Frequently Asked Questions

A farm is defined by the USDA as any place from which $1,000 or more of agricultural products were produced and sold, or normally would have been sold, during the year.

Learn more about eligibility HERE.

USDA defines a small farm as an operation with gross cash farm income under $250,000.

Learn more about small farms HERE.

A farm number is your farm’s identity with the USDA. It is necessary to receive financial assistance for you farming practices from the USDA, such as Cost-shares, insurance, loans, and subsidies.

The number or farm numbers in a given state also determines the funding formulas for your state including extension agents in your county, funding for research, teachers, and facilities at land-grant universities, and disaster assistance and other financial resource allocations.

If your farm does not have a number, you are not counted, and under-funded.

You request a Farm Number in person at your local USDA Office. You will need the following information:

• Proof of Identity
• Proof of Ownership and/or Leases
• Entity Identification Status If A Business or Organization (Articles of Incorporation, Trust and Estate Docs, partnership agreements)

If you can produce over $1,000 of agricultural products, yes, whether you sell it or not. According to the point system, 1/3 of an acre of producer constitutes a farm. Community Gardens and their value are often undercounted and as a result, under-supported.  

A farm can come in may forms, inside, outside, in a container, even natural spaces that are used for conservation and wild harvest or lumber. We now have farms that just farm carbon by preserving natural spaces. 

You can learn more about point farms HERE.