The USA is different from many other countries I have visited. In most countries, population density is high and agricultural land is relatively scarce. Farms are small and there are very strict rules about maintenance of agricultural land and limiting development.
The USA on the other hand, has never had a farmland “shortage.” Even as the country doubled in population over the last 60 years, farmers simply brought more land (in the midwest and plains mostly) into production and of course, employed technology to increase yields. The USA is still a large grain exporter.
For comparison sake, look at the USA, vs. places like China, India or even France
The economics of agriculture production always then defaulted to the lowest-cost producers on Megafarms in the midwest. Its good to smaller scale farms, particularly in the East, becoming popular and economical.
Might we ever face an agriculture land shortage in the USA?
As the Oglala aquifer starts running dry, there’s going to be an awful lot of Great Plains farm acreage going out of production.
In my younger years, I worked in about 22 different countries (including 7 months in China in the mid 70s) and, as you say, the majority of farms around the world are very small. I was amazed to see how every small plot of land was terraced in China to grow food.
We’ll face the land shortage when the Chinese and Gates finish buying it all up!