Over the past century, North American agriculture has undergone a profound structural transformation. Across both the United States and Canada, the number of farms has declined sharply while the size of remaining operations has expanded significantly.
In the United States, farm numbers peaked at 6.8 million in 1935, averaging just 155 acres. By 2024, only 1.9 million farms remained, with average operations exceeding 460 acres. Canada has followed a similar trajectory. Farm numbers declined from roughly 733,000 in 1931 to about 190,000 by 2021, while average farm size expanded from 237 acres to more than 800 acres.
This consolidation reflects the long-term forces of mechanization, economies of scale, and the financial advantages larger operators hold over smaller farms. As smaller operations exited the industry, surviving farms absorbed additional land and expanded their scale.
For Omnigence, these trends provide important context for agricultural investment. Large-scale operations now dominate North American agriculture, and the structural forces driving consolidation remain firmly in place.