By what methods do people acquire farmland? According to the Census of Agriculture's Agricultural Economics and Land Ownership Survey (AELOS), owners acquired 51 percent of their farmland by purchase from a nonrelative, which represents arm's-length or market-driven sales. They acquired another 18 percent in purchase from relatives; these transactions may Contain nonmarket influences on price and financing. The remaining 31 percent of farmland was acquired by inheritance, gift, and other methods. Farm operators acquired a higher proportion of their farmland through purchase than did owners who are not farm operators. According to the 1988 AELOS and supporting surveys, 3.5 percent of farmland, on average, changes hands each year.
