A farmer is a person who is engaged in agriculture, raising living organisms for food or raw materials. This is a way of life that has been the dominant occupation of human beings since the dawn of civilization.

Occupational Information
The income for farmers is quite varied. In the US, the average farmer earns about $45,000 per year. However, since most farmers have to provide their own benefits, their real pay is less than someone making the same amount working for another business or industry. Many farmers find themselves "land rich but cash poor", and it is not unusual for a farm to lose money year after year, gradually eroding the value of the business.
A large percentage of farmers received on-the-job training as they grew up on a family farm. Many in the developed world also received training in high school, vocational, or club-program (such as 4-H) classes. As advances in technology are applied to agriculture, it is becoming more common for these farmers to earn academic degrees in agriculture management.