Most Farmers Are Part-Timers

Among the nation's 2.1 million principal farm operators (the person primarily responsible for the day-to-day operation of the farm), most do not identify farming as their primary occupation. The 52 percent majority of principal farm operators say their primary occupation is something other than farming, according to the USDA's 2012 Census of Agriculture.

Economics explain the part-time nature of today's farmer. Seventy percent of farms have agricultural sales of less than $50,000 annually. The average age of farmers is 58.3.