Resource information
Net farm income for most representative farms in 2009 will be lower than in 1999. Low profit farms, which consist of 25% of the farms in the study, may have negative net farm income throughout the forecasting period, and may not have financial resiliency to survive. This is true under bothoptimistic and pessimistic scenarios. All farms, except low profit farms, may perform well under the optimistic scenario, while only high profit and large size farms may be able to survive under the pessimistic scenario. Cropland prices and cash rental rates are projected to increase slightly except in the Red River Valley where they are projected to fall. Debt-to-asset ratios for most farms will remain unchanged throughout the forecast period. Debt-to-asset ratios for the low profit and small size farms are higher than those for large and high profit farms. Under the optimistic scenario, all North Dakota farms, except for the low profit farm, may perform well. Under the pessimistic scenario, both the small size and low profit representative farms fail to provide sufficient income for family living.
