State-Level Cooperative Extension Spending and Farmer Exits Academic Article

abstract

• AbstractNumerous studies have evaluated the impact of Extension on farm productivity and related outcomes. Here we use annual data from 1983 to 2010 covering the 50U.S. states to examine the impact of Extension on net changes in the number of farmers. The historical transition of farmers out of U.S. agriculture raises the question of whether Cooperative Extension and underlying Hatchfunded research spending keeps farmers in agriculture or accelerates their exit. On balance, nearly 500,000 more farmers left than entered agriculture over the period studied. We estimate that without Extension, as many as 137,700 (or 28%) additional farmers would have disappeared on net. Overall, Extension programs are a remarkably cost effective way of keeping farmers in agriculture. Alternatively, shifting just 1.5% of federal farm program payments to Extension would have reduced net exits over this period by an estimated 11%, or 55,000 farmers.

authors

• Davlasheridze, Meri

published proceedings

• APPLIED ECONOMIC PERSPECTIVES AND POLICY

altmetric score

• 76.2

author list (cited authors)

• Goetz, S. J., & Davlasheridze, M.

citation count

• 11

complete list of authors

• Goetz, Stephan J||Davlasheridze, Meri

publication date

• March 2017

publisher

• Wiley  Publisher

published in

• Applied Economic Perspectives and Policy  Journal

keywords

• Cooperative Extension
• Farm Survival
• Federal Farm Subsidies
• Hatch Act
• Job Retention
• Productivity
• Smith-lever Act

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

• 10.1093/aepp/ppw007

start page

• 65

end page

• 86

volume

• 39

issue

• 1

URL

• http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/aepp/ppw007