Women farm operators continue to be underserved by traditional models of agricultural education and training. In addition, limited research exists on the specific content and format of educational programs that addresses the needs and roles of farm women. In order to effectively address the needs of farm women, it is necessary to evaluate and…

THERE WAS A STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT RISE IN THE MEAN IQ SCORE OF CHILDREN WHOSE PARENTS OBTAINED THEIR LIVING BY FARMING IN MAHASKA COUNTY, IOWA, DURING THE TWENTY YEARS PRECEEDING 1961-63. HOWEVER, THIS INCREASE WAS NOT PARALLELED BY THE NONFARM CHILDREN LIVING WITHIN THE SAME RURAL COMMUNITY. SELECTIVE MIGRATION WAS SHOWN TO BE AN ACTIVE…

Of 883 Iowa high school seniors, 60% lived in towns, 40% on farms. Both groups had a high level of congruence between educational and occupational aspirations and perceived minimal barriers to goal achievement. Farm and town students had equally diverse aspirations. (Contains 23 references.) (SK)

The author interviewed 11 Iowa farm women about the various demands they face from children, aging parents, husbands, and their many duties. She lists possible programs that Extension professionals can provide to address this population's needs. (CH)

This issue of the "Goldfinch" focuses on the family farm of the past. All aspects of farm life are covered: what was grown on farms, how the chores were done and who was responsible for them, what the houses were like, and what tools and equipment were used. Comparisons are made between modern farms and farms of 50 or 150 years ago, and…

This issue of the "Goldfinch" focuses on the Iowa state fair. The magazine begins with a map of the fair as it looks today. The article explains that the first Iowa state fair was held in 1854. After traveling from town to town for several years, the fair settled in the capital city of Des Moines in 1878. Eight years later, in 1886, the…

Analysis of data from the Iowa Youth and Families Project establishes that parents' social involvement is a source of social capital for their children. Rural children's connection to a civic culture and their involvement in community groups are encouraged by parental social participation and further enhanced by parents' ties to farming. (Contains…

In a letter to her children, Denise O'Brien discusses her and her husband's experiences farming in Iowa and her role as a farm activist. Stresses the importance of changing farm policy in order for her children to have the opportunity to experience the satisfaction of rural farm life. (LP)

The opinions of 1,585 Iowa farmers about 8 emergent agricultural technologies (energy production from feed grains and oils; energy production from livestock waste; genetic engineering research on plants, livestock, and humans; robotics for on-farm use; confinement livestock facilities; and personal computers for farm families) were found to be…

Based on the rural life experiences of Iowa children who grew up during the great farm crisis of the 1980s, this book focuses on successful adolescent development and its links to the social resources of families with ties to the land. In 1989, the Iowa Youth and Families Project began a panel study of 451 two-parent families in north central…

Analysis of Iowa Youth and Families Project data found three distinct routes to 4-year college attendance: the traditional path of youth with professional/managerial parents; farm youth's use of parents' community ties; and the path of resourceful lower-status rural youth, whose attainment grew from early educational ambition and varied community…

During the second year of a 3-year study involving 112 Iowa farm families, mothers of children aged 4 to 10 years old expressed expectations of independence, responsibility, and hard work from their children during home interviews. The importance of the parent-child relationship together with the lack of sufficient child-rearing research on rural…

The constant flow of wealth from the countryside to the city arises from farms being bought out by co-heirs, educating children to move away, rents paid to absentee landlords, profits generated locally but landing elsewhere, and overreliance on property taxes. Overviews problems specific to northwestern Iowa and how they will affect the future of…

The study was conducted to determine if there are differences in selected factors related to educational and occupational decision-making between vocational agriculture students who live on a farm and those who do not. The comparison is based on the students' educational and occupational plans; differences in selected personal, family, and…

During the farm crisis of the 1980s, many midwestern farm families suffered financial distress, but by 1989 an uneven financial recovery was under way. This report summarizes data collected from 311 Iowa farm operators (a 31% response rate) and 288 spouses (a 29% response rate) as part of a large survey conducted in 12 North Central states. The…