Overview
 USDA's
Agricultural Resource Management Survey (ARMS) is an integrated
data collection system that enables the development of
farm business and household accounts for the same unit
of observation. ARMS data provide a direct linkage between
commodity production practices (including conservation)
and the financial status of the farm and its operator's
household. The data also provide insights on several facets
of the agricultural sector, including its contribution
to the national economy, the organization and performance
of farms, the income and well-being of farm households,
and the economics of production practices used across
commodity enterprises. Information collected in the survey
can be used to examine the effects of economic or policy
events on farms and farm households.
Features
 Farm
Business and Household Survey Data: Customized Data
Summaries from ARMS—Use this dynamic web-based
data delivery tool to learn about agriculture online:
farming practices, commodity production costs and
returns, the economics of the farm business, the structure
of American farming, and the characteristics of the
American farm household. Get tailored reporting on
agricultural production technology, farm business
viability, and the structure of U.S. agriculture from
the very latest information gleaned from ARMS-including,
starting in 2003, data for the top 15 agricultural
States as well as the nation as a whole. This new
tool provides one-stop shopping, centralizing access
to all ARMS data, including that previously provided
in the Farm Financial Management and the Crop Production
Practices data products (11/06).
Bibliography
of published journal articles applying ARMS data—This
inventory of ARMS-based research published in professional
journals demonstrates the range of uses for ARMS data
and the advanced research methods that can be applied.
While most of the citations are for ERS researchers,
over twenty universities are accessing ARMS data for
their research (11/06).
Recommended Readings
 Farm-Based
Recreation: A Statistical Profile—Farm-based
recreation provides an important niche market for farmers,
but limited empirical information is available on the
topic. Access to two USDA databases, the 2004 Agricultural
Resource Management Survey (ARMS) and the 2000 National
Survey on Recreation and the Environment, allows us
to look at the characteristics of who operates farm-based
recreation enterprises.
Agricultural
Income and Finance Situation and Outlook provides
historical estimates and forecasts of farm sector financial
information that gauge the financial health of the
Nation's farmers and ranchers.
Structure
and Finances of U.S. Farms: Family Farm Report, 2007 Edition.
This report presents comprehensive information on family
and nonfamily farms and important trends in farming,
operator household income, farm performance, and contracting.
Most farms are family farms, and small family farms
account for most farms but produce a modest share of
farm output. A companion
brochure summarizes the report's findings. See also the related
Amber Waves feature on The Importance of Farm Program Payments to Farm Households
Growing
Farm Size and the Distribution of Commodity Program Payments—Structural
changes within the farm sector can alter how benefits
from government commodity programs are distributed, even
without changes in government policy. ARMS data provides
links between the distribution of program payments and
farm structural characteristics. In this research, ARMS
provides the data to measure the production shifts among
farm sizes that can alter the distribution of payments.
Agricultural Contracting
Update—ARMS measures the share of production
sold under marketing or production contracts. Contracts
cover an increasing share of the value of U.S. agricultural
production, up to 39 percent in 2003. Large farms are
far more likely to contract than small farms, over half
of the value of production from farms with at least $1
million in sales under contract. ARMS is the only national
database available to compare the finances of farms that
contract with those that sell on the open market.
Farm
Income Less Important to Most Corn Farm Households—The
relative importance of the different components of farm
household income (farm, off-farm, government payments)
varies by farm type, but off-farm income is most important
for a majority of farm households. ARMS goes beyond the
farm operation and measures the financial characteristics
of farm operator households including off-farm income.
This allows national comparisons of among farm types and
among non-farm sectors.
One
Farm, One Operator? Not on the Largest Farms—Today's
commercial farms often require more management and
labor than an individual can provide. ARMS provides
data on the number of operators on a single farm
operation and the importance of these farms. Some
farms have more than one operator, defined as anyone
who makes day-to-day-decisions about the farm business.
Understanding multiple-operator farms is important,
because they produce a large share of agricultural
output.
Recommended Data Products
Farm Business and Household Survey
Data: Customized Data Summaries from ARMS—Use
this dynamic web-based data delivery tool to learn about
agriculture online: farming practices, commodity production
costs and returns, the economics of the farm business,
the structure of American farming, and the characteristics
of the American farm household.
See all recommended
data...
Related Briefing Rooms
These briefing rooms feature analysis and data directly
drawn from ARMS data:
These briefing rooms feature analysis embodying economic
information or relationships ultimately derived from ARMS
data:
Related Links
National Agricultural
Statistics Service—ERS partner in collecting
ARMS data.
Commodity Costs and Returns Estimation Handbook: A Report
of the AAEA Task Force on Commodity Costs and Returns—Disciplinary
guidance on collecting data and estimating costs and returns
for agricultural crops and livestock.
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