Farm Family Characteristics and the Viability of Farm Households in Wisconsin, Mississippi, and Tennessee

The authors used data from sample surveys of farm households in Wisconsin, MISSISSIPPI, and Tennessee to examine the relationship of farm household Viability to human resource, farm business, and financial characteristics Viability IS measured as the ratio of farm and nonfarm Income to consumption expenses, capital replacement costs, and principal payments Households are grouped by region, gross sales, farm type, operator off-farm employment, and farm business plans Regression results indicate that factors associated with viability differ by household group Farm size is associated positively with viability only for larger full-time farmers in MISSISSIPPI and Tennessee and for households planning to leave farmin