Proposes reasons for the precipitous drop in the number of Black farmers since the 1950s. Today, most Black farmers have very small operations and are at an advanced age. A healthy rural nonfarm economy is essential to supplement farmers incomes. The Agriculture Credit Act of 1987 offers low-interest loans to Black farmers. (KS)

The Nation's 678 rural manufacturing-dependent counties, hit much harder than other rural counties, have since been recovering more. Total employment growth in rural manufacturing counties exceeded growth in nonmanufacturing counties by about 1 percentage point during 1982-84 and by almost 3 percentage points during 1984-86. (Author)

After decade of growth, rural income, population, and overall economic activity have stalled and again lag behind urban trends. Causes include banking and transportation deregulation, international competition, agricultural finance problems. Only nonmetropolitan counties dependent on retirement, government, and trade show continuing income growth…

Written to help communities boost their economies by attracting new industries best suited for local workers, this guide discusses the kinds of employees used by different kinds of industry and highlights specific industry hiring preferences, attributes of various industries, and worker characteristics. (JHZ)

In spite of government transfer programs, 10 percent of the United States population remained in poverty after all transfers were made in 1983. In nonmetro areas the poverty rate was 12.8 percent. Many were working poor (taxes reduced their earnings) who will benefit from recent tax reform that lessens their tax burden. (JHZ)

Agricultural and rural concerns affected the writing of the Constitution in at least three ways: (1) in the issues that led to the calling of the Constitutional Convention; (2) in the debates during the convention itself; and (3) in the ideology of government held by many of the framers. (JHZ)

Compares traits and attitudes of two Illinois farming communities with populations characterized as "German yeoman" and "Yankee entrepreneur." Discusses how community characteristics shape responses to social and economic changes and affect the course of economic development. (SV)

Europe and America share a host of similar rural problems but not a common approach to solving them. Social and political differences make it unlikely that we can easily adopt European programs, but observing the similarities can help us understand the global nature of rural development issues. (JHZ)

Whatever migration patterns evolve, changes in the age structure mean that rural communities in general can expect fairly stable elementary school population, reduced high school population, slower growth in new business and employment, and continued increase in the elderly population. (JHZ)

This special theme issue reports key results from a comprehensive assessment of skill development among the rural workforce and of rural education and job training in rural areas. This comprehensive assessment had three goals: to develop better measures of rural skills than were previously available, to identify human capital initiatives that…