Did You Know?
Of the approximately 285,000,000 people living in the United States today, less than one percent list farming as their primary occupation, according to the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). And while estimates have suggested that the annual cost of living for farmers is around $47,000, fewer than 1 in 4 of the farms throughout the United States produce gross revenues in excess of $50,000. While corporations are seemingly taking over much of the rest of American business, the agriculture industry remains largely family-oriented, with nearly 90 percent of farms in the United States being owned and operated by individuals or families. This is not to say, however, that a corporate climate does not exist in agriculture. Rather, numerous successful agricultural enterprises are owned by families, many of whom have started corporations for legal and financial benefits. By far the largest subsection of farms in the United States are what is classified as "Residential/Lifestyle" farms, or farms that are owned and operated by people who report a major occupation other than farming. More than 834,000 such farms exist throughout the United States, more than one-third of the roughly 2.1 million farms in the country.
