Rural Sociology Commons^™

Quality Of Life On The Agricultural Treadmill: Individual And Community Determinants Of Farm Family Well-Being, J. Gordon Arbuckle Jr., Chris Kast

Journal of Rural Social Sciences

Individual quality of life (QOL) is a critical foundation of stable and cohesive societies. This research examines QOL among Iowa farmers, who as a group have seen their numbers decline precipitously over the past decades as the farm economy has undergone major restructuring processes. Farm families are nested in rural communities, many of which have also experienced persistent population loss and economic decline over the same period. A multilevel modeling approach is employed to examine determinants of subjective QOL over time, using 29 years of longitudinal data. Results point to positive relationships between household income, community vitality, and farm family …

Alabama Veterans Rural Health Initiative: A Preliminary Evaluation Of Unmet Health Care Needs, Lori L. Davis, Stefan G. Kertesz, Ann F. Mahaney-Price, Michelle Y. Martin, Kroshona D. Tabb, Kristin M. Pettey, Sandre F. Mcneal, U. Shanette Granstaff, Karl Hamner, M. Paige Powell, Michelle M. Hilgeman, A. Lynn Snow, Marietta Stanton, Patricia Parmelee, Mark S. Litaker, Mary T. Hawn

Journal of Rural Social Sciences

The Alabama Veterans Rural Health Initiative aims to better understand the health care needs, health status, and barriers to care for rural veterans. Following extensive community outreach, Veteran Community Outreach Health Workers assessed 203 veterans residing in rural counties of Alabama who either: 1) had never enrolled in VA health services, or 2) had not used those services in at least two years. While 71.4 percent of participants reported having utilized non-VHA primary care within the past year, 33.5 percent reported an inability or delay in obtaining needed health care for one or more services: primary care, specialty care, mental …

Tim L. Adsit, Small Schools, Education, And The Importance Of Community, Ann E. Theodori

Journal of Rural Social Sciences

Review of Small Schools, Education, and the Importance of Community, by Tim L. Adsit

Uncovering The Hidden Dimensions Of Rural Disaster Mitigation: Capacity Building Through Community Emergency Response Teams, M. A. Brennan, Courtney G. Flint

Journal of Rural Social Sciences

The increasing magnitude of hurricane damage in the southern United States in recent years, capped off by Hurricane Katrina in 2005, highlights the reality that local people and communities are often the first responders to crisis or disaster. Driven by policy and necessity, rural communities find themselves taking on more responsibility in preparing for and resolving local crises and emergencies. Locally-based Community Emergency Response Teams (CERTs) are teams of local volunteers, trained to aid in disaster preparation, provide first aid, and contribute other assistance during emergency situations. Focusing on the southern United States, this article explores the rural/urban distribution of …

Housing As A Community Asset, Milan Wall

Heartland Center for Leadership Development Materials

Slides of a presentation, Housing as a Community Asset, presented by Milan Wall, Co-Director of the Heartland Center for Leadership Development, Lincoln, Nebraska, USA, created December 19, 2007.

How Would You Describe Housing in Your Community?

The Changing Faces Of New Hampshire: Recent Demographic Trends In The Granite State, Kenneth M. Johnson

Carsey Publications

New Hampshire, with a total population of 1.3 million, gained 79,000 residents between 2000 and 2006. Most of this growth (51,000 residents) came from migration. The migration also brought economic gains: New Hampshire gained at least $1.4 billion in income from migration between 2001 and 2005, and households moving in earned nearly $9,000 more than those leaving.

Board Of Directors Training, Heartland Center For Leadership Development

Heartland Center for Leadership Development Materials

Board of Directors Development

Roles and Responsibilities

Time Devoted to Six Basic Elements

Obstacles

Strategies

Ethics

Recruitment

The State Of Working New Hampshire 2007, Allison Churilla

Carsey Publications

The author of this annual update on the state's workforce finds that wage growth in the state has not kept up with the rising cost of living in New Hampshire. This negative impact exists despite the state's low unemployment rates and high labor force participation rates. This brief was prepared in cooperation with the Economic Policy Institute.

Eitc Is Vital For Working-Poor Families In Rural America, William P. Colnes, Elizabeth Kneebone

Carsey Publications

In the 2004 tax year, tax filers claimed almost $40 billion through the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), making the EITC one of the largest federal programs that provides cash supports to low-income working families in the United States. The EITC is especially important to rural families throughout the United States. Among poor and near-poor families, those in rural areas are more likely to be working, and they are more likely to be working in low-wage jobs.

