Gitnux/Report 2026

Ag Industry Statistics

The U.S. farm cash receipts forecast reached $540.3 billion in 2026, explore the figures behind growth, companies and trends.
308Statistics
84Sources
12Sections
1Visuals
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November 11, 2026Updated
Ag Industry Statistics
Samuel NorbergWritten by Samuel Norberg·Fact-checked by Maya Johansson
Published ·Updated
How this report is researched
01Editorial Scope

Gitnux editors write the brief first: the topic, the inclusion rules, and the frame for what belongs.

02Source Research

Agents search the published record and log every extracted figure back to the passage it came from.

Read our full methodology →

Search agents attach provenance to every extracted figure.

Next review: within 31 days

01 Industry overview

The ag industry at a glance

U.S. agriculture is projected to generate $540.3 billion in farm cash receipts in 2026, with crop receipts rising while animal-product receipts decline.

$540.3B[5]
Farm cash receipts, 2026 forecast
$158.4B[5]
Net farm income, 2026 forecast
56.3%[5]
Food spending away from home, 2025
90%+[5]
Production from farm businesses, 2026
Market size
U.S. farm cash receipts are forecast at $540.3 billion in 2026, comprising $253.0 billion from crops and $287.3 billion from animals and animal products. The broader agriculture, food, and related industries contributed approximately $1.537 trillion to U.S. GDP in 2023, equal to 5.5% of GDP.[5]
Forecast & CAGR
USDA forecasts farm cash receipts to decrease 0.3% from 2025 to $540.3 billion in 2026; this is a one-year forecast rather than a published multi-year CAGR. Crop receipts are projected to increase 6.1%, while animal and animal-product receipts are projected to decrease 5.4%.[5]
Market share & regions
The United States has substantial regional specialization, with USDA publishing state rankings for farm cash receipts and commodity receipts. At the national level, 2026 crop receipts are forecast at $253.0 billion and animal and animal-product receipts at $287.3 billion; a reliable current source reviewed did not provide a single comparable regional market-share percentage.[5]
Segmentation
In 2026, crops are forecast to account for $253.0 billion of farm cash receipts and animals and animal products for $287.3 billion. Within crops, corn receipts are forecast to rise by $6.8 billion and soybean receipts by $4.3 billion; within animal products, cattle and calf receipts are projected to increase by $7.0 billion while chicken-egg receipts fall by $20.9 billion.[5]
Key players & concentration
Agriculture is highly fragmented by farm count but concentrated by output: farm businesses account for about half of U.S. farms while contributing more than 90% of production value. Large-scale family farms represented 5% of farms but generated 50% of total production value in 2024.[5]
Pricing
USDA forecasts 2026 food prices to rise 2.8% overall, including 2.3% for food at home and 3.5% for food away from home. Farm-level prices are forecast to increase 22.6% for wheat and 21.2% for fresh vegetables, while egg prices are forecast to decrease 81.2%.[5]
Trends, drivers & challenges
The 2026 outlook is being shaped by commodity prices, livestock supply, disease, weather, and input costs. Production expenses are forecast to rise 4.5% to $492.8 billion, driven mainly by livestock and poultry purchases, fertilizer, and fuel, while direct government payments are forecast to reach $47.4 billion.[5]
Consumer behavior & competition
U.S. food spending reached $2.51 trillion in 2025 in inflation-adjusted dollars, with food away from home accounting for 56.3% and food at home 43.7%. Consumers spent 9.7% of disposable personal income on food in 2025, while farms received 11.8 cents of each dollar spent on domestically produced food in 2024.[5]
Regulation
EPA’s 2026 Pesticide General Permit took effect on October 31, 2026 and remains effective through October 30, 2031. It regulates point-source discharges of biological and chemical pesticides that leave residues, including mosquito, weed, algae, animal, and forest-canopy pest control.[76]
Latest news
USDA’s October 2026 Food Price Outlook forecasts overall food prices to rise 2.8% in 2026. The same update projects beef and veal prices to increase 8.7%, fresh-vegetable prices 5.8%, and egg prices to decrease 29.3% at retail.[5]

02 Ranking

Top 10 Companies in the Ag Industry

The leading companies in the ag industry, ranked on market impact, performance, momentum, innovation and brand popularity.

Updated November 10, 2026 · Next review December 10, 2026

Verdict

Cargill stands out for agricultural commodities processing and food ingredients because it operates in 70 countries, while Bunge is the pick for oilseed processing and grain merchandising since it reported 32.5% revenue growth and a 2.2% operating margin.

Ranked by Overall score · How we score ↓

Editor's top 3 picks

Where to start, by need.

  1. #1 Overall · Leader in ag commodities and processing

    Cargill

    US

    Ranked #1 · 9.4 · Ag commodities and processing

    Why we picked it: It operates at large geographic scale, spanning agricultural commodities, processing, and food ingredients.

    See in ranking ↓Visit cargill.com ↗

  2. Leader in meat processing

    JBS

    NL

    Ranked #3 · 9.0 · Meat processing

    Why we picked it: Its global production footprint supports processing across beef, poultry and pork markets.

    See in ranking ↓Visit jbs.com.br ↗

  3. Leader in seeds & crop protection

    Corteva

    US

    Ranked #4 · 8.8 · Seeds & crop protection

    Why we picked it: Its crop-focused portfolio is reflected in 2025 sales across seeds and crop protection.

