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
). 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.