American farmers are going under at the fastest rate in years, a bad sign for food independence and for the small family farms getting squeezed out by big corporate operations.

• Farm debt is set to hit $624 billion, and bankruptcies jumped 46% last year as costs like a $1 million combine crush small operators.
• The US lost 15,000 farms in 2025, about 41 a day, and the average farmer is now 58 with few young people replacing them.
• Only the biggest farms — those selling $1 million or more — are still making money, pushing the country toward factory farming and away from small organic growers.
• Government help is growing, from $30 billion in payments in 2025 to a forecast $44 billion in 2026, but most of it flows to the wrong place.
• The top 10% of recipients grab 78% of crop insurance money, while the bottom 80% of farmers get under 10% — the reverse of who needs it.

Outlook: Without changes that steer aid to small farmers, big corporate farms will keep buying out family operations and the shift to factory food will speed up.