According to data released by the U.S. Department of Agriculture in February 2026, New York lost 500 farms and 100,000 acres of farmland between 2024 and 2025. While the U.S. also experienced losses in this time period, the 1.6 percent loss of farms in New York was double the national rate of 0.8 percent, and the 1.5 percent decline in farmland was five times the national rate. Eighty percent of the reduction in the number of farms in New York came from small farms – those with sales of less than $100,000, most of which are family owned and operated.

Percent Change in U.S. and New York Farms and Land in Farms, 2024-2025

Source: OSC compiled data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, https://esmis.nal.usda.gov/publication/farms-and-land-farms

Over the past 10 years the number of farms and amount of land actively being farmed in the United States has steadily decreased. Between 2015 and 2025 the number of farms decreased by almost 10 percent and the land being farmed dropped by more than 4 percent. The changes in New York in this period have been more dramatic, with 15 percent fewer New York farms and 11 percent less land in farm production than in 2015. 

The losses experienced in 2025 are partly due to the ongoing pressures being experienced by the agricultural industry. More than half of New York’s farm producers reported net operating losses in 2022, the last time comprehensive data were available. New York’s farmers continue to face numerous challenges, including rising labor costs, unpredictable weather and the impacts of climate change. Furthermore, federal actions threaten to reduce certain support to farms, limit agricultural exports, curtail the available agricultural workforce, drive up costs, and impact the financial viability of family farms. The New York State Executive Budget for State Fiscal Year 2027 includes $30 million for payments to farms of specialty crops, livestock, livestock products or aquaculture products that have been harmed by tariff policies. 

Comptroller DiNapoli has recommended in a prior report that State policymakers consider additional support for direct-to-customer and direct-to-institution marketing, helping farmers increase the share of New York-produced food that is sold in the state; continued research and services for climate mitigation measures and climate change resistant crops; and supporting new farmers by providing training, access to land and other necessary inputs.