Farm production expenditures in the United States were $359.8 billion for 2017, up from $346.9 billion in 2016. The 2017 total farm production expenditures are up 3.7% compared with 2016 total farm production expenditures. All but four expenditure items increased from the previous year.

The four largest expenditures at the United States level total $176.2 billion and account for 49% of total expenditures in 2017. These include feed, 15.3%; farm services, 12.2%; livestock, poultry and related expenses, 11.7%; and labor, 9.8%.

In 2017, the U.S. total farm expenditure average per farm was $176,352, up 4.3% from $169,035 in 2016. On average, U.S. farm operations spent $27,056 on feed; $20,635 on livestock, poultry and related expenses; $21,468 on farm services’ and $17,204 on labor.

For 2016, U.S. farms spent an average of $27,092 on feed; $20,319 on farm services; $19,491 on livestock, poultry and related expenses; and $16,616 on labor.

The U.S. economic sales class contributing most to the 2017 national total expenditures is the $1,000,000 to $4,999,999 class, with expenses of $114.9 billion, (31.9% of the U.S. total), up 1.7% from the 2016 level of $113 billion. The next highest is the $5 million and over class with $84.2 billion, up from $80.6 billion in 2016.

The Midwest region, which includes Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio and Wisconsin, contributed the most to United States total expenditures with expenses of $109.1 billion (30.3%), up from $108.9 billion in 2016.

Other regions, ranked by total expenditures, are the Plains at $93.7 billion (26%), West at $77.7 billion (21.6%), Atlantic at $43.1 billion (12%) and South at $36.2 billion (10.1%). The West increased $6.34 billion from 2016, which is the largest regional increase.

Source: USDA