Structural and Financial Characteristics of U.S. Farms: 2001 Family Farm Report

by Robert A. Hoppe, James Johnson, Janet Perry, Penni Korb, Judith E. Sommer, James T. Ryan, Robert Green, Ron Durst, and James Monke

Family farms vary widely in size and other characteristics, ranging from very small retirement and residential farms to establishments with sales in the millions of dollars. The farm typology developed by the Economic Research Service (ERS) categorizes farms into groups based primarily on occupation of the operator and sales class of the farm. The typology groups reflect operators' expectations from farming, position in the life cycle, and dependence on agriculture. The groups differ in their importance to the farm sector, product specialization, program participation, and dependence on farm income. These (and other) differences are discussed in this report.

Keywords: Agricultural Resource Management Study (ARMS), family farms, farm businesses, farm financial situation, farm operator household income, farm operators, farm structure, farm typology, female farm operators, government payments, spouses of farm operators

In this publication...

• Entire Report
• Abstract, Contents, Summary
• Introduction
• Attributes of Small and Large Farms
• Business Organization and Arrangements of Farms
• Contributions by Spouses of Farm Operators
• Female Farm Operators and Their Farms
• Farm Business Financial Performance
• Farm Household Income and Wealth
• Government Payments and Use of Selected Management Strategies
• Federal Tax Policies Affecting Farmers
• References