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The Off-Farm Occupations of U.S. Farm Operators and Their Spouses

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  • Brown, Jason P.
  • Weber, Jeremy

Abstract

Because of the broad definition of a farm—which includes numerous small operations that produce little or no agricultural commodities in any given year—most farm households earn all of their income from nonfarm sources. However, even those operating farms with substantial production often have significant nonfarm income. Most nonfarm income, in turn, comes from off-farm jobs. Industry and occupation information collected by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s 2010 Agricultural Resource Management Survey (ARMS) provides one indication of how the skills demanded and cultivated on the farm influence off-farm employment incentives and opportunities. Consistent with the notion that farming requires substantial management skills, this study finds that when farm operators and their spouses work off farm, they are most likely to hold a management or professional occupation. This is especially true for households operating larger farms.

Suggested Citation

  • Brown, Jason P. & Weber, Jeremy, 2013. "The Off-Farm Occupations of U.S. Farm Operators and Their Spouses," Economic Information Bulletin 156535, United States Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service.
    • Handle: RePEc:ags:uersib:156535
    DOI: 10.22004/ag.econ.156535
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Huffman, Wallace E & Lange, Mark D, 1989. "Off-Farm Work Decisions of Husbands and Wives: Joint Decision Making," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 71(3), pages 471-480, August.
    2. Huffman, Wallace E, 1980. "Farm and Off-Farm Work Decisions: The Role of Human Capital," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 62(1), pages 14-23, February.
    3. Hisham S. El-Osta & Ashok K. Mishra & Mitchell J. Morehart, 2008. "Off-Farm Labor Participation Decisions of Married Farm Couples and the Role of Government Payments," Review of Agricultural Economics, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association, vol. 30(2), pages 311-332.
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    7. El-Osta, Hisham S., 2011. "The Impact of Human Capital on Farm Operator Household Income," Agricultural and Resource Economics Review, Northeastern Agricultural and Resource Economics Association, vol. 40(1), pages 1-21, April.
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    Cited by:

    1. Prager, Daniel L & Tulman, Sarah & Durst, Ron, 2018. "Economic Returns to Farming for U.S. Farm Households," Economic Research Report 276224, United States Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service.
    2. Sant'Anna, Ana Claudia & Katchova, Ani L., 2022. "How Economic Conditions Changed the Number of U.S. Farms, 1960-88: A Replication and Extension of Gale (1990) to Midsize Farms in the U.S. and Abroad," 96th Annual Conference, April 4-6, 2022, K U Leuven, Belgium 321202, Agricultural Economics Society - AES.
    3. Omobolaji Omobitan & Aditya R. Khanal, 2022. "Examining Farm Financial Management: How Do Small US Farms Meet Their Agricultural Expenses?," JRFM, MDPI, vol. 15(3), pages 1-15, March.
    4. Daniel A. Sumner, 2014. "American Farms Keep Growing: Size, Productivity, and Policy," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 28(1), pages 147-166, Winter.

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