Conclusions 



Interviews with farm operators were classified into two groups, (a) those 

 who had considered leaving their present farm for non-farm work or 

 farming elsewhere and (b) those who had never considered leaving their 

 present location. The hypotheses tested were those suggested from generally 

 accepted measures of average differences among aggregates of movers and 

 non-movers. 



Analysis of the data revealed that of the seven hypotheses studies, there 

 was not one which significantly differentiated the group who had never 

 contemplated leaving their farms from those who had considered leaving. 



Some explanation of why none of these hypotheses were supported may 

 be found in the fact that large proportions of the incomes received were 

 derived from non-farm employment. Therefore, their decisions as farmers 

 in relation to farm operations would be tempered more with non-farm factors 

 than if they were dependent entirely on the farm income for their living. 

 The characteristics of the operators are sufficiently similar in the two groups 

 that we cannot conclude from the present analysis that any one or group 

 of these factors is responsible for creating a desire to move or to awaken 

 consideration for moving. 



One could assume that the value of the farm as a residence or as a place 

 to raise children enters into considerations to stay, provided certain mini- 

 mum income standards are met. One could further assume that the majority 

 of the farmers interviewed, as a sample of larger numbers in the state, 

 just enjoy living in their particular locations. Yet we know from census 

 counts that the number of operating farms is declining. Much of this decline 

 may be found in the change from full-time to part-time or non-farm rural 

 residence classification. 



Whatever the cause of the migration of the families that do move, this 

 study of the attitudes of present farm operators in New Hampshire did not 

 disclose any economic or non-economic factors basic to these decisions. 

 Such factors have not been isolated by the combined efforts of the social 

 sciences. The existence of disparities in the variables most frequently analyzed 

 such as income, age, or education is not sufficient explanation for migration 

 from New Hampshire farms. 



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