/blog/small-family-farms/

[oh_sigh]

Yes, that actually happened, but - was it a bad thing? Supply is through the roof apparently. The operators of small family farms can wind them up, and use their skills somewhere else. Or pivot to a more profitable niche like all the people looking for local organic food, or rustic wedding venues, or agritourism, etc.

[digging]

It sure seems to be a bad thing, given the crippling debt and the environmental degradation.

[fifticon]

there is a further problem: a lot of the profits instead go to the too big distributors they sell their produce to.