Full-time and Part-time Farmers

Historically, Massachusetts has had a fairly stable number of full-time farm operators. The number of full-time operators varied by at most 11 percent during the period 1978 and 1992. Thus, while the last five years suggests a significant decrease, we see a relatively stable population of full-time farm operators. The population of part-time farmers is much more variable, being affected by local economic conditions and relative farm prices. But, these part-time farmers have accounted for over 40 percent of the Commonwealth's farmers and are an important part of the Massachusetts farm population.

Between 1997 and 2002, the total number of farmers who did not work off the farm rose from 2,787 to 2,841, an increase of about two percent (Figure 6.2). In that same time period, there was a 21.7 percent decrease in the number of farmers who worked any number of days off the farm, from 4,128 to 3,234. In 1997, there were 2639 farmers who said they worked 200 or more days off the farm. This number fell in 2002, to 2159, an 18.2 percent decrease.

Figure 6.2 shows trends in farm operator off-farm work that also reflects the strength of the economy, and off-farm opportunities. As economic conditions decline, off-farm opportunities for farm operators also decline.