Ironically, farming is kind of like a startup. You raise millions in capital to get started, and then you work for many years without making a cent in hopes that one year you'll finally hit it big.
With that said, I farm in Canada. Perhaps the subsidies you American farmers have access to changes the dynamics.
Traditionally (this has certainly changed with corporate farms) farming has been strong family history and bootstrapping (likely via loans for land/equipment purchase) rather than investors.
Others bank on the sale of all the assets when they retire. A farm that cost $25,000 30 years ago is now worth $1.6M. But when you are starting out, you have no idea what the future will hold. Just as many defaulted on their loans for those $25,000 farms and are no longer in the business.