Morgan Hill Agricultural Policies and Implementation Program

Morgan Hill Agricultural Policies and Implementation Program
Public Review Draft 12/22/11
This definition makes no distinction as to type or scale, which may change along with national
and international economic trends. Farmers can be either full-time or part-time. It does,
however, exclude hobby farming, meaning farming that does not return a profit. “Supported by
the local community” means that agricultural activities are accepted as part of the commerce of
the area by the residents of the area, that housing is available to farm laborers and small
farmers, that agriculture is integrated into the policies and regulations of the City, and that trade
and commerce between the farming enterprises and the residents flourishes, through such
means as local sales and farmers' markets.
According to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Economic Research Service
(ERS), in 2008, approximately 43 percent of farmers nationally indicate that farming is their
major occupation, while 42 percent state that work other than farming is their major occupation;
15 percent do not consider themselves to be in the workforce. In 2008, 88 percent of all farm
household income nationally came from non-farm sources. USDA ERS data indicate a long-term
trend toward increasing non-farm income and decreasing farm income among United States
farmers.
According to a study by the University of California (UC) Davis Small Farm Center, an annual
gross income level of approximately $25,000 per farm business is a threshold for sustainability.
A majority of California farm businesses grossing more than $25,000 annually are profitable,
based on data from the 2007 USDA Census of Agriculture. See Figure 3. As this study
examines gross income, there is no implication that “a living” can be made if a farm grosses
$25,000. It does imply, however, that since a profit can be expected in this situation, it is likely
that small farming will continue to be an occupation, if perhaps only a part time one. Since small
farming is profitable in a majority of cases if the gross revenues exceed $25,000, it is implied
that the small acreages in the Morgan Hill area will continue to be farmed.
Figure 3. California Gross Farm Income
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