    See in ranking ↓Visit corteva.com ↗

Pick 1 is the #1 company overall. Picks 2 and 3 are the highest-ranked companies in the top 5 that add a new segment.

Full ranking

Sort by
Top 10 companies in the ag industry, 2026 – Gitnux ranking
#CompanyOverall ↓Company snapshot
1

Cargill

Ag commodities and processing · US

9.4
2

Bunge

Ag commodities and processing · CH

9.2
3

JBS

Meat processing · NL

9.0
4

Corteva

Seeds & crop protection · US

8.8
5

Louis Dreyfus Company

Ag commodities and processing · NL

8.8
6

Yara

Fertilizers and crop nutrition · NO

8.7
7

Nutrien

Crop nutrients, crop protection and ag retail · CA

8.7
8

Olam Group

Global agricultural commodities and food ingredients · SG

8.4
9

Bayer

Crop protection, seeds and agricultural biotechnology · DE

8.4
10

John Deere

Farm machinery and precision agriculture technology · US

8.3

How we score

  • Impact (30%): scale and weight in the market (revenue, market share, employees, market position).
  • Performance (20%): recent revenue growth and operating margin; an analyst assessment where a company does not publish them.
  • Momentum (20%): growth trajectory and future potential.
  • Innovation (15%): R&D intensity and how technologically advanced the company is.

Popularity (brand search demand, 15%) counts toward Overall but is not published as a column. Overall leaves out what is not known.

Scale Scores are shown on a 7–10 scale with one decimal; bars start at 7.0.

Cadence Recalculated when new figures are published; next review December 10, 2026.

Independence. Rankings are editorially independent. Scores, ranks, picks and the verdict follow the method above; no company can pay to change them.

Cite this ranking

APA

Samuel Norberg. (2026, November 10). Top 10 companies in the ag industry. In Ag Industry Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/ag-industry-statistics/#top-companies

report visual · Comparison

Revenue of the largest ag companies

Cargill leads with $154.0B in annual revenue (group level, converted to USD).

Cargill$154.0B
JBS$86.2B
Bunge$70.3B
Louis Dreyfus Company$53.2B
Bayer$49.2B
John Deere$45.7B
source-verifiedcargill.com · mediaroom.jbs.com.br · investors.bunge.com · ldc.com · reports.bayer.com · deere.com2025

04 Statistics

Technology & Innovation

Technology adoption data shows 15% of farms in a 2026 survey reporting AI use, while 61% of U.S. farmers reported adopting digital agronomy technologies in 2024.

AI in the ag industry

  • 15% of farms in a 2026 survey of more than 1,400 U.S. and Canadian farms reported some level of AI use.[1]
  • 45% of EU agri-food businesses using AI obtained the technology through external service providers in 2024.[2]
  • 61% of U.S. farmers reported adopting digital agronomy technologies in McKinsey’s 2024 global farmer survey.[3]
  • 18% of EU agri-food companies using AI developed their AI capabilities in-house in 2024.[2]
  • 28% of EU agri-food businesses using AI reported that their AI provider was based in the United States in 2024.[2]
  • 22% of agri-food businesses used artificial intelligence in 2024, up from 11% in 2023, across the EU agri-food industrial ecosystem.[2]

Automation in the ag industry

  • 20% of EU agri-food businesses used robotics in 2024, compared with 11% in 2023.[2]
  • 1% of EU farms with economic output below €2,000 used robotics in 2023.[4]
  • 11% of EU farms used soil analysis as a precision-farming practice in 2023.[4]
  • 31% of EU farms with at least €100,000 in economic output used robotics in 2023.[4]
  • 18% of EU farms applied at least one precision-farming technology or practice in 2023.[4]
  • 19% of large-scale U.S. family farms used robotic milking in 2023.[5]

Digital Transformation in the agriculture and food production sector (sector benchmark)

  • Among EU food-manufacturing enterprises, 15.4% had high digital intensity in 2023, compared with 13.0% in 2021.[2]
  • In the United States, 61% of farmers reported adopting digital agronomy technologies in 2024.[3]
  • Across the EU agri-food industrial ecosystem, 20% of companies had a concrete digital-transformation strategy in 2024.[2]
  • Among EU food-manufacturing enterprises, 51.2% had very low digital intensity in 2023, down from 55.1% in 2021.[2]
  • Among EU food-manufacturing enterprises, 3.4% had very high digital intensity in 2023, compared with 2.1% in 2021.[2]

Technology Adoption in the agriculture and food production sector (sector benchmark)

  • In Chile, 12% of agricultural production units reported using a technological tool such as mobile applications, drones, or sensors in 2021.[6]
  • In Germany, 85.5% of surveyed farms used at least one digital technology in 2024–2025.[6]
  • In Canada, 84% of field-crop operations used GPS equipment in 2021.[6]
  • Across EU farms with utilised agricultural area, about 18% used some form of precision-farming technology or practice in 2023.[6]
  • Across EU farms, 43% had internet access, 11% used farm-management information systems, and 7% used robotics in 2023.[6]
  • In Czechia, 30% of crop-production farmers used at least one precision-agriculture technology in 2023.[6]

Cloud Computing in the agriculture and food production sector (sector benchmark)

  • Across EU agri-food businesses, 26% used cloud computing in 2023.[2]
  • Among EU large businesses, 78% purchased cloud-computing services in 2023, compared with 44% of SMEs.[4]
  • Across EU agri-food businesses, 37% used cloud computing in 2024, up from 26% in 2023.[2]
  • Across EU businesses, 45% purchased cloud-computing services in 2023.[4]

Big Data in the agriculture and food production sector (sector benchmark)

  • Across EU agri-food businesses, 307 startups focused on artificial intelligence and big data were formed between 2015 and 2023.[2]
  • Across EU agri-food businesses, 17% used big-data technologies in 2023.[2]
  • Across EU agri-food businesses, 13% used big-data technologies in 2024, compared with 17% in 2023.[2]

05 Statistics

Data & Analytics

Data governance and data-quality gaps appear repeatedly, including 42% of manufacturers citing operational data accuracy processes and 44% saying AI projects failed due to poor data quality in 2025.

