These themes were identified by students in the Family Farm Project on the basis of interviews with farm families and community members, as well as from various readings on family farming, November 1994.
defining the family farm, diversity of types (size, technology use, farm workers, management type, crops, ethnicity)
growing up on the farm, farm education (ag. schools, FFA, 4-H, church), folklore and traditions, gender roles, working off the farm, generational conflicts, farm inheritance
farmers exchange and cooperatives, farm markets, commodity markets, banks, farm credit bureau, auctions, realtors, machinery/technology
farm bureau, government policy (price supports, regulation, taxes)
stewardship, aesthetics, farming techniques, land use, weather, farm safety
grange, farm bureau, fraternal and sorority organizations, how farmers build community, image of farmers
independence, helping, pride of place, sense of creation, self-image
changes in technology use, farm size, crops, number of farms, age of farmers, views of historical changes, future of farming
E-mail The Family Farm Project