Subject: Changing Times: A Farmer's Perspective
From: [email-masked] (Rich Alderfer)
Date: 25 Apr 94 01:08:32 GMT
Newsgroups: alt.sustainable.agriculture

I am on the mailing list for the Purdue Agricultural Economics Report 
(editor, Chris Hurt). It is a quarterly 12-16 page newsletter distributed to 
a very broad audience.  The April 1994 issue has a 4 page article by Will 
Erwin, taken from a speech that Will made at a conference on 
biotechnology.
   For those unfamiliar with Erwin, he has consulted for numerous federal 
committees in five presidential administrations including work with FmHA, 
REA and EPA.  At the same time, he has remained a life-long farmer in North 
Central Indiana (Marshall Co.).  
   The article/speech is highly recommended for those not familiar with the 
current mood of the American farmer, or those seeking to understand farmers 
more.  Will claims that he is not speaking for other farmers at the start of 
his speech, but I bet it would be difficult to find a dissenting farmer on 
most of the issues he discusses.  His fourth paragraph is presented as a 
sample of the article.

    What are Farmers Like?
      They are well-educated people, averaging slightly more years of 
      education than non-farmers, often with university degrees and 
      frequently with masters and Ph.Ds.  As a group they work for 
      less per hour than non-farmers, consume less and accumulate more
      than others.  In short, they live poorer, but die richer and they
      do it because they want to, for noneconomic reasons.

   Since the newsletter has no usual cost, I would think you could get a 
copy by sending a postcard to: Dr. Chris Hurt, Ag. Econ. Dept., Krannert 
Bldg., Purdue University, W. Lafayette, IN 47906.  You may find that your 
land grant library or Ag. Econ. Department also recieves this newsletter.   

   Rich Alderfer  [email-masked]