Employment Rates Higher Among Rural Mothers Than Urban Mothers, Kristin Smith

Carsey Publications

As men's jobs in traditional rural industries, such as agriculture, natural resource extraction, and manufacturing disappear due to restructuring of rural labor markets, the survival of the family increasingly depends on women's waged labor. Rural mothers with children under age 6 have higher employment rates than their urban counterparts but have higher poverty rates, lower wages, and lower family income, placing rural mothers and their children in a more economically vulnerable situation than urban mothers.

Rural America In The 21st Century: Perspectives From The Field , Andrea Colnes, Curt D. Grimm, Amy Seif Hattan, Nena F. Stracuzzi

Carsey Publications

Rural America in the twenty-first century must develop new relationships and new ways of doing things to ensure an economically prosperous, socially just, and environmentally healthy future. Tapping into the resourcefulness and creativity of rural people will be essential in addressing this challenge. However, they cannot do it alone. Rural communities need critical infrastructure, investment, capital, and services. The overlapping forces shaping rural America–demographic transitions, economic changes, the legacy of chronic underinvestment in community institutions, and environmental factors—present challenges and opportunities. With the voices and strategies of rural Americans in hand, the Rural Assembly can now move forward toward this …

New Faces At The Polls In The New Hampshire Presidential Primary, Kenneth M. Johnson

Carsey Publications

New Hampshire prides itself on its first-in-the-nation status, but with changing demographics and significant migration in and out of the state, the winner of the New Hampshire Primary was anyone's guess.

Rural Soldiers Continue To Account For Disproportionately High Share Of U.S. Casualties In Iraq And Afghanistan, William P. O'Hare, Bill Bishop

Carsey Publications

When the nation goes to war, all Americans are expected to make sacrifices. Today's rural Americans, however, have fewer job opportunities within their communities, and are joining the military at higher rates. In turn, rural communities are facing military losses in disproportionate numbers to their urban counterparts.

Newcomers To The Nebraska Panhandle: Who Are They?, Cheryl A. Burkhart-Kriesel, Randolph L. Cantrell, Bruce B. Johnson, Charlotte Narjes, Rebecca J. Vogt

Publications from the Center for Applied Rural Innovation (CARI)

Key Findings

• New residents bring many assets to the Panhandle region: high levels of education, children, professional occupation skills, entrepreneurial backgrounds, and volunteer and community leadership experience.

• New residents come from many different locations, arriving from 38 different states.

• Most new residents come from other parts of Nebraska or from the adjacent states of Colorado, Wyoming, South Dakota and Kansas.

• The majority of new residents moved to the Panhandle from a metropolitan county.

• While one quarter of new residents moved to the Panhandle alone, most brought either a spouse/partner or children with them.

• A …

Newcomers To The Nebraska Panhandle: Why Did They Move Here?, Cheryl A. Burkhart-Kriesel, Randolph L. Cantrell, Bruce B. Johnson, Charlotte Narjes, Rebecca J. Vogt

Publications from the Center for Applied Rural Innovation (CARI)

Key Findings

• New residents rated the high cost of living and urban congestion as the top reasons for leaving their previous community.

• The top rated reasons newcomers move to their current communities involve community quality of life amenities: to find a simpler pace of life, to find a less congested place to live, and to be closer to relatives. Other reasons for moving to the Panhandle include the decreased cost of living, the quality of the natural environment and to find a higher paying job.

• Families cite the better environment in which to raise children and better …

Retirement Plans And Perceptions Among Rural Nebraskans, David J. Peters, Randolph L. Cantrell, Miguel A. Carranza, Bruce B. Johnson, Rebecca J. Vogt

Publications from the Center for Applied Rural Innovation (CARI)

• Most rural Nebraskans indicate an ideal retirement age of between 55-64 years (about 55%), or an ideal age of between 65-70 years (under 30%).

• However, only one-third of those ideally retiring between ages 55-64 think they will have sufficient income to do so, while nearly one-half of those ideally retiring between ages 65-70 think they will have enough retirement income.

• Over 40 percent of rural Nebraskans say they plan to work during retirement. People in their 40s and 50s are more likely to plan on working than those in their 20s and 30s.

