Social Security taxes are a major and growing expense of operating a farm business. Self-employed farmers and family farm workers have some flexibility in managing cash income subject to Social Security. A basic understanding of Social Security benefits as well as costs is required to make a...

Farmer productivity by age was estimated, allowing for differences because of efficiency and returns to scale. Using Census of Agriculture data, estimates vary by state, but returns to scale average 1.07. Efficiency increases average 4.5 percent every ten years of age, to the age interval 35 to...