Structure and Finances of U.S. Farms: Family Farm Report ... - AgWeb

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In fact, the number of farms in each of the other categories in the ERS classificationis higher than the corresponding census count, with the exceptionof retirement farms (see app. table 1). The higher census count of retirementfarms may reflect differences in the census and ARMS questionnaires.The census questionnaire simply asked if the operator was currently retired,while the ARMS questionnaire asked if the operator was currently retiredfrom farming, planned to retire within the next 5 years, or planned to retirein more than 5 years. The more involved ARMS question apparently resultedin fewer operators responding that they were currently retired. Of course, thelower number of farms in the retirement category in ARMS raises the countsin other types of family farms relative to the census.The two farm classifications could be made more comparable in the futureby making three changes—two in the next census (the 2012 Census ofAgriculture) and one in the 2012 ARMS:1. Drop the limited-resource category from the census typology. Thismeans that the census could drop the question on the level of theoperator household income. It is difficult to accurately identify lowincomehouseholds with the single question devoted to the topic inthe census questionnaire.2. Identify family farms in the census questionnaire by using theARMS question that asks if more than 50 percent of the ownershipinterest in the farm is held by the operator and relatives of the operator.This would allow the census to more accurately distinguishbetween family and nonfamily farms.3. Identify retired farmers in ARMS with the census question, whichsimply asks if the operator is retired. There is no reason for ARMSto delve into the operator’s retirement plans in a census year.If these actions are undertaken, the census could still provide a typology,and the typology would be more comparable to the ERS farm classification.Neither classification would identify limited-resource farms. Both would usethe same family/nonfamily farm definition and identify retired operators withthe same short question.56Structure and Finances of U.S. Farms: Family Farm Report, 2010 Edition / EIB-66Economic Research Service/USDA
Appendix II: The Agricultural ResourceManagement SurveyMost of the farm business and farm household data in this report come fromPhase III of the 2007 Agricultural Resource Management Survey (ARMS).This appendix presents a brief overview of Phase III. For more detailedinformation, see the ARMS briefing room on the ERS website at www.ers.usda.gov/briefing/arms/ or the 2007 Survey Administration Manual (UDSA,NASS, 2008).ARMS is designed and conducted each year by the Economic ResearchService (ERS) and the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), bothagencies of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The survey is conducted inthree phases:1. Phase I is a screening survey used to identify farm operations eligiblefor sampling and to determine if they produce specific commoditiestargeted for Phase II that year. Phase I is conducted in the summerof the reference year. (The reference year for the survey used in thisreport is 2007.)2. Phase II collects information about chemical use, production practices,and variable input costs for the production for specific commodities onselected sample farm operations. Data collection for Phase II occurs inthe fall and winter of the reference year.3. Phase III collects financial data on U.S. farm businesses and informationabout farm operators and their households. It is conducted in thespring of the year following the reference year, when financial data forthe reference year become available. Farms contacted for Phase II arealso contacted for Phase III, as are additional farms identified in PhaseI that do not produce the target commodities.Phase III SpecificsPhase III has been conducted since 1996, when the predecessor USDAsurveys were merged: the Cropping Practices Survey (CPS) and Farm Costsand Returns Survey (FCRS). Prior to 1996—from 1984 to 1995—farm businessand farm household data were collected by FCRS.There are multiple versions of Phase III, each with its own questionnaire:• Version 1 of the Cost and Returns Report (CRR). Used in all Statesto collect economic data for the whole farm business—not just informationrelated to a particular commodity—as well as operator and operatorhousehold characteristics. In addition, version 1 generally asks moredetailed questions about specific topics, such as farm management practicesor types of Government payments received.• Commodity-specific CRR versions. Farms that were contacted forinformation about the production of specific commodities in PhaseII are also contacted to fill out a questionnaire for Phase III. Thecommodity-specific versions in 2007 were cotton (version 2) and apples57Structure and Finances of U.S. Farms: Family Farm Report, 2010 Edition / EIB-66Economic Research Service/USDA
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United StatesDepartment ofAgricultu
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United StatesDepartmentof Agricultu
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References. . . . . . . . . . . . .
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Distribution of farms, total produc
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IntroductionThe Family Farm Report,
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As in previous issues, the Agricult
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Page 34 and 35: Farm Income and Financial Performan
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Page 42: About three-fourths of medium-sales
Page 45 and 46: ContractingContracts can potentiall
Page 47 and 48: Types of ContractsA contract is a l
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Page 55 and 56: Farming in Metropolitan AreasFarmin
Page 57 and 58: Figure 15Mean operator household in
Page 59 and 60: into the Twenty-first Century. Marv
Page 61 and 62: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Nat
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