Although the number of U S farms ,has declined substantially over the past four decades, the' number of farmland owners and the proportion of rented farmland have remained relatively constant In 1978, there were,an estimated 39 million farmland owners, but.fewer than 2 5 million farm operators Of the nearly 19 million landlords m 1979, about one-third leased land to operators of farms With sales of $100,000 or more, and three-fourths rented to operators With sales over $20,000 Because land constitutes the major financial asset of the farm sector, Widespread agricultural landownership by nonoperator landlords provides a mechanism for a substantial transfer of agricultural earnings and wealth away from farm operators and, potentially, away from the farm sector