The "Financial Characteristics of North Dakota Farms, 2005-2014" publication summarizes the performance of more than 500 farms enrolled in the North Dakota Farm Business Management Education program. 

The publication uses 16 financial measures to evaluate liquidity, solvency, repayment capacity, profitability and financial efficiency. Farms are grouped by region, type, size, gross cash sales, land tenure, profit, debt-to-asset ratio and the age of the farmer to look at relationships between financial performance and farm characteristics.

"Financial performance from 2007-12, excluding 2009, was superior to other years in the 2005-14 period," says Andy Swenson, NDSU Extension farm and family resource management specialist. "Overall performance was the best in 2012. Over the 10-year period, the worst liquidity, solvency and net farm income occurred in 2006, but the lowest rates of return on assets and equity, repayment capacity and financial efficiency measures were in 2014."

For a free copy of the publication, contact the NDSU Department of Agribusiness and Applied Economics, Dept. 7610, P.O. Box 6050, Fargo, ND 58108-6050, or call 701-231-7441.

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