文章基本信息

标题：WHAT DOES FARM STRUCTURE IMPLY FOR FUTURE FARM POLICY?
本地全文：下载
作者：Offutt, Susan E.
期刊名称：Journal of Food Distribution Research
印刷版ISSN：0047-245X
出版年度：2001
期号：SUPPL
出版社：Food Distribution Research Society
摘要：The structure of the U.S. agricultural sector has changed throughout our history. Particularlyimportant from a policy perspective, this evolution has left us with an agricultural sector significantlydifferent than existed in the 1930's when the foundation of much farm commodity policy was established.Farm numbers appear to have stabilized at just over 2 million. Most farms today are small and account foronly a modest share of agricultural production, even if they control three-fourths of the country'sfarmland. The largest farms operating on the other quarter of farmland grow more than 60 percent offood that enters commercial channels. Almost two thirds of all farm operators do not regard farming astheir main occupation, but rather live on farms as a retirement or residential lifestyle choice. Many of youare by now familiar with the Economic Research Service (ERS) farm typology, that categorizes farms intohomogeneous groupings based on what farmers surveyed say is their main occupation. The typology isone way of looking at the diversity that characterizes American farm structure today. Recent ERS workon the definition of a farm safety net uses the typology to take explicit account of the marked differencesin aspirations and circumstances across farm households when examining how income goals might be met(Gundersen, et al., 2000).