Factors Influencing the Attitudes of Farmers 

 Towards Migration Off Farms 



Introduction 



A previous study in this series 1 indicated a high rate of migration off farms 

 between 1940 and 1950. There is no evidence that this trend has ceased 

 since that time. This movement off farms is not a mass migration but a 

 movement selective of specific individuals. Some of these individuals move 

 deliberately, others have no choice but to move as dependents of a household 

 head who decides to move. 



One of the current suggestions to the solution of the problems of depress- 

 ed rural areas is to increase non-farm employment for present farm operators. 

 If it were possible to identify the characteristics of persons most likely 

 selected by the migration process, the work of those associated with adjust- 

 ments in the rural area might be made easier. 



However, if the number of non-voluntary migrants, i.e., those moving 

 as dependents, is very large, there should be few if any individual social 

 characteristics distinguishing migrants from non-migrants on an average 

 basis, since up to 60% of the movers might well be non-voluntary. 



It is the purpose of this study to investigate some of the reasons for the 

 continuous migration of farm people by testing some hypotheses about the 

 selective process in migration off farms. The method followed was to inter- 

 view existing operating farmers on their attitudes relative to migration, and 

 obtain information on their operations necessary for testing these hypotheses. 



Procedure 



In cooperation with the County Agricultural Extension Agents and other 

 interested groups familiar with the agriculture of Merrimack and Rocking- 

 ham counties in New Hampshire, a list of operating farmers was developed. 

 These were classified by estimated net farm income. From this list, samples 

 of farmers from the lowest income groups and from the highest income 

 groups were selected at random for interview. Two hundred and fifty-three 

 farm interview records were analyzed. 



The following sections contain statements of hypotheses or preconceived 

 ideas about why farmers would consider leaving their farms. The data of 

 the interviews are then used to support or question these hypotheses. 



The data analyzed were divided into two categories of operators: (a) 

 Those who have considered leaving the present farm and (b) those who 

 have not considered leaving the farm. The two counties from which samples 

 were drawn are located in the southern part of New Hampshire where con- 

 siderable non-farm work is available. 



1THE POPULATION OF NEW HAMPSHIRE: 2, Migration and Changes in Com- 

 position, Agr. Exp. Sta. Bui. 426, p. 9. 



3 



