ABSTRACT
Farm structure, like a number of terms which are widely used by the general public, has no single, widely accepted definition. The word structure suggests a framework around which a more complete entity or whole is constructed. Perhaps framework is the ideal word or concept to have in mind as we examine alternative ways in which "farm structure" has been defined and used. The basic objective of studying farm structure is to understand more fully how and why the sector of the U.S. economy that produces agricultural products is changing, and what such change may mean in the future. Farm structure has become one of the central concerns of those interested in agricultural policy in the second half of the twentieth century. The meaning of this concept and reasons for interest in it are central to this book.
