Effects of Changing Farm Structure on Rural Migration in the United States

Abstract

A decline in rural migration in the United States has been a concern to many for the last few decades. Simultaneously, corporate agriculture has grown its market share to dominate the industry. Given the dependence of many rural communities on agricultural employment, this study examines if there exists a link between the rise in corporate agriculture and decline in rural migration. The changing structure of farms from small, family-owned to large, non-family-owned corporate farms is a possible explanation for population loss in rural communities. Corporate farming is defined by three measures in this study: legal status, production levels and net income. The use of average treatment effects and these three measures allow the researcher to discern if farm size, ownership or profitability of farms drives population change for rural areas. The results of this analysis should determine the relationship between farm structure and population change so that communities can devise effective, local policies to address the issue.