How Much Do Farmers Make? Farming Profitability

• Farming can be profitable. The average net cash farm income for 2023 is forecast at $92,400. Small farms (under $10,000 in sales) had higher average incomes than average American households in 2011. However, making money isn’t always easy. Proper planning and hard work is key.

Land Ownership and Tenancy

• Land ownership enables long-term investment and financing. Tenancy can affect earnings, especially for small and new farmers. Profitable farming ventures include broiler chickens.
• Beef cattle ranches need around 440 acres. So farmer earnings should remain fairly high.

Increasing Farmer Earnings

• Farm income can come from leasing land or using it. Increasing production, getting government payments, finding other income sources, or managing farms can raise farmer earnings. Creating fishing ponds to rent can also help.

• In 2016, the average farmer salary was $75,790. Making enough money to pay bills and afford some comforts can be at stake. Experienced farmers earning $33.66 an hour would make about $5,834 monthly. Inexperienced ones might earn $2,500-$4,000.

• Roughly managing and focusing on return-on-investment is needed to fully live off farm income. But farming can still be very profitable.