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Census data show majority of Vermont farms reported net losses and a serious succession challenge
Summary
Agency presenters said 57% of farms reported net losses in the most recent census, average operator age is nearly 58, farmland values have risen and about 2,000 farms meet a $25,000-sales viability threshold.
Jake Claro, Farm to Plate director at the Vermont Sustainable Jobs Fund, told the committee that 57% of farms reported net losses in the latest census year while 43% reported gains. “There was a time in 1997 where more farms were reporting that they had net gains than net losses. But since that point in time, the numbers have crossed over and now we have more farms, 57% in the last census year that reported that they had net losses,” Claro said.
The presentation showed farm size and sales strongly correlate with profitability: average farm size in Vermont is about 180 acres, and farms below approximately 140 acres tended to report negative net income on average. The slides cited a commonly used breakpoint where farms reporting more than $25,000 in annual sales are more likely to report positive net income; approximately 2,000 farms met that $25,000 threshold.
Why it matters: the data highlight a long-term question about who can make a living farming in Vermont, the degree to which farms need off-farm income and where targeted technical assistance or financing could improve viability and succession outcomes.
Presenters also flagged farmland values and demographics as additional pressures. The value of farmland per acre was shown to have increased roughly 59% since 2010, which presenters and committee members said raises entry barriers for new and beginning farmers. The average reported operator age was nearly 58 years and nearly two-thirds of producers are over age 55, creating near-term succession concerns.
Claro and other commenters emphasized the distribution of net income: a small share of farms account for most positive net income. The presentation said farms with $1,000,000 or more in sales account for roughly two-thirds of total net farm income while 26% of farms account for the overall positive net income total of about $310 million in 2022.
Speakers noted data limitations: census classifications, owner-draw reporting and unpaid family labor complicate interpretation. Committee members asked whether off-farm income, home-scale production, and unreported backyard food production are captured; presenters said those categories are not fully represented in the census and that USDA counts as a “farm” any operation with $1,000 or more in potential sales.
Ending: presenters recommended focusing technical assistance and business support on farms near the $25,000 sales threshold and on succession planning for older operators to preserve productive farmland and minimize disruption to supply chains.
