Presented By: Jennifer Clark, University of Florida

America's farms and farmers are integral to the U.S. economy and form a primary component of agribusiness activities for the food and fiber supply chain (National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, 2019). Understandably, farm operation decisions are complex and value exists by extending knowledge (e.g., classroom and Extension) about how resource decisions interrelated among production, financial, and marketing considerations, differ as the size of the business grows (Fielke, et.al., 2020). Resource inputs are dependent upon systems-of-systems (SoS) networks (Rose, et.al., 2021; Li, et.al., 2020) and teaching these systems as a form of risk-planning education can help students understand the challenge of complex decisions. Using small-farm operator survey data as feedback to differentiate changing resource needs as the farm grows illustrates the concept of increasing scale of operations as a learning activity.

Data from Florida's 2008 Small Farm Survey were analyzed and mapped as a SoS network model illustrating signal differences among production, financial, and marketing factors as the farm operation grows in Gross Farm Income (GFI). Results from this research project find no divergent patterns in access to production resources across farms with gross farm income ranging from $0 - $250,000+ including land, water, machinery, and fixed assets. However, difficulty in obtaining operating supplies and fuel was present as GFI increased ($10,001-$25,000) and labor shortages were persistent among larger operations. Knowing where to get useful financing information was typical for very small and small operators ($0-$25,000) while insurance and collateral for farm loans were reported as farm operations expand. Marketing factors present learning opportunities for ways to sell that can add value to the traditional and non-traditional classroom experience in agribusiness decision making including management functions in agricultural education and agricultural operations disciplines focused on careers when information about economic decisions provides value to farm operators.