The four largest expenditures – feed, farm services,, livestock, poultry and related expenditures, and labor – totaled $167.6 billion, accounting for 45.6% of total 2013 expenditures.
Of total expenditures, feed costs represented 17.0; followed by farm services, 10.6%; livestock, poultry and related expenses, 9.3%; and labor, 8.7%.
U.S. total farm expenditures average per farm is $175,270/farm in 2013, up 2.3% compared with $171,309 in 2012. On average, U.S. farm operations spent $29,779 on feed; $18,612 on farm services; $16,321 on livestock, poultry and related expenses; and $15,271 on labor.
Total fuel expense totaled $16.4 billion in 2013. Diesel, the largest sub-component, was $10.9 billion, accounting for 66.5%. Diesel expenditures were up 4.8% from the previous year. Gasoline, $3.0 billion, was down 3.2%. LP gas, at $1.8 billion, was up 25.7%. Other fuel was up 5.7%, to $740 million.
Not surprisingly, larger farms spent the most in 2013. Farms in the $1.0-$4.9 million annual income class had expenses of $132.1 billion (36.0% of the U.S. total), up 4.1% from 2012. Farms in the $5 million-plus income range spent $79.0 billion, up from $74.0 billion in 2012.
Crop farms expenditures increased to $206.7 billion, up 0.9% in 2013, while livestock farms expenditures increased to $160.6 billion, up 3.4%. The largest expenditures for crop farms included rent, at $26.4 billion (12.8% of total); fertilizer, lime and soil conditioners, at $23.8 billion, (11.5%); and farm services, at $23.5 billion (11.4%). Combined crop inputs (chemicals, fertilizers, and seeds) totaled $56.1 billion, accounting for 27.1% of crop farms total expenses
The largest expenditures for livestock farms included feed, at $55.7 billion (34.7% of the total); livestock, poultry and related expenses, at $28.8 billion (17.9%); and farm services, at $15.5 billion (9.7%). Together, these line items account for 62.3% of livestock farms’ total expenses.
The average total expenditure for a crop farm was $211,659, compared to $143,521 per livestock farm.
The Midwest region contributed the most to U.S. total expenditures in 2013 with expenses of $118.5 billion (32.3% of the U.S. total), up from $114.8 billion in 2012. The Midwest increased $3.7 billion from 2012, which is the largest regional increase in dollars.
The other regions, ranked by total expenditures, were: Plains, at $87.6 billion (23.9%); West, $76.9 billion (21.0%); Atlantic, $45.5 billion (12.4%); and South, $38.8 billion (10.6%.
California contributed most to the 2013 U.S. total expenditures, with expenses of $36.6 billion (10.0% of the U.S. total). California expenditures are up 8.6% from the 2012 estimate of $33.7 billion.
Iowa, the next leading state, had $29.8 billion in expenses (8.1% of U.S. total). Other states with more than $20 billion in total expenditures were: Texas, with $24.2 billion; and Nebraska, with $20.3 billion.
