Many people say farmers are a dying breed.
In a recent study, however, one professor is trying to determine how greatly agribusiness is affecting farming in key areas, such as southeastern Pennsylvania. Counties like Berks, Lancaster, Chester, Dauphin, Northampton, Lebanon, York and Cumberland are subject to population and development pressures. Eight out of the top 10 agricultural areas, value-wise, are in these counties. Agribusiness is comprised of three areas. One is the farmer and the land, another is the distributor, which is responsible for taking products like wheat and converting it to flour, said Clyde Myers, a county extension agent for Berks County and a Penn State employee.