IARN — It is nothing unusual for us to hear about farm families needing off-farm income. Many of these families do this just to get affordable health insurance benefits. Many times, it is because the farm just does not generate enough revenue for the family to stay solvent. Newly appointed United States Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack talked about some of the data at Commodity Classic last week and said these are figures that an Ag Secretary just does not want to see.
The statistic that Vilsack really hit him was the percentage of farm families that require off-farm income to keep the family farm operating. That figure comes in at 89.6%. Vilsack says that is difficult to have to see.
For more on this story, including comments from Secretary Vilsack, visit the Iowa Agribusiness Radio Network.