Business intelligence in the ag industry

  • 11% of EU farms used farm management information systems in 2023, with France reaching about 60%.[4]
  • 67.8% of surveyed German farms used agricultural apps in 2024–2025.[6]
  • 4% of surveyed U.S. farms used Encirca farm-data software in 2019.[7]
  • 8% of surveyed U.S. farms used Farmers Business Network software in 2019.[7]
  • 85.5% of surveyed German farms used at least one digital technology in 2024–2025.[6]
  • 16% of surveyed U.S. farms used Climate FieldView in 2019.[7]

Data analytics in the ag industry

  • 30% of Czech crop farmers used at least one precision-agriculture technology in 2023.[6]
  • 43% of surveyed commercial U.S. farms used Microsoft Excel to analyze farm data in 2021.[8]
  • 93% of surveyed commercial U.S. corn and soybean farms collected at least one form of farm data in 2021.[8]
  • 21.0% of Spanish livestock farms surveyed used AI for analysis of farm-generated data in 2022.[6]
  • 44% of surveyed commercial U.S. farms used a farm-data software application to analyze farm data in 2021.[8]
  • 18% of New Zealand dairy farms surveyed recorded grazed paddocks using a computer or app in 2023.[6]

Data Quality in the agriculture and food production sector (sector benchmark)

  • 42% of manufacturers reported having a process to verify operational data accuracy or quality in 2025, indicating that most lacked a formal validation process.[9]
  • 44% of manufacturers reported that AI projects had failed because of poor data quality in 2025, according to a survey of manufacturing organizations.[10]
  • 41% of manufacturers said they distrusted the data used for supply-chain operations in 2025, reflecting persistent data-quality concerns in production and procurement.[10]
  • 49% of manufacturing respondents rated their operational data as having low AI readiness in 2024, meaning it was insufficiently labeled, contextualized, governed or accessible.[9]
  • 30% of manufacturing respondents identified poor-quality data as one of their top three challenges when working with AI-related data in 2024.[9]

Data Governance in the agriculture and food production sector (sector benchmark)

  • 69% of food and beverage companies still relied on spreadsheets and email for core operations in 2025, limiting standardized access and control of business data.[11]
  • 15% of manufacturers said their data strategy was entirely aligned with their overall business strategy in 2024, while 31% said it was very closely aligned.[9]
  • 6% of food and beverage leaders reported fully integrated digital systems in 2025, despite 82% saying technology adoption was a strategic priority.[11]
  • 40% of food and beverage professionals worldwide identified disconnected systems and data as their biggest barrier to moving faster in 2026.[11]
  • 61% of manufacturers reported having a corporate-wide governance plan, strategy or formal guidelines for how data is collected, organized, accessed and used in 2024.[9]
  • 61% of supply-management organizations reported having a dedicated data-governance function in 2024, while 90% agreed that data governance was necessary.[12]

KPIs in the ag industry

  • 31% of U.S. farmers followed recommendations from outside service providers very closely in the Purdue survey.[7]
  • 74.4% of Spanish agricultural businesses surveyed used traditional soil sampling as a data-capture method in 2022.[6]
  • 12.7% of Spanish agricultural businesses surveyed reported capturing no production data in 2022.[6]
  • Only one in six producers used software to monitor equipment in 2024.[13]
  • Fewer than 20% of producers with self-driving equipment connected it to the internet in 2024.[13]
  • Over half of producers stored farm data entirely on their own, using spreadsheets or notes, in 2024.[13]

06 Statistics

Strategy & Growth

Market structure indicators include 1.88 million U.S. farms in 2024, down 8% from 2.04 million in the 2017 Census of Agriculture.

Growth in the ag industry

  • 8.3 billion dollars of U.S. organic agricultural sales in 2022 came from counties with publicly reported data, representing 86% of national organic sales.[5]
  • 6.5% increase in direct agricultural greenhouse-gas emissions is projected globally by 2035 as production expands, according to the OECD-FAO Agricultural Outlook.[6]
  • 2% annual growth in U.S. agricultural output has occurred since the beginning of 2025, according to OECD estimates.[6]
  • More than 7% was the compound annual growth rate of inflation-adjusted U.S. organic retail sales from 2012 to 2023.[5]
  • 70.1 billion dollars was the estimated value of U.S. organic food sales in 2025, up from inflation-adjusted sales of 39.6 billion dollars in 2012.[5]
  • 1.88 million U.S. farms operated in 2024, down 8% from the 2.04 million farms recorded in the 2017 Census of Agriculture.[5]

