Federal Farm Programs and Structural Change in the 1980s: A Comparison of the Cornbelt and the Mississippi Delta.

This paper evaluates the effects of increased participation in federal farm programs on farm structure in two socioeconomically distinct regions. We examine (1) how farmers use the programs in conjunction with other inputs as a survival strategy and (2) specific outcomes associated with increased program participation. Our analysis is based on surveys of two farming-dependent counties typical of the Cornbelt and the Mississippi Delta. Farmers in both regions used farm programs to expand farm operations. However, there were important regional differences associated with the implementation of this strategy. These regional divergences can be attributed to differences in both past levels of enrollment in farm programs and variations in farm organization, particularly whether the farm relies primarily on household or hired labor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]