This is the VOA SpecialEnglish AGRICULTURE REPORT.
Two new reports offer information about American farmers. Thefirst report provides official information on farms and farmland inthe United States. The other gives the opinions of young Americanfarmers.
The Department of Agriculturereports that the number of American farms decreased last year. Itestimates there were two-million-one-hundred-sixty-thousand farms.That is down seven-tenths of one percent from the number reported inTwo-Thousand. It was the second biggest decrease in the number ofAmerican farms since Nineteen-Ninety-One.
Nationwide, more than three-hundred-eighty-million hectares ofland were used for farming last year. That is down abouteight-hundred-thousand hectares from one year earlier.
The other report comes from theAmerican Farm Bureau Federation, the nation’s largest farm group. Itquestioned about three-hundred farmers between the ages of eighteenand thirty-five from across the country.
This report found that the leading concern of young farmers wasearning a profit. It was the fourth time in four years that thosequestioned said making a profit was their top concern. For the fifthyear, the young farmers said international trade was important formaking a profit. Many of them said increasing agricultural exportswas the most important step the United States government could taketo help farmers.
The young farmers were divided on a question that dealt withfuture earnings from agriculture. A little more than half said theirfarm earnings should come totally from selling their crops. Theothers said farmers also need payments from government programs.
Fifty-one percent of those questioned said they started farmingas a member of a family business. Twenty-seven percent enteredfarming on their own. Almost fourteen percent said marriage led themto farming.
On a separate issue, almost seventy-two percent of the farmerssaid they or their husband or wife have an additional job notconnected with farming.
Fifty-nine percent of the young American farmers said they aremore hopeful about farming now than they were five years ago. Morethan ninety percent said they believe they will remain in farmingall their lives. And, almost eighty-five percent would like to seetheir children become farmers.
This VOA Special English AGRICULTURE REPORT was written by GeorgeGrow.