Rural America, Vol. 16, Issue 1
Douglas Bowers, editor
Rural America No. (161)
May 2001
About this magazine
Rural America is a quarterly publication of the Economic Research Service that features articles covering a wide range of topics related to rural development as well as updates of rural social and economic trends.
In this report ...
Articles are in Adobe Acrobat PDF format.
Contents
Foreword
Feature Articles
- Financial Well-Being of Small Farm Households Depends on the Health of Rural Economies--The number of farms has decreased since the 1930s, and average size, measured in acres, has increased. Most farms are small, and more than half have sales less than $10,000. As a result, households operating small farms rely heavily on off-farm income from the local economy. At the other extreme, some farms have sales in the millions. These and other differences present challenges when analyzing the economic structure of agriculture and developing farm policy recommendations. USDA's Economic Research Service has developed a classification to address variations across farms, with an emphasis on small farms. Doris Newton and Robert Hoppe.
- Value-Added Agriculture Policies Across the 50 States--Currently, every State explicitly supports value-added agriculture in some way. The programs
offered relate to the types of agro-industry in each State. State-grown product promotion programs are the most popular. At least 37 States target financial and technical assistance to businesses that use farm products. The effect of agro-industry support on rural income depends on its impact on new business location, productivity, rural unemployment, and whether or not owners and employees are in rural areas. Maureen Kilkenny and Gerald Schluter.
- Nontraditional Sources of Venture Capital for
Rural America--Three types of nontraditional venture capital institutions are investigated: publicly funded and publicly managed, publicly funded and privately managed, and community-level equity funds. Each type has distinct advantages and disadvantages depending on program goals, funding sources, existing venture capital infrastructure, target industries and areas, and political environment. Successful nontraditional institutions tend to have skilled and experienced management, allocate resources to finding or generating investment opportunities, give significant attention to the fund's profitability, and enjoy insulation from political pressure or interference. David L. Barkley and Deborah M. Markley.
- Socioeconomic Impacts of Agricultural Processing Plants--Expanded processing of agricultural products has been widely pursued as a strategy for rural economic development. However, the expansion of value-added agricultural processing in rural areas has not been without its problems. For example, some communities have found that new plants led to an influx of workers, many with racial/ethnic backgrounds different from those of long-term community residents. In interviews with community leaders and residents in four North Dakota communities with new processing plants, most felt the new plants led to improved job opportunities and enhanced incomes. F. Larry Leistritz and Randall S. Sell.
- Regional Workforce Needs and Training: The Case of Northeast Minnesota/Northwest Wisconsin--National studies repeatedly point to workforce abilities, training, and education as major determinants of regional economic development potential. A survey in northeast Minnesota and northwest Wisconsin found that only 25 percent of the respondent firms experience trouble in this regard. Further, the skills required in this region are not particularly high-tech. In contrast to the results and recommendations in the national literature, very few firms reported using public or private education providers in their skill training activities. In fact, a 1998 survey of households in the same region showed a labor force that is overtrained relative to the existing firms' needs. These findings suggest that labor analyses should concentrate on regional delineations and needs. Wayne Jesswein, Richard Lichty, and Carolyn Zanko.
Rural Updates
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Updated date: May 2001
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