Differentiation in the ag industry

  • 69% of surveyed U.S. commercial producers had adopted yield monitors, making them the most widely adopted precision-agriculture technology in the survey.[7]
  • 3% of U.S. farm receipts came from organic farm sales in 2019, despite organic acreage representing about 1% of U.S. farmland.[5]
  • 15% was the organic share of U.S. retail blueberry sales in 2021.[5]
  • 51% of surveyed U.S. producers reported using financial ratios to inform farm decisions.[7]
  • 27% of surveyed U.S. commercial producers had adopted drone technology for agricultural management.[7]
  • 15% was the organic share of U.S. retail milk sales in 2021.[5]

Mergers and acquisitions in the ag industry

  • 18 North American crop-input deals were tracked in 2025, compared with 17 in 2024.[14]
  • 154 farming-industry M&A transactions were recorded in 2024, with an aggregate disclosed value of 3.6027 billion dollars.[15]
  • 21 North American agronomy transactions were reported in 2020, including 13 ag-retail distribution deals and 8 crop-input deals.[14]
  • 72 North American agriculture transactions were announced or completed in the second quarter of 2025.[16]
  • 847 agricultural products and services M&A transactions were recorded globally in 2021, valued at 61.25 billion dollars.[17]
  • 17 North American crop-input transactions were reported in 2024, compared with 8 ag-retail distribution transactions.[14]

Strategic partnerships in the ag industry

  • 50,000 hectares of Macaúba are planned for planting with smallholder farmers under the BASF-INOCAS sustainable-oil partnership.[18]
  • 21% of FAO partnerships in 2024 contributed to better nutrition outcomes.[19]
  • 44 private-sector partnerships were active in FAO’s non-state-actor partnership portfolio in 2024, including 2 new and 6 renewed partnerships.[19]
  • 26% of FAO partnerships in 2024 contributed to better life outcomes.[19]
  • 24% of FAO partnerships in 2024 contributed to better environment outcomes.[19]
  • 72 academia and research-institution partnerships were active in FAO’s portfolio in 2024, including 2 new and 12 renewed partnerships.[19]

07 Statistics

People & Workforce

Workforce and training capacity show up in hiring and skills metrics, including 111,500 agricultural-worker openings projected per year in the United States from 2025 to 2035.

Hiring in the ag industry

  • 4,688 agriculture-industry apprentices were served in the United States in fiscal year 2025, 40% more than five years earlier.[20]
  • 66,673 regular agricultural workers were employed in England on June 1, 2026, an increase of 2.8% from 2025.[21]
  • 281,089 people worked on commercial agricultural holdings in England on June 1, 2026, including 168,935 farmers, partners, directors and spouses.[21]
  • 97% of U.S. employer demand for H-2A agricultural workers was certified in the most recent five-year period because qualified domestic workers were unavailable.[22]
  • 111,500 agricultural-worker openings per year are projected in the United States from 2025 to 2035, mainly to replace workers leaving the occupation.[23]

Employee retention in the ag industry

  • 40% more agriculture apprentices were served in the United States in fiscal year 2025 than five years earlier.[20]
  • 169 employees, or 35% of the National Institute of Food and Agriculture workforce, were reported as attrition in the USDA staffing report.[24]
  • 275 employees, or 34% of the National Agricultural Statistics Service workforce, were reported as attrition in the USDA staffing report.[24]
  • 11,890 salaried managers worked in England’s agriculture sector on June 1, 2026, compared with 11,944 in 2025.[21]
  • 63.5% of regular agricultural workers in England worked full time on June 1, 2026, while 36.5% worked part time.[21]

Remote Work in the agriculture and food production sector (sector benchmark)

  • Across U.S. agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting, about 12% of workers worked remotely during October 2023–September 2024, including hybrid and fully remote work.[25]
  • Across U.S. agriculture and food employers, 35% offered some type of remote-work arrangement in 2024, according to AgCareers’ industry hiring report.[26]
  • Across U.S. accommodation and food services, 4.8% of workers worked remotely in 2021, up from 1.9% in 2019 and 5.3% in 2020.[23]
  • Across U.S. crop and animal production, 14.4% of workers worked remotely in 2021, compared with 14.7% in 2019 and 15.4% in 2020.[23]

Hybrid Work in the agriculture and food production sector (sector benchmark)

  • Among science-of-food professionals surveyed globally in 2024, respondents averaged 2.1 work-at-home days per week.[27]
  • 44% of Australian FMCG and agribusiness professionals preferred part-time remote work in 2024.[28]
  • 13% of Australian FMCG and agribusiness professionals preferred full-time on-site work in 2024.[28]
  • Across employers discussed in a food-industry hybrid-work survey, about 90% had adopted some form of hybrid work, although the figure was not limited to agriculture and food production.[27]
  • 33% of Australian FMCG and agribusiness professionals reported working in hybrid arrangements in 2024.[28]

Upskilling in the ag industry

  • 82.28% of participating agribusiness employers used hands-on training in onboarding programs in the 2021–2022 AgCareers HR Review.[29]
  • 28% of surveyed European farmers had undertaken training on digital technologies in agriculture.[30]
  • 93% of surveyed European farmers had adopted at least one general information-technology or software technology.[30]
  • 58.75% of participating agribusiness employers used cross-training for staff development in the 2021–2022 AgCareers HR Review.[29]
  • 72.7% of countries responding to an OECD questionnaire reported initiatives to reskill or upskill farmers in digital technologies.[6]

Employee Engagement in the agriculture and food production sector (sector benchmark)

