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Nonfamily Farm Operations and the Households That Operate Them

Author

Listed:
  • Lacy, Katherine
  • Lim, Katherine
  • Williams, David
  • Whitt, Christine

Abstract

Nonfamily farms (where no producer, household, or extended family owns at least 50 percent of the operation) constitute about 2 percent of total U.S. farms from 2018 to 2022. This report explores nonfamily farms and the households of their principal producers by farm size combining data collected from the annual Agricultural Resource Management Survey from 2018 to 2022. Statistics for nonfamily farms are compared with equivalently sized family farms. Findings show that 70 percent of all nonfamily farms were considered small, with less than $350,000 in gross cash farm income. Nonfamily farms accounted for 13.4 percent of the value of production from 2018 to 2022 (combined), but much of that production came from large-scale producers. Small nonfamily farms were less financially vulnerable compared with small family farms. Principal producer households of nonfamily farms had lower wealth, income, and debt compared with family farm principal producer households.

Suggested Citation

  • Lacy, Katherine & Lim, Katherine & Williams, David & Whitt, Christine, 2025. "Nonfamily Farm Operations and the Households That Operate Them," Economic Information Bulletin 355591, United States Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service.
    • Handle: RePEc:ags:uersib:355591
    DOI: 10.22004/ag.econ.355591
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Keywords

    Consumer/Household Economics; Farm Management; Research Research Methods/Statistical Methods; Risk and Uncertainty;
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