Overview

The USDA, Economic Research Service's farm income and finance program measures, forecasts, and explains indicators of economic performance for the U.S. farm sector and farm businesses by resource region and commodity specialization. The program's data and analysis are used by USDA and its stakeholders to inform their perspective on the financial health of the U.S. agricultural economy. The analysis is useful in identifying subsectors and business types that are performing particularly well, or poorly, relative to past trends and to other types of farms.

Financial performance measures include the farm sector's receipts and expenses; gross and net value added; and both net cash farm income and net farm income. Measures also include changes in the sector's assets, debt, and overall wealth, as well as financial ratios that depict solvency, liquidity, and efficiency. Taken together, the measures summarize the financial condition of the farm sector. ERS publishes estimates and forecasts of farm income, wealth, and household well-being based on responses to USDA's annual Agricultural Resource Management Survey (ARMS) and information provided by USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), Farm Service Agency (FSA), Risk Management Agency (RMA), and other sources of sector-level information.

For more information, see:

A discussion of farm income and cost estimates and forecasts for the agricultural sector.
Data tables for the farm income forecast and State farm sector estimates (including costs).
Agricultural Resource Management Survey (ARMS) data that underpin much of the farm income forecast and estimates.
USDA, ERS forecasts and estimates of farm household income and well-being.

USDA Agricultural Projections to 2033 Soybean Production, Marketing Costs, and Export Competitiveness in Brazil and the United States America’s Farms and Ranches at a Glance: 2023 Edition COVID-19 Working Paper: The Evolution of U.S. Farm Sector Profitability Forecasts in 2020 COVID-19 Working Paper: Distribution and Examination of Coronavirus Food Assistance Program Payments and Forgivable Paycheck Protection Program Loans at the State Level in 2020

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Farm Households’ Consumption of Market Facilitation Payments Differed by Farm Type and Year Financial Health Indicators for Family Farms Show a Mixed Picture During the 2020 Coronavirus (Covid-19) Pandemic Chapter 12 Bankruptcy Rates Have Increased in Most Agricultural States Commercial Farms Received the Most Government Payments in 2019 Farm Sector Liquidity Forecast to Decline in 2021

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Farm Income and Wealth Statistics Farm Household Income and Characteristics ARMS Farm Financial and Crop Production Practices State Fact Sheets Ag and Food Statistics: Charting the Essentials

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Farm Household Well-being Agricultural Baseline Farm & Commodity Policy