From boardroom to barnyard: Why most American farmers farm part-time

America is a nation of part-time farmers. According to the U.S. Census of Agriculture, over 52 percent of farmers have a primary occupation other than farming. Sixty-one percent worked some days off the farm. Part-time farming doesn’t mean farming fewer than 40 hours a week. It means putting in long, hard hours of farm labor around 9-to-5 jobs. For many of us, it means getting up extra early to do chores before work, and heading back to the barn after a day at the office. Part-time farming is challenging but offers big benefits, especially for young farmers beginning a farm business. It boosts household income, provides access to health and life insurance and offers economic stability. Off-farm income looks good to lenders, and can help new farmers finance a farm. It gives new farmers an opportunity to learn from mistakes as they grow their operation. Part-time farmers bring specialized skills and knowledge to other career fields like education, sales and maintenance.