Beyond the amber waves of grain
Subtitle: an examination of social and economic restructuring in the heartland
By: by Paul Lasley ... [et al.],  with Freddie L. Barnard ... [et al.].
Contributors: Lasley, Paul.
Series: Rural studies series; Rural studies series of the Rural Sociological Society.
Publisher: Westview Press
Published: 1995
Place of publication: Boulder
Language: eng
Number of pages: 256
Subjects: Household surveys -- Middle West.; Farms -- Middle West.; Agricultural industries -- Middle West.; Agriculture -- Economic aspects -- Middle West.; Unemployment -- Middle West.; Middle West -- Economic conditions.; Middle West -- Social conditions.
Description: Like the factory closings in the Rust Belt, the dramatic failure of agricultural industries in the Farm Belt has caused fundamental changes in the organization and control of production. The impact of job losses and economic depression and the shattering of a way of life have shaken public complacency about the stability of many fundamental American myths.

Beyond the Amber Waves of Grain looks at the farm crisis not as a purely agricultural, nonurban issue but as one that adds to our understanding of the overall social impacts of economic change.

The book takes up the story of Midwestern farm enterprises in the wake of the farm crisis of the 1980s. Using data drawn from detailed surveys of 3,940 farm households in twelve north-central states, the authors offer a comprehensive view of the social and economic restructuring of agriculture and explore the consequences for farm enterprises, farm households, and farming communities.

The study goes beyond the farm gate to look at the broader implications for related industries and communities dependent upon farming, for agricultural and rural policies, and for farm women and men, contributing to the literature on economic restructuring and its outcomes.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references and index.