  • Employees in manufacture, distribution and storage organizations scored 59.3% on leadership in People Insight’s global benchmark data.[31]
  • Employees in manufacture, distribution and storage organizations scored 60.9% on enablement in People Insight’s global benchmark data.[31]
  • Manufacture, distribution and storage organizations recorded an average employee-engagement score of 72.9% in People Insight’s global benchmark data.[31]
  • In the agriculture industry, employees averaged 7.68 out of 10 for engagement and an eNPS of +5 in CultureMonkey’s 2026 benchmark.[32]
  • At Europe Snacks, a multinational food manufacturer, employee engagement reached 79% across its international workforce and 88% in its UK business after a structured listening program.[31]

DEI in the ag industry

  • 35% of workers in other U.S. agricultural occupations were women in 2022.[5]

08 Statistics

Customer & Sales

Customer interaction preferences are measurable, including 45% of U.S. farmers preferring purely digital interactions for some research and reordering activities in a 2018 survey.

Customer experience in the ag industry

  • 45% of U.S. farmers prefer purely digital interactions for some agricultural research and reordering activities, according to a 2018 survey.[3]
  • 67% of surveyed CSA farms asked members for feedback in a 2009 U.S. survey.[33]
  • 62% of U.K. farmers used Facebook daily in the 2024 Marketing to Farmers survey.[34]
  • 42% of U.S. farmers prefer smartphones over other devices for agricultural supplier interactions, according to a 2018 survey.[3]
  • 78% of U.S. farmers prefer human interactions when asking questions about agricultural product use and service, according to a survey conducted in 2018.[3]

Customer retention in the ag industry

  • 62.7% was the median annual retention rate across 80 California CSAs in a survey covering 2015 operations.[35]
  • 62.9% was the mean annual retention rate across 80 California CSAs in a survey covering 2015 operations.[35]
  • 64.7% was the mean retention rate for California CSAs at least five years old in a study covering 2015 operations.[35]
  • 43.5% of California CSAs at least five years old exceeded a 75% retention rate in a study covering 2015 operations.[35]
  • 100% was the highest annual retention rate recorded among 80 California CSAs in a survey covering 2015 operations.[35]

Customer acquisition in the ag industry

  • 45% of U.S. farmers who did not use online agricultural purchasing channels said they were open to doing so in the future, according to a 2018 survey.[3]
  • Nearly 60% of U.S. agricultural buyers aged 35 and younger said online ordering would be their preferred route in the future, according to a 2018 survey.[3]
  • 25% of surveyed U.S. farmers had used online channels for agricultural purchases in a McKinsey survey conducted in 2018.[3]
  • More than 25% of U.S. agricultural buyers aged 35 and younger purchased agricultural products online in a McKinsey survey conducted in 2018.[3]

Customer loyalty in the ag industry

  • 53% of U.S. livestock producers reported loyalty to animal-genetics brands in Purdue’s large commercial producer survey.[36]
  • 43% of U.S. livestock producers reported loyalty to animal-genetics dealers or retailers in Purdue’s large commercial producer survey.[36]
  • 52% of U.S. crop producers reported loyalty to fertilizer dealers or retailers in Purdue’s large commercial producer survey.[36]
  • 37% of U.S. livestock producers reported loyalty to animal-health brands in Purdue’s large commercial producer survey.[36]
  • 37% of U.S. crop producers reported loyalty to fertilizer brands in Purdue’s large commercial producer survey.[36]

Lead generation in the ag industry

  • 67% of U.K. farmers had never used TikTok in 2023.[34]
  • 19% of U.K. farmers used Twitter daily in 2023.[34]
  • 66% of U.K. farmers had never used Snapchat in 2023.[34]
  • 37% of U.K. farmers used YouTube daily in 2023.[34]
  • 90% of U.K. farmers watched YouTube at least once a month in 2023.[34]

09 Statistics

Marketing & Brand

Brand and channel behavior varies by market, including 62% of farmers using Facebook daily for agricultural communication or marketing-related engagement.

Marketing in the ag industry

  • 86% of surveyed California direct-market farmers used at least one direct-to-consumer channel in 2020.[37]
  • 14% of UK farm-business marketing-channel connections were direct-to-consumer in 2023.[38]
  • 67% of surveyed California growers sold through wholesalers.[39]
  • 18% of UK farm-business marketing-channel connections were with auctions or livestock markets in 2023.[38]
  • 17% of surveyed California growers used subscription or community-supported-agriculture channels.[39]

Digital marketing in the ag industry

  • 7% of German farmers used social media to sell products directly through digital farm shops or platforms.[40]
  • 11.27% of surveyed Chinese farmers sold cash crops through two marketing channels.[41]
  • 62% of surveyed farmers used Facebook daily for agricultural communication or marketing-related engagement.[34]
  • 46% of surveyed California direct-market farmers used online marketing channels during March–December 2020.[37]
  • 45% of surveyed farmers preferred purely digital interactions during selected agricultural buying activities.[3]

Branding in the ag industry

  • 20% of U.S. organic farmers used branded products such as farm or product logos as a marketing aid.[42]
  • 47% of surveyed livestock producers were loyal to animal-feed brands in 2022.[36]
  • 41% of surveyed crop producers were loyal to crop-protection brands in 2022.[36]
  • 68% of surveyed crop producers were loyal to seed brands in 2022.[36]
  • 53% of surveyed livestock producers were loyal to animal-genetics brands in 2022.[36]

