Resource Region=Southern Seaboard

	1996		1997		1998		1999		2000
ITEM	Estimate	RSE	Estimate	RSE	Estimate	RSE	Estimate	RSE	Estimate	RSE
Number of farms	38,686	25.0	17,684	19.2	18,923	18.9	22,509	16.8	18,001	11.9
Current ratio (:1)	10.25	51.9	4.28	48.8	8.35	42.7	5.60	31.0	18.50	56.8
Working caital-to-expense ratio (%)	98.36	42.9	55.13	52.0	109.04	45.5	50.36	15.3	215.24	45.3
Debt/asset ratio (%)	2.12	33.4	5.35	27.9	2.23	22.4	3.61	23.8	2.40	26.9
Rate of return on assets (%)	-2.34	*	0.33	*	-0.21	*	-1.19	59.9	-0.77	*
Rate of return on equity (%)	-2.61	*	-0.19	*	-0.46	*	-1.62	45.8	-1.02	57.8
Operating profit margin (%)	-23.50	*	2.63	*	-2.10	*	-10.34	71.0	-9.34	*
Term debt coverage ratio (times)	5.61	*	5.07	31.2	10.29	61.9	5.68	34.0	7.78	30.3
Asset turnover ratio (times)	0.10	19.3	0.13	8.0	0.10	24.2	0.11	15.0	0.08	23.9
Operating expense ratio (%)	101.25	18.3	70.59	25.6	75.99	17.1	83.59	5.8	78.61	11.0
Economic cost-to-output ratio (%)	113.34	11.4	94.78	21.0	105.93	14.7	114.79	5.8	98.42	15.1
* The Relative Standard Error (RSE) exceeds 75 percent. The Relative Standard Error (RSE) is defined as the standard error of the estimate divided by the estimate. The larger the RSE, the less reliable the estimate. Source: Agricultural Resource Management Study, USDA.