The overall public image of America's farmers and ranchers continues to be strong, according to a nationwide survey commissioned by the American Farm Bureau Federation.
Consumers typically rank farmers high for positive attributes and in overall job performance.
In nearly all areas of comparison, positive numbers in the new poll were higher than those from a similar consumer poll conducted two years ago. While farmers scored the same as in the 1997 poll, the largest drop was seen for business people, who fell to 37 percent, compared to 50 percent in 1997. Farmers and scientists each picked up four percentage points from the 1997 poll, while environmentalists fell four points. Consumers showed an awareness of the economic problems farmers experienced this year, as 68 percent thought farmers were worse-off financially than they were 10 years ago. Sixty-seven percent said when a poor farm economy threatens farmers' abilities to survive, the government should provide financial assistance.