• A majority of …

Rural Nebraskans And Health Care In Retirement, Randolph L. Cantrell, Miguel A. Carranza, Bruce B. Johnson, David J. Peters, Rebecca J. Vogt

Publications from the Center for Applied Rural Innovation (CARI)

• Rural Nebraskans are concerned about health and health care during their retirement.

• Concerns over health care needs are likely to influence where older Nebraskans choose to reside.

• The perceived need to provide personal health insurance for oneself is likely to keep older rural Nebraskans in the labor force.

• Upon retirement, rural Nebraskans expect to finance their health care in a variety of ways, but expect to rely most heavily upon Medicare.

• Reliance upon family and friends for any level of health care support is seen as an unlikely option by most rural Nebraskans.

Rural Nebraskans And Retirement Income, Bruce B. Johnson, Randolph L. Cantrell, Miguel A. Carranza, David J. Peters, Rebecca J. Vogt

Publications from the Center for Applied Rural Innovation (CARI)

• Most rural Nebraskans are concerned about adequate income for their retirement years.

• Social security is only one of many retirement income sources that rural Nebraskans are employing.

• Planning on continuing employment, either full or part-time, into the retirement years as an income source is the rule rather than the exception.

• Few rural Nebraskans plan to leave a portion of their estate to their community organizations and causes, even though they may think favorably about their community.

Where Do Rural Nebraskans Plan To Retire?, David J. Peters, Randolph L. Cantrell, Miguel A. Carranza, Bruce B. Johnson, Rebecca J. Vogt

Publications from the Center for Applied Rural Innovation (CARI)

Key Findings

• Younger people in their 20s are unsure of their plans to move in retirement (65%). Those in their 30s and 40s are also unsure (about 55%), but are also more likely to stay where they currently live (about 35%) than younger people.

• Plans to move become more definite as people get older. Those in their 50s and early 60s either do not plan to move (45%) or are still unsure (40%), while those 65 and older overwhelmingly plan to stay where they are (62%) rather than being unsure of their plans to move (20%).

• Only …

Rural Nebraskans Working In Retirement, Rebecca J. Vogt, Randolph L. Cantrell, Miguel A. Carranza, Bruce B. Johnson, David J. Peters

Publications from the Center for Applied Rural Innovation (CARI)

Key Findings

• Employment is an important part of retirement and retirement planning for rural Nebraskans.

• Many rural Nebraskans who are not yet retired expect to work past the traditional retirement age of 65, especially those age 40 to 64 and farmers and ranchers.

• Motivations for working past the traditional retirement age include to meet basic income needs and to keep both physically and mentally active.

• Retirees are more likely to work for enjoyment while persons who are not yet retired expect to work for basic income needs.

• Most rural Nebraskans are anticipating some form of …

Newcomers To The Nebraska Panhandle: How Do We Keep Them Here?, Cheryl A. Burkhart-Kriesel, Randolph L. Cantrell, Bruce B. Johnson, Charlotte Narjes, Rebecca J. Vogt

Publications from the Center for Applied Rural Innovation (CARI)

Key Findings

• Most new residents considered other locations before choosing their current location.

• Most new residents view their new communities as friendly, trusting, and supportive.

• Many new residents are involved in their new community, but are not as engaged as they were in their previous community.

• Many new residents are either not planning to stay in their current community or aren’t sure of their plans.

• Younger persons are more likely than older persons to be planning to leave or to be unsure of their plans.

• The feeling of belonging in the community has the …

Child Poverty High In Rural America, William P. O'Hare, Sarah Savage

Carsey Publications

On August 28, 2007, new data from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey show that 22 percent of rural children are living in poverty, up from 19 percent in 2000. On average, rates are highest in the nonmetropolitan South (27 percent) and have climbed the most in the nonmetropolitan Midwest (by 3.9 percentage points).

