Since 2009, wealth in the U.S. farm sector has surged along with booming farmland values. Similar to nonfarm households, farm enterprises historically have used wealth to support consumption and investments when income fades. During years of low income, farmers tap their existing wealth to...

A wave of capital investment has spread throughout the U.S. farm sector in recent years. With booming farm profits, farmers have made a range of real estate investments, building new structures such as grain bins and machine sheds and improving productivity through expanded pivot irrigation and...