My purpose in this presentation is to give an overview or perspective on the financial situation in U.S. agriculture. Since descriptions of the situation are generally available (Easterbrook, J. Lee, Melichar-1985, ERS-USDA, van Blokland), I'll only briefly review the problem and its roots. The major emphasis of my presentation is devoted to two areas: difficulties in addressing current financial problems of the sector, and issues which deserve consideration for the future.