Meeting agricultural policy and statistical goals requires a definition of U.S. agriculture's basic unit, the farm. However, these goals can be at odds with one another. USDA defines farm very broadly to comprehensively measure agricultural activity. Consequently, most establishments classified...

The U.S. farm sector is characterized by a great deal of heterogeneity. One reason for the heterogeneity in farm sizes is the multiple objectives of producers, which in addition to profit‐making, include a high‐quality rural lifestyle. The traditional aggregate indicators capture the...

Over the past three decades, the number of women-operated farms increased substantially. In 2007, women operated 14 percent of all U.S. farms, up from 5 percent in 1978. Women-operated farms increased in all sales classes, including farms with annual sales of $1 million or more. Most women...

In an historical overview, this paper links to the paradox that the increasing scientification of politics leads to a politicisation of science. For a long time, scientists offered their capabilities as ‘speaking truth to power’. Since the beginning of the 1990s, this input has been...

Minnesota's Regional Development Planning