The number of US farms declined for the sixth straight year to 2.11 million last year, down about 1 percent from 2003, due to consolidation and an aging population, the US Agriculture Department said on Monday. Farm land totalled 936.6 million acres in 2004, down 2.25 million acres from the previous year, the USDA said in its 2004 farm operations summary. "The decline in the number of farms and land in farms reflects a continuing consolidation in farming operations and transfers of agricultural land to competing uses," it said.

The smallest farms, those making less than $10,000 annually, experienced the biggest decline as some owners retired and others were purchased by larger operations, the USDA said.

Small farms declined to 1.18 million farms, down 1.6 percent from 2003. Large operations, those making more than $500,000 annually, increased 4.7 percent to 76,740 farms.

The average US farm had 443 acres in 2004, an increase of two acres from the previous year.

Hog operations experienced the largest decline among livestock producers, falling 6 percent from 2003 to 69,420. Cattle operations totalled 989,460, down 2 percent.

Copyright Reuters, 2005