Part-owner farm operators are increasing ITHACA, N.Y. Owning one’s own farm - the rural version of the American dream - is a way of life that is being replaced by a dif ferent, yet respectable form of land ownership: part-owner operatorship. The percent of farmland actually owned by farmers has declined dramatically since 1946, while the percent by part-owner operators has been increasing steadily. These are some of the findings from a Cornell University analysis comparing U.S. Department of Agriculture surveys of farmland owners in 1946 and 1978. Demographic profiles, land tenure, and occupations of lan downers were examined by rural sociologist Charles Geisler, agricultural economist Nelson Bills, and graduate students Jack Kloppenburg, Jr., and William Waters, all in the New York State College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Cornell University. Owners decline In 1946, for example, individual farmers owned 70 percent of the U.S. farmland acreage. By 1978, that number had shrunk to 52 percent. “There is a striking decline in the percentage of farmland owners identifying themselves as farmers and a precipitous rise in the proportion of partial owners and operators working off-farm,” says Geisler, an assistant professor of rural sociology. The major mode of lan downership also has been shifting - - in 1946, three-fifths of all farmers were full owners of their land; today less than half are full owners. Thus, farmland increasingly has been changing hands to non farmers. The proportion of all agricultural landowners who identified themselves as farmers fell from 65 percent in 1946 to 25 percent in 1978. Taking other jobs This dramatic change in the occupations of farmland owners may be attributed to farmers taking other jobs while retaining their farmland, and to nonfarmers who purchase agricultural real estate. “In the past, business professional individuals who owned agricultural land rented it to farmers; today, though, more of these individuals are operating it themselves,” says Cornell’s Geisler. Consequently, in 1946,10 percent of the owners were businessmen and professionals, owning 14 .iLieage; b> 19/8, 20 percent of the owners were business-professionals, but they still owned only 14 percent of the farland. Female ownership The Cornell researchers also found that although women owned 15 percent of the farmland in 1978, compared with 11 percent in 1946, men continue to control the bulk of farmland in private ownership. “Even though women owned Li 4m t i i i _ * Liquid Manure Pumps til LI LL Z * electromix • Barn Cleaner Chains IHIG ||Q AGRI UO SYSTEMS 800-222-2948 (301-398-2948) local The COLUMBIAN Air Tight Stove Columbian Cook Stove Part 1 * Available HIESTAND SUPPLY CO. Bnx 9fi Marietta, PA 17547 ■HU (717) 426-1921 And furnish your Hot Water as well. 7 f * i>i rk rit v> ir >p|f In m t 1( p|,, i'h fl if t E*htand Coal Gun ahl ii/ f<jr its* i‘ wifi ir K 'B < ninth Ihp tt- c hrjoiogv i mi Coal Gun Auto Stoker Boilers nm il< .in hunting Anthr ic itr Ct il md ip» r itf wi II yyitf m Otir Air Mmd »rfls Tru fully lut .m ifu nmK m »If kHCIf'Q ird mm J nr it i, ~ <( isi nil N ruling < «< nu y* i <p< id( d asft -m f ring* Ir rn 1 MMKM RT l) hr li |i(j i Hip BTU hr tnd i in h j>* <1 in I milt nt ti ir I irq» r gif in iti r Avhil if It in Sti trn iw HyrU irnc Model BTU/hr Am Capability [ Sl3O I 130 000 4 000 Sq c t ■ i S 260 260 000 6 000 Sq FI r i S 500 ‘ 500 000 i 15 000 Sq FI • S 1000 ’ 1 000 000 I 30 000 Sq FI ■ t S 1500 I 1 500 000 I 45 000 Sq R * Depending on building construction use and insulation Coal Gun users include Greenhouses Warehouses Apartment Buildings Retail Stores Garages etc fit i V 1 \ f I BfH L S fgi non s k ) I j< '0 )!]* I n I it n thr it if, Bu K See your ESHIAND dealer today ALTERNATIVE ENERGY SYSTEMS Allen Lawyer 504 E Mam St., New Holland, PA 17557 PH: 717-354-0412 FREE HEATING SURVEY & ESTIMATE more land in 1978, their land was less valuable on the average then in 1946,” Geisler notes. One reason is that the actual size of farm units owned by women has declined over time and smaller units generally are worth less than larger units. Another trend observed was the “graying” of farmland owners. The average age of farmland owners continues to rise; by 1978, it was 52 years, up 3 years over 1946. • Bedding Choppers • Silage Carts • Manure Tanks Available From BLAIR THOMAS 814-479-7577 ESHLAND Although older persons often retire from farming, many are holding onto their land to a remarkably late age as a hedge against economic insecurity, Geisler says. Rural migration The net migration buildup of people in rural areas between the 1970 and 1980 Census was ac companied by a shift of older people to the countryside. Thus, there are increases in the proportion of farmland owners when power fails... s. 5 year IB i warranty?!: — %u > I 4 ' " » DEPEND ON TRACTOR DRIVEN ALTERNATORS No one can match PINCOR-the new leader in farm standby power l Models from 15,000 thru 75 000 watts AC ■ Continuous and conserative output ratings ■ No aluminum wire all copper wired and wound ■ Long life 1800 RP M alternator operation ■ 5-Year parts and labor warranty ■ Lease purchase plan ■ Affordably priced If you shop and compare you will buy PINCORi HAVERSTICK BROS., INC. 2111 Stone Mill Road Lancaster, Pa. 17603 Call Us At 717-°92-5722 CONTACT US For MANURE HANDLING EQUIPMENT Semi- and Liquid Spreaders - Ground Driven - Easy Running Priced Reasonably PIT ELEVATORS ALUS CHALMERS AND WISCONSIN POWER UNITS COMPACT ROTO BEATERS t M'S*®*,. Smaller Improved Model 2 Sizes To Choose From HAND-O-MATIC BUNK FEEDERS NOW IN STOCK FOR EASY SILAGE DISTRIBUTION PLATE SHEARING & PRESS BRAKE WORK COMBINATION MOWER & CRIMPER UNITS SMUCKER WELDING & MANUFACTURING 2110 Rockvale Road Lane . PA 17602 PH (717)687-0772 (Turn to Page E 27) <}S3 ' r 1 e»J . t M -,u 2
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers