Between 1959 and 1964, the number of farms with annual product sales of over $100,000 rose from 19,979 to 31,401, increasing this group's share of the market from 16 to 24 percent. During the same period, the 408 farms reaching the $1 million mark with a 4 percent share of the market increased to 919 farms with 7 percent of the market. This report…

The shifting structure of production agriculture in Louisiana, characterized by technological change and economic growth, has created problems for farmers, forcing them either to get large, get out of farming, or get off-farm work to survive. A survey of 142 farmers living in parishes surrounding the Baton Rouge metropolitan area indicates…

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)

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.…

The general purposes of this study were (1) to identify the complex of attitudes and values held by rural people in a designated Rural Development Pilot County and (2) to relate these to certain measures of economic and social adjustment. A sample of 139 families were assessed by the Straus Rural Attitude Profile and by a structured interview…

Problem farm debts may translate into slow growth for rural communities, with local banks unable to offer credit even to credit worthy borrowers. Communities served by branches of large banking organizations are probably better off than communities served only by small independent banks. (Author)

A study of effects of differentiated farm structures and industry structures on socioeconomic conditions in 3,037 counties for 1970 and 1980 indicated that employment in core industry and a pattern of family farming contribute to more favorable socioeconomic conditions. Both peripheral and state employment lowered socioeconomic conditions relative…

Survey information from 1,616 farm families in Wisconsin, Mississippi, and Tennessee was used to construct a viability ratio measuring a family's ability to meet its obligations from total income. Coupled with other farm characteristics, the ratio allows policymakers to see why some farms are viable and others are not. (JHZ)

The 17 articles in this volume are designed to shed light on what farmers are experiencing during the current farm crisis and why. They also examine what current agricultural change means for rural life and rural communities, and what southern farming may be like in the foreseeable future. The articles represent contemporary research and…

This directory lists 227 journals in the National Agricultural Library's (NAL) collection that are related to social and economic aspects of rural development. The directory includes both United States and international journals. Each citation includes title, NAL call number, NAL holdings information, the International Standard Serial Number…

This publication presents a series of five papers based on presentations given at a rural development symposium dealing with the role of education in off-farm employment and rural economic development. The first paper, "Education and Rural Economic Development" (Thomas G. Johnson), discusses linkages between the regional educational…

The study concerns the impact of nonfarm employment opportunities on the hired farm labor force and is based on surveys of labor on farms near one new, one expanded, and one old-established town in eastern England, supplemented with findings of other British studies on mobility of farm workers. The main questions considered are the influence of…

Discusses history of United States government programs to ameliorate rural living and economic conditions. Contrasts early successful efforts to improve physical characteristics--road, electricity--with recent lack of success in dealing with intractable problems--unemployment, persistent poverty. Chart of rural development actions outlines rural…

This workshop collection contains four case studies regarding particular relationships between specific resources and clientele or user groups, and three discussions based on those four papers and/or conference discussions. The first paper discusses urban land use origins and compares urban policies with rural policies suggesting that future rural…