America’s Silent Food Crisis: Why We’re Not Growing Enough to Feed Ourselves

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How farmland loss, climate stress, and labor shortages are quietly choking the U.S. food supply — and why it could impact your dinner table next.

The United States, with nearly a billion acres of farmland and a population of 330 million, faces a paradox: despite its agricultural might, it struggles to feed itself with the healthy, high-value crops its people need. Farmers like Chip Kent, a sixth-generation fruit farmer at Locust Grove in Milton, New York, are caught in a system that prioritizes low-value commodity crops like corn and soybeans over fruits and vegetables. This misalignment, driven by federal policies and economic pressures, is reshaping the nation’s food landscape and challenging family farms.

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The Decline of Specialty Crops

The U.S. has seen a steady decline in farms producing crops for human consumption over recent decades. Instead, vast swaths of farmland are dedicated to corn and soybeans, used primarily for livestock feed, ethanol, and processed food ingredients like sugars, starches, and oils. These “commodity” crops benefit from significant federal subsidies, making them cheaper and less risky to grow. In 2023, corn and soybeans accounted for over half of total farm crop income, with meat, driven by these crops, leading agricultural exports at $64 billion.

Meanwhile, specialty crops like fruits, vegetables, and legumes are high-risk, high-reward ventures. They’re labor-intensive, perishable, and receive far less government support. For instance, Locust Grove, a 100-acre family farm, produces 800,000 pounds of apples annually but faces rising operational costs, with 60% of revenue consumed by labor alone. The farm’s net income, like the New York State average, hovers around $80,000 after expenses—a modest return for a 200-year-old operation.

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Economic and Policy Challenges

The U.S. Farm Bill, passed roughly every five years, plays a pivotal role in shaping what farmers grow. The 2018 Farm Bill, which expired in September 2024, allocated over $30 billion in subsidies to large commodity farms, helping them weather price swings, low harvests, and natural disasters. However, specialty crop farmers, like the Kents, often receive minimal aid—Locust Grove once got just $500 after proving a loss, with high premiums undermining the benefit.

The 1996 Farm Bill shifted priorities by removing certain growing requirements, encouraging farmers to chase market demand. This led to a boom in commodity production, as corn and soybeans became lucrative for export and industrial use. However, this focus has left the U.S. reliant on imports for fruits and vegetables, with Mexico’s subsidized agriculture quadrupling its produce exports to the U.S. between 2000 and 2023. American consumers enjoy year-round access to everything from tomatoes to avocados, but this comes at the cost of local farms struggling to compete.

Rising production costs exacerbate the issue. Farm labor costs are projected to increase by 6.9% in 2024, and fuel and fertilizer prices continue to climb. For specialty crop farmers, these expenses erode already thin margins. Chip Kent notes, “We don’t want to be multi-millionaires, but we don’t want to work our fingers to the bone and go backwards.” The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) in 1994 further intensified competition by flooding U.S. markets with cheaper imported produce, hurting smaller farms.

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The Plight of Family Farms

Locust Grove, like 98% of U.S. farms, is family-operated. To survive, it has diversified by adding a brewery and a u-pick orchard, expanding from 60 to 100 acres by acquiring neighboring farms. Yet, the farm’s main revenue comes from selling at New York City farmers’ markets four times a week, with some fruit sold to winemakers and the rest used in-house. Despite these efforts, the farm faces volatile yields—one year with no plums, another with abundant peaches and cherries.

Nationwide, farms of Locust Grove’s size represent just 28% of total U.S. farms, while the largest 2% control 42% of farmland. Between 2017 and 2022, New York State saw its sharpest drop in farms and acreage in decades. Net farm income is forecast to plummet nearly 40% in 2024 from a 2022 high, driven by lower crop prices and rising costs. For specialty crop farmers, the lack of government support and high operational risks make sustainability a constant battle.

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A Call for Change

Advocates argue for a rebalanced Farm Bill that better supports specialty crops. The USDA has taken steps, like allocating $72.9 million in 2023 for specialty crop grants to boost competitiveness and partnering with local producers for food banks and school meals. However, the largest farms still receive nearly 80% of subsidies, prompting calls for more equitable distribution. Mexico’s model—subsidizing agriculture inputs like fertilizer—shows how government support can drive production, but U.S. farms face diverse climates and needs, complicating a one-size-fits-all approach.

Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack defends U.S. productivity, noting increased specialty crop production and consumption. Yet, health experts link the dominance of subsidized commodities to America’s obesity crisis, as processed foods make up over half of diets, while only 20% of adults eat enough fruits and vegetables. Shifting some commodity acreage to specialty crops could help, but short growing seasons and harsh winters limit feasibility in regions like the Corn Belt.

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The Path Forward

The failure to pass a new Farm Bill in 2024 creates uncertainty, with farmers already planning for 2025 amid tight margins. The American Soybean Association warns that pulling commodity subsidies without alternative funding could devastate producers. Meanwhile, specialty crop farmers like the Kents remain committed to their craft, unwilling to switch to crops like soybeans unsuited to their region or sell their land despite rising values.

Solutions include boosting domestic demand for fresh produce, finding new export markets for commodities, and increasing incentives for specialty crops. As Chip Kent’s son Sawyer, a seventh-generation farmer, reflects, “Every bloom is a promise, but promises are broken.” For family farms to endure, policies must align with the nation’s nutritional needs, ensuring farmers can grow the mangoes, avocados, and apples Americans crave—closer to home.

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