Synthesizes findings with personal estimates of likely impacts of biotechnology on nonmetropolitan economy, farming, public research institutions. Indicates biotechnology's benefit to rural America may come in expanded demand for raw materials although drawbacks may include declining farm numbers and displacement of rural workers in…

Discusses indirect and long-term rural implications of tax reform: elimination of local sales tax deduction, limits on local bond issues. Summarizes major tax changes affecting agriculture: individual income taxes, corporate tax rates, tax treatment of capital, capital gains, land deductions, cash accounting, development costs, passive losses and…

Discusses service industries' role in developing economies of rural areas. Describes ways service industries generate employment and local income and blend with a local economy. Summarizes survey of contributions to local economies and what attracted them to their communities for 385 service firms in nonmetropolitan Wisconsin. Tables provide…

Through 1987, 10 percent of foreign investment was in nonmetro counties; 44 percent of this was in the South; and 38 percent of nonmetro foreign investment created new jobs (versus 17 percent in metro areas). Foreign investors chose nonmetro areas with low wages, lack of unionization history, good transportation access, and government incentives.…

The Midwest, Plains, and Delta are among the regions hit hardest by the current farm crisis. The vulnerability of an area to the financial crisis in farming depends on the financial conditions of its farmers, its dependence on farming--especially on export-sensitive crops--and the strength of its nonfarm economy. (JHZ)

Illustrating that their roles are as diverse as non-farm women, four short articles give new perspectives on farm women: the numbers and types of farms run by women, an historical review of women on the farm, the non-farm jobs many work at, and the specific farm activities they are responsible for. (NEC)

The structure of nonmetro employment has become increasingly diverse and decreasingly agricultural. The precise policy implications of these shifts are not self-evident, but the increasingly nonagricultural character of the rural economy is at the heart of the population turnaround. (Author/KR)

Describes and identifies U.S. labor market areas (LMAs) and focuses on relationships between rural LMAs and local resources. Includes graph comparing labor-force educational levels of rural LMAs. Two U.S. maps identify rural LMA by industry, including resource (e.g. mining, agriculture), manufacturing, and public education/administration. (TES)

Relative to metro growth, nonmetropolitan employment growth was 0.7-1.0 percent lower in the 1970s and 1980s than expected based on eight labor force and labor market variables. Discrepancies between actual and expected growth increased in more rural counties, suggesting the importance of the spatial dimension of rurality. (SV)

Bank failures are at record high levels with about two-thirds of the failed banks in rural areas, especially farm areas. Most failed banks are purchased and reopened immediately with little disruption to rural communities except that new ownership tends toward lending practices that are more conservative than the average. (JHZ)

Small farmers are a diverse group, ranging from part-time hobbyists with good off-farm jobs to full-time operators. General rural development policies, rather than traditional farm policies, may be the best method to help those small farmers who earn insufficient income. (JHZ)

Unemployment rates vary considerably across nonmetro counties, where adjusted average annual unemployment rate was 12.2% in 1984 compared with 10.4% in metro areas. Differences in unemployment rates among nonmetro areas can be explained in part according to their dependence on agriculture, mining, manufacturing, or other single sources of income.…

Since 1905, the Forest Service has influenced rural economies by managing timber harvests from federal lands to avoid boom/bust cycles. The Forest Service goal of "community stability" is now shifting to one of helping rural communities to diversify their economies through wise use of all forest resources. (SV)

Discusses impact on rural economy and services of retirees moving into nonmetro counties. Describes location and characteristics of the new, predominantly rural, retirement counties. (LFL)

Interest rates are the primary channel for transmitting changes in national and international macroeconomic policy to the United States farmer. Interest rates affect demand through exchange rates that determine the prices foreigners pay. They affect supply through farmers' production costs that determine the price they need to stay in business.…