Women-Operated & Family Farms in the United States: Characteristics & Trends (Agriculture Issues and Policies)

Farms and ranches operated by women have more than doubled in the last 30 years. Since 1978, the first year the Census of Agriculture collected data on the gender of farmers, the share of women-operated farms has grown from 5 percent of U.S. farms to 14 percent. The number of women-operated farms increased in all sales classes (based on annual sales, with adjustments for price changes). In contrast, farms operated by men declined substantially, with only the largest and smallest sales classes ($500,000 or more and less than $1,000) increasing. This book examines various characteristics of women farm operators and their farms, including: changes in the distribution of women-operated farms and ranches by sales class; age, education, and off-farm work and income of women principal operators; financial performance of women-operated farms; farm and operator characteristics by commodity specialisation; and sources of Government payments to women-operated farms.