The majority of America’s farm households are now relying on off-farm jobs for their income.
Researchers at the University of Missouri coupled with CoBank found that 82 percent of U.S. farm household income now comes from off the farm. The top reason farmers gave for this switch was reliability in income, followed by health and retirement benefits.
The study also found that only 6.5 percent of workers in rural counties are employed in agriculture, compared to 15 percent in 1970.
