How much money does a farmer earn?

Answer 1

Ask someone at the reference desk of your local public library for the Occupational Outlook Handbook. It lists all kinds of information you would need to know,(including the salary) of just about any occupation you can think of. A farmer is not paid a salary. He is an independent businessman and his income depends on producing a crop. A small farm may produce a profit under $50,000 in an average year and a large one could have profits in the millions of dollars. Even a very small farmer will have half a million dollars or more invested in land and machinery. He pays the property taxes, maintenance, fuel costs (this season, it cost $300 each day for diesel fuel for the combine to cut a wheat crop in western Kansas), seed, fertilizer, his own health insurance, liability insurance, crop insurance, etc. Then he works sunup to sundown and beyond and prays for rain when the crop is planted and dry weather when it is time to harvest. If the prices are high, he probably has a poor crop. When he produces a good crop, so do all the other farmers, so the prices are low.