Farm populations targeted by USDA programs

The 2008 Farm Act established or modified several USDA farm programs to increase the participation of beginning farmers or ranchers, women and minority principal operators (so-called socially disadvantaged farmers), and limited-resource farmers (based on their low farm sales and household income), In 2010, 39 percent of all family farms were classified as one or more of these targeted farm groups. They are less likely to participate in government farm payment programs than other farm households (25 compared to 42 percent) and they receive a small share (28 percent) of the total payments relative to their numbers (39 percent of all family farms). However, the share of payments they receive is on par with their share of the total value of agricultural products they produce (17 compared to 16 percent). This chart appears in Beginning Farmers, Demographics, and Labor Allocations, part of the Farm Household Economics and Well-Being topic on the ERS website, updated November 2011.