Farms that did not receive direct support from Federal farm programs in 1987 or 1988 totaled 1.4 million, or two-thirds of all farms. These farms did not receive payments because they either did not produce the program commodities or did not participate in farm programs. They accounted for about one-half of the land in farms and one-half of the sales of farm products in 1987. These data for 1987 and 1988 are the first such data published by the census of agriculture. They show that not all farmers receive support from the Government and that the characteristics of those who do not receive payments differ greatly from those of farmers who do.