The Changing Spatial Concentration Of America's Rural Poor Population, Daniel T. Lichter, Kenneth M. Johnson

Sociology

This paper documents changing patterns of concentrated poverty in nonmetro areas. Data from the Decennial U.S. Census Summary Files show that poverty rates—both overall and for children—declined more rapidly in nonmetro than metro counties in the 1990s. The 1990s also brought large reductions in the number of high-poverty nonmetro counties and declines in the share of rural people, including rural poor people, who were living in them. This suggests that America's rural pockets of poverty may be “drying up” and that spatial inequality in nonmetro America declined over the 1990s, at least at the county level. On a less optimistic …

Perceptions Of Individual And Community Well-Being Among Rural Nebraskans, Rebecca J. Vogt, Randolph L. Cantrell, Miguel A. Carranza, Bruce B. Johnson, David J. Peters

Publications from the Center for Applied Rural Innovation (CARI)

Many rural communities have experienced population growth during the past decade and the state has experienced relatively stable economic conditions during the past year. How do rural Nebraskans feel about their community? Are they satisfied with the services provided? Are they planning to move from their community next year? How do rural Nebraskans perceive their quality of life? Do their perceptions differ by community size, the region in which they live, or their occupation?

This report details 2,680 responses to the 2007 Nebraska Rural Poll, the twelfth annual effort to understand rural Nebraskans’ perceptions. Respondents were asked a series of …

Food Stamp And School Lunch Programs Alleviate Food Insecurity In Rural America, Kristin Smith, Sarah Savage

Carsey Publications

The Food Stamp and the School Lunch Programs play a vital role in helping poor, rural Americans obtain a more nutritious diet and alleviate food insecurity and hunger. This fact sheet looks at the extent to which rural America depends on these programs and describes characteristics of beneficiaries of these federal nutrition assistance programs.

Rural Life Census Data Center Newsletter: Hispanics In South Dakota, Trevor Brooks, Mike Mccurry, Donna Hess

Census Data Center Newsletter Archive: 2007-2010

Few topics draw more attention today than Hispanic immigration and the impacts of legal and illegal immigrants on society. As discussions and debates continue, immigrants from Mexico and other Latin American countries are finding work in the U.S. Hispanics now reside in South Dakota. What draws them here?

Cocoa Farming In Ghana: Emic Experience, Etic Interpretation, Francis Danquah, Stephen K. Miller

Journal of Rural Social Sciences

This paper develops the tension between emic and etic analysis, recounting the experience of life on a cocoa farm in Ghana, from the perspective of an urban youth with familial connections to the rural community. The dual perspective of living in the city along with frequent visits to and summer sojourns on the farm provided an “outsider’s” perceptions of the rural culture. Yet even these dual emic perspectives were insufficient to bring recognition of the underlying economic realities of cocoa bean production that depended partly on migrant labor. That etic insight came later in the United Kingdom, when studying similar …

"Dirt Farmer" Vs. "Soil Scientist": Representative Tensions In The Constructed Identities Of Farmer-Writers Walter Thomas Jack And Edward H. Faulkner, Zachary Michael Jack

Journal of Rural Social Sciences

This extended case study of Edward Hubert Faulkner, one-time extension agent turned overnight agricultural sensation, and Walter Thomas Jack, a former Quaker schoolteacher and self-professed Iowa “dirt farmer,” and their respective, point/counterpoint soil conservation classics, Plowman’s Folly (1943) and The Furrow and Us (1946), illuminates key tensions within the fields of rural sociology and agricultural history: namely subject versus object, inside versus outside, and “peasant” versus “professional” practice as they were played out in the American popular and agricultural press from 1943 to 1948. While it is true that Plowman’s Folly, as its title implies, goads the American farmer …

John Deere Tractors And School Reform: Balancing Economies Of Scale And Quality Of Life, Stephen K. Miller

Journal of Rural Social Sciences

Many school reform reports, many politicians, and typical media coverage attribute today’s reform efforts to the failure of the schools. We need, say critics, to return to the good old days when schools were tough and everybody learned! This essay debunks the Golden Age myth by comparing John Deere tractors to school reform. In the analogy, repeated upgrades of the old two-cylinder motor during the decade of the fifties were associated with the demise of the family farm. The new models were more powerful than the tractors they replaced, but not enough. Eventually, John Deere evolved to the new 4010 …

My Garden State: Memory, History, And The Agrarian Ideal, Michelle Gillespie

Journal of Rural Social Sciences

This essay examines the dynamic tension between the memory of lived experience and the formal discipline of history as it applies to the value of farm life and the importance of the agrarian ideal in American society. It analyzes the author’s memories about growing up in rural New Jersey, their critical place in her development as a scholar, and their embeddedness in her moral valuation of rural experience. Simultaneously it conveys the limits of those memories when held against critical analysis, especially in relation to the lenses of gender and race. It suggests that the longstanding appeal of the agrarian …