According to The World Book the family farm in the U.S. changed a great deal during the 1900s. Farming used to be mixed farming where farmers grew a little bit of this and that. Today 95% of U.S. farmers are specialized farmers, focusing on one crop or livestock. This is mainly due to vanishing family farm, and the larger coporate farms. Farmers who choose not to think of their farms as a business, have a very difficult time living as a farmer.

In the U.S. today, there are approximately 2,100,000 farms, compared with about 6,500,000 in the 1930's. Since 1945, the average size of U.S. farms has more than doubled--from 195 acres (79 hectares) to 461 acres (187 hectares). At the same time, the average cost of a farm has increased nearly 60 times. Today, the typical farm requires an investment of $300,000 to $600,000 or more, depending on the type and location of the farm.

Production costs are so high that most American farmers cannot afford to pay them all out of annual earnings. Instead, they must regularly borrow money to finance their operations. About 10 per cent of U.S. farms have a debt to asset ratio (relationship of money owed to property owned) of 40 per cent or more. This figure indicates that these farms may be in serious financial trouble. Farmers pay back part of their debt each year, plus interest. The interest becomes an added production expense. Several farms are sold or go bankrupt each year, and a serious financial crisis has developed in the American farming community.

A number of private organizations work to promote the interests of American farmers. Some of the organizations represent the interests of farmers in general. These general farm organizations include the American Farm Bureau Federation, the National Farmers Organization, the National Farmers Union, and the National Grange. Farmers who specialize in a particular product have formed commodity organizations to promote their interests. Each commodity organization represents a certain group of farmers, such as cattle producers or wheat growers. The general farm organizations and the commodity organizations both work to promote farm programs and legislation that they consider favorable.

Several labor unions represent the interests of hired farmworkers. Many such workers are migrants. Migrant laborers move from one farming region to another to help harvest crops, especially vegetables and fruits. The United Farm Workers of America is the chief labor union for migrant workers.

Ponderings: As the farms become coporate farms that specialize, and the demand of food continues to rise, what road should the U.S. take? What might U.S. farmers expect from the public? What might migrant workers (often Mexicans) expect from the public? In general, how are U.S. farmers perceived? Migrant workers? What contributes to those perceptions? What images are often connected with the various perceptions?