An Overview of Beginning Farms and Farmers

by Nigel Key and Greg Lyons

Beginning farms (those on which all operators have no more than 10 years of farming experience) operate at a smaller scale, earn less farm income, and have more debt relative to their assets than more established farms. Beginning farm households work more off-farm and have less wealth than established farm households.

Keywords: Beginning farmers, beginning ranchers, Agricultural Resource Management Survey, ARMS, USDA programs, farmland

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• Entire Report
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