Overview of Small Farm Programs at the Land Grant Colleges and Universities

Report Foreword: This overview report on Small Farm Programs at the Land Grant Colleges and Universities is a compilation which attempts to share ideas, on-going efforts, and program descriptions at the 1890 and 1862 Land Grant Institutions. The intent of this report is also to reduce duplication in efforts and to provide information on how the Cooperative Extension System in partnership with the Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service-USDA delivers programs and services to the small scale farmer and rancher at the local level. It is noted in this report that not all the Land Grant schools have programs specifically targeted at small scale farms, however, these schools do have a wide range of programs and services that benefit small farms. Information contained in this report was provided by Farm Management Specialists and Extension Educators. The leadership that they have given to this effort is recognized at the Federal level. Continued support of this program will assist the small farmer in meeting major needs in the areas of effective recordkeeping, management, and marketing strategies. Although the viability and survival of small farms is a rural issue in most states, there is still substantial disagreement on the definition of small farms. For example, the traditional use of gross income receipts and size of holdings have been criticized as inappropriate measures. The working definition for this report is found in the 1981 Farm Bill (Public Law 97-98). That definition states "Small farm means any farm (1) producing family net income from all sources (farm and non-farm) below the median non-metropolitan income of the State; (2) operated by a family dependent on farming for a significant though not necessarily a majority of its income; and (3) on which family members provide most of the labor and management."