Only 11 percent of family farm households were classified as limited resource farms in 2011, based on low farm sales and low household income (see table on the characteristics of principal farm operator households, by limited resource farmer status, 2011 Excel icon (16x16) ). On average, they lost money farming on a cash basis (after depreciation). Many of these households had large farm losses, which explains why their median income is greater than their average income. (The opposite is usually true for most farm classifications.) Their relatively low off-farm income is not surprising, given that nearly 60 percent of principal operators of limited resource farms are 65 years old or older. However, in spite of their low sales and household income, their median net worth was nearly $400,000 in 2011.
Age distribution of principal operators of limited resource and other farms, 2011
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