The financial crisis in agriculture has been a reality for some farm families since early 1980. As with any industry-wide upheaval, it was slow developing. And its origins can be traced back at least a decade. Today we know more about farm financial conditions than at anytime since the crisis...

A picture of extremes in farm financial conditions emerges from our analysis. Forty percent of all farm operators are performing extremely well. Operators in this group show significantly above-average earnings, strong equity positions, and sizable off-farm incomes. About 10 percent of all...

Farm financial stress in the United States is a persistent problem that remains to be reckoned with by agricultural policymakers, agricultural lenders, and rural communities. A surge of farm income in 1986 afforded temporary relief to some operators; the long-term projections however, indicate...

As the agricultural sector adjusts to financial stress and constantly changing national and international policies, additional structural changes are expected. The capacity for adjustment through existing agricultural asset markets depends on both the extent of farm restructuring and the...