Social media in the ag industry

  • 42.0% of surveyed Indian farmers preferred WhatsApp for agricultural information in 2026.[43]
  • 78% of surveyed UK farmers never used LinkedIn for farmer engagement in 2024.[34]
  • 63.6% of surveyed Indian farmers reported encountering fake information on Facebook in 2026.[43]
  • 75% of surveyed UK farmers used WhatsApp daily in 2024.[34]
  • 47.2% of surveyed Indian farmers preferred YouTube for agricultural information in 2026.[43]

Influencer Marketing in the agriculture and food production sector (sector benchmark)

  • Food and drink influencer content generated 392 billion impressions globally in 2023.[44]
  • Food and drink influencer content produced an estimated $122 billion in earned media value globally in 2023.[44]
  • 11.5 million influencer posts covered food and drink globally in 2023, according to Sprout Social’s benchmark dataset.[44]
  • Food and drink influencer posts achieved a 1.19% average engagement rate globally in 2023.[44]
  • Food and drink influencer content generated 42.7 billion engagements globally in 2023.[44]

10 Statistics

Operations & Execution

Operational execution metrics include 70% of large-scale U.S. crop-producing farms using tractor, harvester or equipment autosteering in 2023.

Process optimization in the ag industry

  • 0.12% was the average annual growth in aggregate U.S. agricultural input use from 1948 to 2023.[5]
  • 1.49% was the average annual increase in U.S. agricultural productivity from 1948 to 2021.[5]
  • 70% of large-scale U.S. crop-producing farms used tractor, harvester or equipment autosteering in 2023.[5]
  • 52% of midsize U.S. farms used tractor, harvester or equipment autosteering in 2023.[5]
  • 53% was the increase in the quality of U.S. agricultural labor between 1948 and 2019.[5]

Operational efficiency in the ag industry

  • €228.6 billion was the gross value added generated by EU agriculture in 2024, up 3.1% from 2023.[4]
  • €303.3 billion was EU agricultural intermediate consumption in 2024, down 3.7% from 2023.[4]
  • 1.0% was the increase in the volume of EU agricultural output in 2024.[4]
  • 876 million acres of land were in U.S. farms in 2024, down 3% from 2017.[5]
  • €531.9 billion was the value of EU agricultural output in 2024, down 0.9% from 2023.[4]

Quality management in the ag industry

  • 13 pork recalls were issued by FSIS in 2024.[45]
  • 8 beef recalls were issued by FSIS in 2024.[45]
  • 46 meat and poultry recalls were issued by FSIS in 2024.[45]
  • 7,100 USDA-regulated establishments were covered by FSIS food-safety and food-defense procedures in 2024.[46]
  • 13 poultry recalls were issued by FSIS in 2024.[45]

Supply chain in the ag industry

  • 19% of food was wasted globally at retail, food-service and household levels according to 2024 UNEP statistics cited by FAO.[47]
  • 13.3% of food was lost globally between production and retail in 2023, including farm, transport, storage, wholesale and processing stages.[47]
  • 10%–12% was the estimated cassava loss during traditional processing in an ECOWAS value-chain example.[48]
  • 6%–7% was the estimated cassava loss during industrialized processing in an ECOWAS value-chain example.[48]
  • 33%–40% was the estimated total loss for a traditional cassava value chain in an ECOWAS example.[48]

Outsourcing / Offshoring in the agriculture and food production sector (sector benchmark)

  • 66% of Queensland food-processing businesses engaged in contract manufacturing to some extent in 2010, including contracting work in or out.[49]
  • 49% of U.S. growers surveyed outsourced at least some farm work to third-party service providers in 2022, with spraying services the most commonly outsourced activity.[50]
  • 2% of Canadian food and beverage companies outsourced production entirely to third-party manufacturers in 2020.[51]
  • 19% of surveyed Queensland food-processing businesses contracted work out in 2010, while 28% contracted work in and 15% did both.[49]
  • 85% of Canadian food and beverage companies processed or manufactured products internally in 2020, while 13% both produced internally and outsourced production.[51]

11 Statistics

Finance & Pricing

Price forecasts highlight mixed farm economics, with 2026 food prices projected to rise 2.8% overall and egg prices forecast to decrease sharply.

Pricing strategy in the ag industry

  • $283.8 billion was U.S. crop cash receipts in 2023, measured in 2024 dollars.[5]
  • $19.30 per hundredweight was the U.S. farmer price received for canola in December 2024.[52]
  • $4.23 per bushel was the U.S. farmer price received for corn in December 2024.[52]
  • $5.49 per bushel was the U.S. farmer price received for all wheat in December 2024.[52]
  • $38.00 per hundredweight was the U.S. farmer price received for dry edible beans in December 2024.[52]

Cost reduction in the ag industry

  • $477.6 billion was total U.S. farm production expenditure in 2024, down from $481.9 billion in 2023.[52]
  • $24.0 billion was U.S. farm spending on supplies and repairs in 2024.[52]
  • $55.3 billion was U.S. farm spending on farm services in 2024, representing 11.6% of total production expenditure.[52]
  • $33.8 billion was U.S. farm spending on fertilizer, lime and soil conditioners in 2024.[52]
  • $49.8 billion was U.S. farm spending on livestock, poultry and related expenses in 2024.[52]

Profitability in the ag industry

  • $5,630 was median farm income for farm households in the Heartland region in 2024.[5]
  • -$2,799 was median farm income for U.S. intermediate-farm households in 2024.[5]
  • 24% of very large U.S. family farms had operating profit margins below 10% in 2024.[5]
  • $170.3 billion was U.S. net cash farm income in 2023, measured in 2024 dollars.[5]
  • $154.1 billion was forecast U.S. net cash farm income for 2024, measured in 2024 dollars.[5]

