Small, midsize farms decreasing in Nebraska

The U.S. Department of Agriculture says small and midsize farms across Nebraska have lost much of their land and revenue to bigger operations over the past two decades.

The Omaha World-Herald reports that many of these farms have been caught between falling prices and rising costs. As a result, the number of smaller farms in the state has decreased while the number of larger farms has risen.

Farms with more than $500,000 in annual sales more than tripled between 1997 and 2012. But farms with revenue between $100,000 and $499,999 decreased 20 percent.

Jay Rempe is a senior economist at Nebraska Farm Bureau. He says farm consolidation means there are more efficient and productive farms, which give consumers a variety of low priced food options.