What is the average farm size in the UK?
In the East of England the average farm size in 2019 was 121 hectares. This is larger than the English average of 87 hectares.
Certainly between 1950 and 2005, the number of holdings in the UK dropped by 55%, which equates to about 1% per annum. Overall, the average farm size across the country continues to be a surprisingly modest 86.4 Ha (213 acres); little changed since 2010 when it was 84.3 Ha (208 acres).
In the North East the average farm size in 2019 was 144 hectares. This is the largest average farm size of all of the English regions and larger than the English average of 87 hectares.
The larger farms cover three quarters of the farmland. Around 50% of all holdings are under 50 acres, with many farms being family-run units.
Farms and Land in Farms Highlights
The average farm size for 2019 is 444 acres, up 1 acre from the previous year.
In terms of size, 970 (83%) of farms on the market were between 100 and 500 acres, while 137 were 500-1,000 acres and just 59 were more than 1,000 acres.
However, figures released by the Scottish Government show that, in fact a north-east farmer, Frank A Smart is now far and away the largest farmer in the whole of the UK. In 2013, Mr Smart was farming 87,423 acres of land across Scotland – almost five times more than the Co-operative Group.
Small family farms are considered to be small ranches at around 200 acres of land. A large family farm is considered a large ranch from 1,400 acres. There are few mega-sized ranches with around 2000 acres.
Acreage is another way to assess farm size. According to the USDA , small family farms average 231 acres; large family farms average 1,421 acres and the very large farm average acreage is 2,086. It may be surprising to note that small family farms make up 88 percent of the farms in America.
Definition of Farming
The definition of what exactly constitutes farming and agriculture from a tax viewpoint has been subject to much conjecture and debate. In the UK, under s996(1) of the Income Tax Act 2007 (ITA 2007), “farming” means “the occupation of land wholly or mainly for the purpose of husbandry”.
Where is the largest farm in the UK?
By far, the biggest farm in the world (in terms of acreage) is the Mudanjiang City Mega Farm in Heilongjiang, China. This astounding farm manages 22,500,000 acres. The Mudanjiang City Mega Farm specializes in dairy and has around 100,000 cows.
Elveden is a 22,500 acre country estate, of which over 10,000 acres is farmland. This makes us the largest ring-fenced arable farm in lowland Britain. The land at Elveden was transformed for agricultural use in 1927 by Rupert Guinness, great great grandson of Arthur Guinness (founder of the Guinness brewery.)
Overall, this meant average net farm income rose from £31 to £66 per acre while average farm profit margins grew by £27 per acre. Farm gross margin across the whole area farmed rose to £280 per acre.
If you are a stranger asking and the only number you know is the average farm in the United States is 442 acres, you can understand their shock. 10,000 is a very big number when taken out of context. 10,000 is also often the number individuals use to stick you in the “”shill” for Big Ag”.
Another metric: average number of acres per category (one square mile is 640 acres): Small: GCFI between $150,000 and $350,000: 961 acres. Midsize: 1582 acres. Large: 2926 acres. Very large: 4673 acres.
Five acres may not sound like a lot of land, but many farmers have been successful at making a living on 1 acre and 2 acres, and even less land than that. It takes careful planning, creativity, and hard work, but it can be done.
| Farm Type | 2018/19 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|
| Specialist poultry(b) | 74700 | 77700 |
| Mixed | 45500 | 40200 |
| Horticulture | 52100 | 52900 |
| All types | 50400 | 51900 |
Farm operator households have more wealth than the average U.S. household because significant capital assets, like farmland and equipment, are generally necessary to operate a successful farm business. In 2020, the average U.S. farm household had $1,714,559 in wealth.
East Anglia is the most productive crop producer in the UK
You may not know it but Cambridge is located in the heart of the most agriculturally productive region in the UK. Our climate, landscape and soils are ideally suited to growing strawberries, sugar beet, barley, hops, wheat, potatoes and more.
The average farm size for 2021 is 445 acres, up from 444 acres the previous year. Average farm size increased in the $1,000,000 or more sales class and decreased or remained unchanged in all other sales classes.
Is 50 acres a big farm?
Small family farms are considered to be small ranches at around 200 acres of land. A large family farm is considered a large ranch from 1,400 acres. There are few mega-sized ranches with around 2000 acres.
Keeping track of farms
According to the USDA 2017 census, the smallest farms in the country with 1 to 9 acres in production account for less than 1 percent of all farmland. The largest farms — those with 2,000 or more acres in production — account for 58 percent of all farmland in the country.
Acreage is another way to assess farm size. According to the USDA , small family farms average 231 acres; large family farms average 1,421 acres and the very large farm average acreage is 2,086. It may be surprising to note that small family farms make up 88 percent of the farms in America.
Here, according to the provisions of s654 of the Taxes Consolidation Act 1997 (TCA 1997), farming is defined as “farming farm land, that is, land in the State which is wholly or mainly occupied [occupied is defined as having the use of the land or the right to graze livestock on it] for husbandry, other than market ...
Five acres may not sound like a lot of land, but many farmers have been successful at making a living on 1 acre and 2 acres, and even less land than that. It takes careful planning, creativity, and hard work, but it can be done.
If you are a stranger asking and the only number you know is the average farm in the United States is 442 acres, you can understand their shock. 10,000 is a very big number when taken out of context. 10,000 is also often the number individuals use to stick you in the “”shill” for Big Ag”.
