A study examined and evaluated both public and private efforts to assist dislocated farmers, with particular emphasis on employment and training programs. The study found that about 46,000 farmers are currently leaving farming each year, and the rate probably will continue for the next several years. Since the majority of the farmers who leave farming are under 45 years of age, there is a need to retrain them for other jobs. The primary employment and training program currently serving dislocated farmers is the Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA). The JTPA has experienced some success in retraining farmers, although statistics are difficult to obtain. The study identified five key elements in successful retraining programs: (1) use of trained field staff for outreach activities; (2) setting enrollment criteria in a way that permits enrollment of the target population with a minimum of embarrassment; (3) use of a neutral service center removed from the stigma of "welfare"; (4) statewide leadership; and (5) a state structure that permits support of the most aggressive local projects. Obstacles to farmer retraining include the lengthy and uncertain process of farm dislocation, the lack of nonfarm job opportunities in rural communities, and the farmers' lack of job search skills and self-confidence. The study concluded that the JTPA model of public investment in human capital is an appropriate one for retraining dislocated farmers but that long-term solutions to structural unemployment are also needed. (Sixty-two references are listed and 73 interviews are cited.) (KC)