Agricultural Research and Extension Programs To Aid Small Farmers

Various guidelines have been suggested for defining a small farm. One definition is that a small farmer has gross sales from farming of $20,000 or less per year. The Department of Agriculture definition includes all farm families: whose family net income from all sources (farm and nonfarm) is below the median metropolitan income of the State; who depend on farming for a significant portion, though not necessarily a majority, of their income; and whose family members provide most of the labor and management. Information and technology for farmers are provided by State agricultural experiment stations and land-grant colleges. Small-farm research and extension programs were authorized, but never funded, for rural development research and education and small-farm research and extension.