According to the U.S. Department of Labor, the number of farm workers has been dropping and will continue to do so, but at a slower rate. The agricultural base has been shrinking since 1954. In August 1991, according to The U.S. Department of Labor, there were about 1,313,000 farm owners and operators in the United States. In spite of the decrease in the number of farmers, agriculture is still a large employment field. Raising, processing and delivering crops to consumers is a big industry.
Many workers sell farm machinery, seeds, feeds and fertilizers.
Others service farm equipment. Many process and distribute farm products. In general, income for large farms is higher than that for small farms.