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Abstract
The farming sector continues in an extended period of economic stress.
Some have described it as the most serious and prolonged period of financial
stress in more than 40 years [2]. Real net farm income of farm families
during the current decade has been less than two-thirds the average for the
1970's. Farm cash flows have followed a similar pattern.
Present economic stress has been further aggravated by rapid expansion
of indebtedness during the last half of the 1970's when total debt of the
U.S. farming sector more than doubled [5]. During that time, debt expansion
paralleled the rapid appreciation of land and other agricultural assets.
When interest rates reached unprecedented levels in the 1980's while assets
started declining in value, the stage was set for a financial crunch of
crisis proportion. For many farmers, economic survival has become the key
issue of today [1].
This paper analyzes in some detail the current financial state of
Nebraska's farming sector. It is specifically focussed on indebted farm
operators, in examining the financial health and credit worthiness of this
particular group. After constructing a financial framework to better
understand current conditions, implications are then drawn.