The Changing Complexion of Farming in the United States

1
The Changing Complexion of Farming in the United
States

• The changing complexion of farming in the U.S.
  can be studied by examining the recent trends in
• the physical structure
• the financial structure
• the Productivity and
• the profitability
• of farm business in general.

2
The Physical Structure of the Farm Business Sector

• An examination of the physical structure of the
  farm business sector must necessarily focus on
  such things as the number and size of farm
  businesses, their ownership and control, and the
  ease of entry into the farm business sector.

3
The Financial Structure of the Farm Business
Sector

• The financial structure of farm businesses, in
  general, can be assessed by examining the balance
  sheet of the farm business sector. Such
  examination must necessarily focus on the value
  of farm real estate assets, non-real estate
  assets, financial assets, real estate debt, and
  non-real estate debt.

4
The Productivity of the Farm Business Sector

• Productivity refers to the level of output per
  unit of input. Productivity gains can be
  measured by using
• the index of farm output per unit of farm inputs,
  or
• the index of crop production per acre.

5
The Profitability of the Farm Business Sector

• Gross income from farming activities and related
  expenses can be used to examine the profitability
  of the farm business sector.