Snapshot of Nebraska’s Food and Farm Economy Released

The Nebraska Farm & Food Economy report, released by the Center for Rural Affairs and Heartland Regional Food Business Center, provides a snapshot of the agricultural economy in Nebraska. The report, authored by Ken Meter of the Crossroads Resource Center, includes statistics about farm sizes, commodity production and sales, and how residents spend their money on food. Among the report’s findings: subsidies received by farms mostly support production of crops that do not directly feed Nebraskans while food insecurity is rising in the state. In addition, the number of farms and farmed land in Nebraska has steadily declined. Between 2017 and 2022, Nebraska lost nearly 2,000 farms and 1 million acres of farmland. However, farmers sold at least $16.6 million of food directly to households in 2022, an 84% rise from 2017 sales, and the Center for Rural Affairs points out that if each Nebraska resident purchased $5 of food each week directly from farms within the state, this would generate $512 million of new farm income.