USDA programs have targeted assistance to beginning farmers and ranchers since the 1992 Agricultural Credit Improvement Act. Farms or ranches are considered “beginning” if the operators have managed them for 10 years or less. The Economic Research Service has looked at the trend in numbers of beginning farmers and ranchers in recent decades and examined some key characteristics that distinguish them from established farms using the Census of Agriculture and the Agricultural Resource Management Survey. Taken every five years, the Census provides the only source of uniform, comprehensive and impartial agricultural data for every county in the nation.
Publications
Beginning Farmers and Farmers at a Glance: 2013 Edition
Downloadable Documents
Author
Mary Ahearn
Publisher
Washington, DC: USDA Economic Research Service
Page Numbers
6
Publication Date
January 01, 2013
Publication Type
Reports and Guides
State
National
Keywords
Agricultural Statistics, Beginning Farmers