Iowa study suggests big farms good for small towns

The Obama administration's focus on small farms and rural development has been questioned by some Republicans and agribusiness interests. A new study from Iowa State University, which suggests that large farms are a net benefit to small towns, may increase those criticisms. The study, conducted by ISU sociologists, looked at the effect of large farms on the social fabric of small towns, Ken Anderson of Brownfield reports. "We wanted to know, is large-scale agriculture—are large-scale hog confinement operations—a negative influence on the quality of life in these communities?" said Steve Sapp, ISU professor of sociology and coordinator of the study. "We found that there are small favorable effects—not a boom—but at least not negative, so far."

The ISU study, which looked at income growth, unemployment rates, crime and several other factors that help define the quality of life in a community, was conducted in small towns in all of Iowa’s 99 counties during the decade from 1994 to 2004. Sapp said while the positive effects found were modest, they were not the negative effect some may have expected. "This is not talking about the immediate neighbors that have to suffer the consequences of living near large hog confinement operations," Sapp told Anderson. "This is looking at the community and the overall quality of life in the community—and the census figures, as well as survey data from the residents shows—at least it’s not a strong negative." (Read more)