The Economic Research Service has used 1964 census data to develop information on the characteristics of Spanish-surname farmers in 14 Texas counties. Selected characteristics were examined for this population and for non-Spanish-surnamed farm operators in the same counties. It was found, for example, that Mexican American farm-operator families generally had low incomes in the 14 Texas counties where they were found in significant numbers. Their sales of farm products averaged less than one-fourth of those for the Anglos in these counties, and their outside incomes were 40% lower. Moreover, their households averaged 1.2 persons larger than those of their neighbors. The Spanish-surname farm operators had fewer years of formal education than the others. Only 40% of the former had finished 8 elementary grades versus 75% of the others, and only 18% were high school graduates versus 42%. The educational disadvantage of the Spanish-surname operators on low-production farms was greater than that of those on larger farms, and greater when measured at the high school than elementary school level. As noted, data relating to farm expenditures, value of land and buildings, and family characteristics and income were based on only a sample of farms, rather than a complete enumeration. Thus, some of the observed differences may be due in part to sampling error. (BO)