Such owner-operators have become fairly rare in good farming areas because the land is so valuable that the costs of owning are prohibitive. Owner-operators are more likely in areas where land is rough and less productive. Being a part-owner is a good situation because a landlord cannot remove farmer and family from their home. Tenants rent all the land the operate. Young farmers often start in this circumstance and hope to inherit or buy some land eventually.
Renters pay the owner either cash rent or divide the product of the land with the owner.
Managers are out there running farms, too. They earn a salary and perhaps a bonus of some sort. The Bellflower dairy operation would have a manager. If we mapped the distribution of land tenure, we would find a higher percentage of rented land in the areas where land prices are highest. We will move to Fossil Fuels Tuesday.