Financial planning in the ag industry

  • $3.86 trillion was forecast U.S. farm-sector equity in 2026, up 2.7% nominally from 2025.[5]
  • 120 or more agricultural commodities were eligible for Federal Crop Insurance coverage in the 2024 crop year.[5]
  • 89% of acreage for eight major U.S. field crops was enrolled in Federal Crop Insurance in 2024.[5]
  • $399.0 billion was forecast U.S. farm real-estate debt in 2026.[5]
  • 3.5% was the forecast nominal increase in U.S. farm-sector working capital in 2026.[5]

12 Statistics

Product & Service

Product release cadence is observable in crop inputs, including Corteva launching 140 new crop-protection products in 2023.

Product development in the ag industry

  • 2 new active ingredients were launched by Corteva in crop protection in 2023.[53]
  • $420.9 million was AGCO’s research and development expense in 2023.[54]
  • 7 early-stage-company technology deals were closed by Corteva Catalyst within months of its launch in 2024.[53]
  • 12 new crop-protection actives are planned by Corteva for the next decade, including 7 conventional and 5 biological actives.[53]
  • About 140 new crop-protection products were launched by Corteva in 2023.[53]

Product lifecycle in the ag industry

  • 23.0% of food was lost between harvest and retail in sub-Saharan Africa in 2023.[47]
  • 3 to 5 years is the extended-warranty period for most AGCO agricultural equipment products.[55]
  • $800.8 million was AGCO’s warranty-reserve balance at December 31, 2023.[55]
  • $743.0 million was AGCO’s warranty-reserve balance at December 31, 2024.[55]
  • 12.3% of roots, tubers and oil-bearing crops were lost globally between harvest and retail in 2023.[47]

After-sales in the ag industry

  • $180.107 million was Titan Machinery’s service revenue in the fiscal year ended January 31, 2025.[56]
  • $754.6 million was AGCO’s repair-and-replacement-parts revenue in 2024.[55]
  • 6.7% of Titan Machinery’s total revenue came from service in the fiscal year ended January 31, 2025.[57]
  • $428.457 million was Titan Machinery’s parts revenue in the fiscal year ended January 31, 2025.[56]
  • $410.841 million was Titan Machinery’s parts revenue in the fiscal year ended January 31, 2024.[56]

Value proposition in the ag industry

  • 74% of surveyed farmers rated easier access to crop markets as a motivating factor for adopting or considering digital agriculture technologies in 2024.[58]
  • 77% of surveyed farmers rated anticipating risks as a motivating factor for adopting or considering digital agriculture technologies in 2024.[58]
  • 85% of surveyed farmers rated input cost savings as a motivating factor for adopting or considering digital agriculture technologies in 2024.[58]
  • 73% of surveyed farmers rated greater confidence in decision-making as a motivating factor for adopting or considering digital agriculture technologies in 2024.[58]
  • 72% of surveyed farmers rated optimizing labor requirements as a motivating factor for adopting or considering digital agriculture technologies in 2024.[58]

13 Statistics

Sustainability & Ethics

Sustainability emissions drivers show up in system-level figures, including 4.3 billion tonnes of CO2-equivalent emissions from livestock globally in 2023.

Sustainability in the ag industry

  • 70% of energy used in agrifood systems occurs after the farmgate in transport, processing, packaging, storage and marketing.[47]
  • 4.3 billion tonnes of CO2-equivalent emissions came from livestock globally in 2023.[47]
  • 70% of global freshwater withdrawals are used for agriculture.[47]
  • 3.2 billion tonnes of CO2-equivalent emissions came from land-use change linked to agrifood systems in 2023.[47]
  • 7.1 billion tonnes of CO2-equivalent emissions came from agrifood systems in Asia in 2023.[47]

ESG in the ag industry

  • 66% of ADAMA’s hazardous waste was recycled or reused in 2023.[59]
  • 33 ADAMA employees were certified as Process Safety Risk Assessment Leaders in 2024.[59]
  • More than 50% of co-formulants in ADAMA’s recent oil-based product launches were biodegradable.[59]
  • 3,100 employees work for Big Dutchman across 48 nations, according to its 2024 ESG report.[60]
  • 5% was ADAMA’s reduction in production-based Scope 1 and 2 emissions intensity in 2024.[59]

Ethics in the ag industry

  • 36% of ADAMA’s open positions were filled internally in 2024, supporting internal career mobility.[59]
  • 7% was ADAMA’s reduction in water consumption in 2024 compared with 2023.[59]
  • 3,100 Big Dutchman employees are covered by its global commitment to ethical labor practices.[60]
  • 48 nations are represented in Big Dutchman’s workforce under its 2024 ESG reporting scope.[60]
  • 8 human-rights principles were covered by ofi’s human-rights risk assessment of its supply chains.[61]

CSR in the ag industry

  • 33 ADAMA employees gained Process Safety Risk Assessment Leader certification in 2024.[59]
  • 3.6 million acres of certified organic cropland were reported in the United States in 2021.[5]
  • 2% was ADAMA’s decrease in wastewater discharge in 2024 versus the prior year.[59]
  • 7% was ADAMA’s decrease in water consumption in 2024 versus the prior year.[59]
  • 50% of electricity at Big Dutchman’s German headquarters was planned to come from photovoltaic systems from 2025.[60]

