Forest-based production on U.S. farms totaled $653.2 million in 2012, admittedly a small portion of total farm wealth. However, despite the effects of the recent economic downturn, on-farm forest product revenues still approached the gate value of North Carolina timber in 2012, which was $730.6 million. Providing the research-based information,…

Survey responses of 549 North Carolina farm operators during an economically unstable period were analyzed using a covariance structure model. Results suggest that the relationship between farm financial strain and farmer's depressive symptoms is mediated by the farmer's perceptions of economic hardship and personal control. Contains 59…

To determine the decisionmaking and communication patterns of disadvantaged farm families (DFF) and the linkage between interpersonal sources of information used by them and research-based information sources, a pilot study was conducted with the following focus questions: (1) Who are North Carolina's DFF and what are their characteristics? (2)…

Interviews with 725 North Carolina farm operators revealed: the extent of economic, social, and emotional stresses on farm families; perceptions of the future of agriculture; the degree of reliance on off-farm income; financial management practices; and programs needed from the Agricultural Extension Service. Almost 66% viewed their future in…

Utilizing data derived from a stratified random sample of disadvantaged farm families (DFF) living in 3 northeastern North Carolina counties (N=42, 56, and 32 families from Bertie, Halifax, and Northampton respectively), study objectives were to test the homogeneity thesis of the culture of poverty theory via a comparison of a selected set of…