The census of agriculture numbers are also not anywhere close to reliable anymore. As consolidation occurs, reporting on the ag census is rapidly declining. NASS does not enforce the fines, and larger operations refuse to report.
Without the reporting, NASS does not have enough data to make accurate estimates. When I was a statistician the error rates I saw were upward of 20-50% on every number. It’s only gotten worse since then.
The summary of that investment portfolio is accurate.
The farmland landscape (no pun intended!) is changing drastically. Ownership patterns are beginning to change. A sector once dominated by owner-operated farms is now undergoing rapid consolidation as billionaires, institutional investors and foreign players look to scale their farmland portfolios.
Those numbers are from the census of agriculture.
The census of agriculture numbers are also not anywhere close to reliable anymore. As consolidation occurs, reporting on the ag census is rapidly declining. NASS does not enforce the fines, and larger operations refuse to report.
Without the reporting, NASS does not have enough data to make accurate estimates. When I was a statistician the error rates I saw were upward of 20-50% on every number. It’s only gotten worse since then.
The summary of that investment portfolio is accurate.