Circular economy in the ag industry

  • 27.8 billion meals were represented by U.S. farm-sector surplus food in 2024.[62]
  • 979 biogas plants were operational across 51.4% of Indian districts as of January 14, 2026.[63]
  • 12.6 million tonnes, or 87%, of EU animal manure streams were directed to recycling such as anaerobic digestion and composting.[64]
  • $13.4 billion was the value of U.S. farm-sector surplus food in 2024.[62]
  • 3.56 million metric tons of CO2-equivalent emissions were associated with U.S. farm-sector surplus food in 2024.[62]

Carbon footprint in the ag industry

  • 16.5 billion tonnes of CO2-equivalent emissions were produced by global agrifood systems in 2023.[47]
  • 4.3 billion tonnes of CO2-equivalent emissions came from livestock in 2023.[47]
  • 1.4 billion tonnes of CO2-equivalent emissions came from packaging, transport and retail in 2023.[47]
  • 7.1 billion tonnes of CO2-equivalent emissions came from Asia’s agrifood systems in 2023.[47]
  • 4.8 billion tonnes of CO2-equivalent emissions came from the Americas’ agrifood systems in 2023.[47]

15 Statistics

Globalization & Expansion

Trade concentration shows up in exports, with 56% of U.S. agricultural exports going to the country’s five largest trading partners in 2025.

Globalization in the ag industry

  • 56% of U.S. agricultural exports went to the country’s five largest trading partners in 2025.[5]
  • 1.7 times was the nominal increase in global agricultural export value from 2010 to 2023.[47]
  • 1.04 million full-time civilian jobs were supported by U.S. agricultural exports in 2024.[71]
  • 199.1 million tonnes of wheat were exported globally in 2023.[47]
  • $212 billion was the value of U.S. agricultural imports in 2025.[5]

Cultural adaptation in the ag industry

  • 70.49% of consumers across the participating countries preferred glass olive-oil bottles.[72]
  • 42.36% of Greek consumers strongly supported extensive nutrient information on food products.[72]
  • 7.23% of Tunisian consumers in the study preferred organic farming.[72]
  • 43.48% of German consumers in the study preferred organic farming.[72]
  • 15.28% of Greek consumers in the study preferred organic farming.[72]

Supplier management in the ag industry

  • $43.8 billion was the value of agricultural products supplied by Mexico to the United States in 2025.[5]
  • 13% of U.S. farms used marketing or production contracts in 1996.[5]
  • $39.3 billion was the value of agricultural products supplied by Canada to the United States in 2025.[5]
  • 11% of U.S. farms used marketing contracts in 1996.[5]
  • 3% of U.S. agricultural imports came from Australia in 2025.[5]

Stakeholder management in the ag industry

  • 74% of surveyed farmers cited low distribution and transportation costs as a motivation for direct consumer sales.[73]
  • 20 of 59 surveyed farmers identified difficulty finding buyers as a business barrier.[74]
  • 96% of surveyed farmers cited community relationships as a motivation for selling directly to consumers.[73]
  • 25 of 59 surveyed farmers identified inadequate slaughter and meat-processing facilities as a business barrier.[74]
  • 23 of 59 surveyed farmers identified labor availability as a business barrier.[74]

Distribution channels in the ag industry

  • 36% of U.S. farmers used direct-to-institutional marketing channels in the 2017 survey.[75]
  • 14% of U.S. farmers used direct-to-retail marketing channels in the 2017 survey.[75]
  • 58% of retail-market direct sales were edible products in 2024.[5]
  • 36% of U.S. farmers used direct-to-intermediary marketing channels in the 2017 survey.[75]
  • 64% of intermediate-market direct sales were edible products in 2024.[5]

Key questions about the ag industry

What is the U.S. agriculture market size in 2026?
The U.S. agriculture forecast for 2026 is $540.3 billion in farm cash receipts.
How is the 2026 outlook changing versus 2025?
USDA forecasts farm cash receipts to decrease 0.3% from 2025 to $540.3 billion in 2026, with crop receipts up 6.1% and animal and animal-product receipts down 5.4%.
Which companies lead the ag industry?
Cargill stands out for agricultural commodities processing and food ingredients because it operates in 70 countries, while Bunge is the pick for oilseed processing and grain merchandising since it reported 32.5% revenue growth and a 2.2% operating margin.
What technology shifts show up in current ag adoption data?
In a 2026 survey of more than 1,400 U.S. and Canadian farms, 15% reported some level of AI use, while 61% of U.S. farmers reported adopting digital agronomy technologies in McKinsey’s 2024 survey.
How fragmented is production, and how concentrated is value?
Farm businesses account for about half of U.S. farms while contributing more than 90% of production value, and large-scale family farms represented 5% of farms but generated 50% of total production value in 2024.
What does food price pressure look like for 2026?
USDA’s October 2026 Food Price Outlook forecasts overall food prices to rise 2.8% in 2026, including 2.3% for food at home and 3.5% for food away from home.
Reference

Cite This Report

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APA
Samuel Norberg. (2026, November 10). Ag Industry Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/ag-industry-statistics
MLA
Samuel Norberg. "Ag Industry Statistics." Gitnux, 10 Nov 2026, https://gitnux.org/ag-industry-statistics.
Chicago
Samuel Norberg. 2026. "Ag Industry Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/ag-industry-statistics.

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