Beginning Farmers and Ranchers

Determinants of Profitability

The Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 directed the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture to report on the profitability and viability of beginning farmers and ranchers, defined as an operation in which operator(s) have no more than 10 years of experience as a farm or ranch operator. In 2017, 27% of all U.S. farm operations were operated by beginning producers. Recent reports highlight challenges that continue for beginning farm and ranch operations, including beginning farmers often reporting less farm income relative to established farms, challenges in securing sufficient credit from traditional sources so they can build successful businesses, and accessing Federal crop insurance. 

Beginning Farmers and Ranchers

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beginning farmers and ranchers
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million acres operated by beginning farmers and ranchers
$ 0 B
billion agricultural sales by beginning farmers and ranchers

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This material is based upon work supported by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Nation- al Institute of Food and Agriculture (Award number 2018-70027-28584) and the USDA Economic Research Service. The authors have no financial interest or benefit from the direct application of this research. The funders played no role in the decision to submit the paper for presentation. The findings and conclusions in this presentation are those of the authors and should not be construed to represent any official USDA or U.S. Government determination or policy.