CalAgFacts / Farm Policy Facts

• 21 million Americans produce, process and sell food and fiber

• U.S. farms and ranches spent $329 billion to produce $388 billion in goods in 2012

• America exported $136 billion in farm goods in 2011, with a $37 billion trade surplus

• Americans spend 10% of their incomes on food the lowest of any country

• Spending on farm policy including crop insurance was down 20% over the past five years

• These policies account for only 16% of Farm Bill funding (nutrition programs are 78%)

• Traditional farm supports cost Americans just 2 pennies per meal, and account for less than one quarter of 1% of the federal budget

• If farm policy including crop insurance were eliminated today, it would take 100 years to offset the 2012 federal budget deficit alone

• The world population will grow from 7 billion to 9 billion by 2050

• Farmers will need to double food production by 2050 to keep pace

• To do the job, there’s a thin green line of only 210,000 full-time U.S. farms, which produce 80% of our food and fiber

• These aren’t corporate farms. Virtually all are family enterprises braving exceptional risks and tight margins

• For every $1 spent on food, farmers receive less than 12 cents for the raw products