In 2023, small family farms sold $2.4 billion worth of food commodities directly to consumers, more than any other farm type, through outlets like farmers’ markets, farm stands, and community-supported agriculture. A small family farm is an operation with a gross cash farm income under $350,000, where most assets are owned by the producer, their household, or relatives. Midsize family farms, defined as having a GCFI between $350,000 and $999,999, and nonfamily farms of any size reported far less in direct-to-consumer sales, at $652 million and $402 million, respectively. Instead, nonfamily farms sold the bulk of their edible products, valued at $7.6 billion, through local or regional intermediate markets such as local distributors or wholesalers. Large-scale family farms, those with a GCFI of at least $1 million, used retail markets ($2.3 billion) and intermediate markets ($11.3 billion) to sell locally or regionally branded foods, with smaller shares going directly to consumers.
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