Most farm operators are men. Although only about 10 percent of
principal farm operators are women (see table on the characteristics of principal farm
operator households, by gender of principal operator, 2011
), that number represents a significant
increase from as recently as 25 years ago, when less than 5 percent
of principal farm operators were women. Women generally operate
farms that are smaller than average. Once primarily focused on beef
cattle production, female principal operators have diversified
their farm operations over the past two decades to include horses,
aquaculture, and fur-bearing animals. Many farms, more than 40
percent, report more than one operator, and, in most of these
cases, the additional operators are women and spouses of principal
operators (see table on the characteristics of principal farm
operator households, by type of management team, 2011
). When all operators are considered--not
just the single principal operator of a farm--more than 30 percent
of U.S. farm operators are women.
About three-quarters of the general U.S. population is
classified as being solely White (i.e., White alone and of all
ethnic origins). Farm operators are much more likely than the
general population to report being White. In 2007, 95.9 percent of
principal operators reported being White, and 2.5 percent reported
being of Hispanic origin. There is overlap in these
characteristics; 93.5 percent reported being White, not of Hispanic
origin. Annual information is not available on more detailed racial
categories because of the small population of non-White farmers
available in USDA's annual survey. However, every 5 years, the
Census of Agriculture seeks to contact all farmers, so more
detailed racial breakdowns are provided by that data source. The
2007 Census of Agriculture reported that Blacks or African
Americans were 1.4 percent of all principal operators. American
Indians or Alaska natives (1.6 percent), Asians (0.5 percent),
native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islanders (0.1 percent), and those
reporting more than one race (0.6 percent) made up the remainder.
Most Hispanic operators (93 percent) reported their race as
White.