Questions and Answers
- Can I get the survey questionnaires?
- What types of things can I accomplish with this
application?
- What crops were surveyed when?
- You sure use a lot of jargon. Why?
- How do you define family farms?
- How
do you define farm typology?
- How
do you define the regions?
- How do I obtain special tabulations of ARMS
data?
- How can I get direct access to the raw
ARMS data?
Q: Can I get the survey questionnaires?
A. Yes, you can download the survey questionnaires in Acrobat PDF format here:
Q: What types of things can I accomplish with this application?
A. The database query tools provide custom delivery and analysis. The "Tailored
Reports" option enables custom queries, where users can
select among survey data sets to build custom reports, refine queries with
specific samples/populations,
group summary statistics for comparisons, and choose among output options
for results (tables, charts, etc). See the "Step-by-Step
Demonstration."
Q: What crops were surveyed when? I need to know how best to use
the pick lists and get the data I need.
A. Not all surveys cover all crops; check the Documentation
section for each major topic to review a survey's scope, coverage,
and methodology.
Q: You sure use a lot of jargon. Is a glossary available?
A. We sure do, and are working to address that complicated issue (some are
legally prescribed). In the meantime, use our context-sensitive help feature—just
select any item in the tools and click on the  icon to get
a definition. Also, you can download the survey questionnaires for added
context on all the variables.
Q: How do you define family farms?
A. Starting in 2005, "family farm" is defined as any farm where
the majority of the business is owned by the operator and individuals related
to the operator by blood, marriage, or adoption. Under the previous definition,
family farms were farms organized as sole proprietorships, legal partnerships,
or family corporations. The previous definition also excluded any business
operated by a hired manager. The current definition recognizes that hired
managers may have an ownership interest in the business. See a more
detailed definition of farmily farms.
Q: How do you define farm typology?
A. ERS has developed a classification known as a farm typology,
which categorizes U.S. farms into seven mutually exclusive and homogeneous
groups within three broad categories, what we refer to as collapsed
farm typology (below). You'll
note that the farm typology includes nonfamily farms, but focuses on family
farms.
- Small family farms (retirement, residential/lifestyle, farming occupation/low
sales, and farming occupation/high sales farms)
- Other family farms (large and very large family farms)
- Nonfamily farms
This represents a change from previous releases as we no longer include
"limited-resource farms" as a category. Limited resource farms
can also be classified as either retirement, residential/lifestyle, or farming
occupation/low sales farms, but the definition of limited-resource was the
priority classification criterion. We continue to identify limited-resource
farms in our data file to allow continued analysis of these farms. Get more
details on the farm types.
Q: How do you define the regions?
To overcome some longstanding problems with the older USDA Farm Production
Regions, ERS constructed a new set of regions, called Resource Regions
(see map),
depicting geographic specialization in the production of U.S. farm commodities
and other characteristics. These are: Basin and Range, Eastern Uplands, Fruitful
Rim, Heartland, Mississippi Portal, Northern Crescent, Northern Great Plains,
Prairie Gateway, and Southern Seaboard.
If you need a reminder while you are working in the tool, use our context-sensitive
help feature—just select any item in the tools and click on the icon
to get a definition. Also, you can download the survey questionnaires for
added context on all the variables.
Q: How do I obtain special tabulations of ARMS data?
A: Users of ERS data may need special tabulations of ARMS data to supplement
or extend published tabulations and reports. Some may require the knowledge
and expertise of agency staff in preparing these tabulations. Get
the details...
Q: How can I get direct access to the raw ARMS data?
A: ARMS data can be made available to researchers and other government agencies
who have collaborative projects with ERS or NASS that contribute to USDA's
public sector. These projects must be formally administered through a cooperative
research relationship with ERS and NASS. Get
the details...
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