We analyze growth and diversification of U.S. dairy farms by examining changes in ten size cohorts and new entrants through three successive censuses. We reject Gibrat’s law and the mean reversion hypothesis of growth. Growth rates appear bimodal where the smallest and largest farm cohorts...

Recent consolidation in agriculture has shifted production toward fewer but larger farms, reshaping business relationships between farmers, processors, input suppliers, and local communities. We analyze growth and diversification of U.S. corn, wheat, apple, and beef, farms by examining...

Growth and diversification patterns of size cohorts in four Washington state agricultural industries between the 1992 and 2002 agricultural censuses are examined. Three industries (wheat, apples, and beef) show similar growth patterns. Two (wheat and apples) show similar diversification...