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more even yearly cash flow-and distribute risk.
-use older, low horsepower equipment, which has long since depreciated and is relatively easily repairable on farm;
-in most instances do not deal with futures markets, forward contracting, or crop insurance (except on the most lucrative crops);
-possess little political clout and ability to alter market conditions.
The FSR/E team characterized the clientele on the basis of socioeconomic (social identity, race and length of residency in county) and production (enterprise mix) traits. Socioeconomic classification took precedence, because social and cultural factors, particularly race and residency, clearly influenced production factors on these farms, such as access to land, labor and capital.
Socioeconomic classification broke down as follows: S6.4% of the original sample had been on the farm two or more generations and/or had social (principally marital) ties to established farm households and local networks. These networks provided them with access to land and other resources, and gave them identity i.e., they *fit into* the traditional Southern rural communities. The team classified them as "old-line."
The remaining 13.6% were classified as *recentlyestablished" farm households. The members of this class were peripheral to local community support networks and often lacked full access to the resources provided among established farm. households, the most important of which were land and shared machinery.
Racially, over 60% of the sample was white. Blacks represent nearly 40% of the sample, and based on county statistics are overrepresented in this class. Swisher, based on discussions with local agents and additional farm household contacts over the last three years, estimates they may actually represent only about 10% of the clientele. Most of the farmers had mixed crop/livestock systems; blacks had a higher proportion of crop-dominated systems and whites a higher proportion of livestock-dominated systems.
Crop systems were dominated by cash grain production, with individual farms raising combinations of tobacco or peanuts, watermelons, and/or vegetables. Mixed systems were dominated by grain/swine or grain/cattle systems. The major grain component of these systems was corn, though wheat has come to be an important grain component in recent years. Livestock systems primarily were cow/calf operations, with genetically-mixed herds.
Vegetables, raised primarily for home use, were found on
76% of the surveyed farms; corn, which was both sold and used as feed, was found on 76% of the farms; and hogs were found on 58% of the farms. See Table 3.