The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service announced on March 12 that more than 2 million landowners rented out 348 million acres of farmland, with 79% of these acres owned by landlords who do not farm themselves.
This information comes from the 2024 Tenure, Ownership, and Transition of Agricultural Land (TOTAL) survey. The findings are significant because they show that a large portion of American farmland is controlled by people or entities not directly involved in farming, which could affect future land transfers and agricultural policy decisions.
Non-operating landlords include private individuals, trusts, family entities, and other organizations. Of the land rented out by these non-farming landlords, over 251 million acres were managed by private owners or family-related entities. The combined value of rented farmland and its buildings exceeds $1.6 trillion. In 2024 alone, landlords received $34.1 billion in rental income but also faced $12 billion in operating expenses.
Joseph L. Parsons, NASS Administrator, said: “About 5% of the nearly 900 million U.S. farmland acres, or about 43 million acres, is slated for ownership transfer in the next five years, not including farmland that is in or is expected to be put into wills or trusts.” Only a small share—23 million acres—is expected to be sold to non-relatives; another 20 million acres may go to relatives or be given as gifts.
The TOTAL survey also examined demographics among principal landlords—about 1.8 million non-farming entities—with an average age of 69.2 years old compared to farmers’ average age of 58.1 years old according to the latest Census of Agriculture. Only about one in eight principal landlords are under age 55 and nearly half have never farmed themselves.
“As the only source of detailed information on agricultural land ownership characteristics and economic data, TOTAL provides important statistics to government, academia, the farming industry, and others regarding agricultural land ownership for planning, policymaking, research, and market analysis,” Parsons said.
In related news about rural resources and innovation,according to the press release, Forest Service Chief Randy Moore said: “These grant programs provide opportunities for communities and businesses to develop innovative uses and markets for wood, a renewable and economic resource. Previous Wood Innovations Grants are making a difference across the country, and we are pleased to continue supporting wood use ingenuity that helps our communities and forests.”
Full results from the TOTAL survey can be found at www.nass.usda.gov/Surveys/Guide_to_NASS_Surveys/TOTAL or through USDA’s Quick Stats database.
