This report is an overview of the current status of farmers in the U.S. economy, with an emphasis on the characteristics of displaced farmers, the reasons for their displacement, the effects of their displacement on the economy, and some policy recommendations for the future. Following an executive summary, the report is organized in five sections. The first section examines farming in the rural economy, considering the structure of agriculture in the United States, the farm work force, and agriculture-related businesses. In the second section, dislocation from agriculture is put in perspective, with information supplied about historical movement from the farm, Job Training Partnership Act guidelines on dislocated workers, and definitions and data concerning dislocated farmers for the 1980s. The third section discusses the number and distribution of at-risk farmers and the characteristics of displaced farmers. The impacts of farmer dislocation on farm production and prices, the rural community, and federal assistance for displaced farmers are the subject of the fourth section. The final section draws conclusions and makes recommendations for policy regarding dislocated farmers. An annotated bibliography of 40 items is included in the paper. (KC)