Question 2

Question 2 Results

How was your family impacted by the Farm Crisis of the 1980s?

Total number of submissions: 20

Results: Interviewee was impacted in some significant way by the farm crisis:
12/20

Interviewee was not impacted significantly by the farm crisis:
8/20

Did not include biographical data (gender, age, education, job) of interviewee.
5/20

Interviewer accessed someone from inside the farm community.
17/20

Interviewer accessed someone from outside the farm community.
3/20


What caused the farm crisis?

Federal government policies, particularly the grain embargo placed on Russia.
8/20

Failures on the part of the farmers, poor management:
3/20

Failures in the part of banks and creditors, high interest loans made too easily:
5/20

Could the farm crisis happen again?

Responded in the affirmative.
9/20

Responded in the negative.
1/20

Uncertain if the farm crisis could happen again.
2/20

Some highlights from the interviews.

How was your family impacted by the farm crisis?

Real Estate Broker: "Our father bought farms at the bottom of the crisis at low prices."

Farmer: "As a farmer in the mid 80's, my grandpa said that they about lost everything. He almost lost all 1500 acres and most of the equipment he used to farm with. Not having enough money to pay the bills was the biggest problem."

Teacher: "Life was really hard, there was no money in farming or the family feed business. The income just wasn't there."

Part-time Farmer: "His heart was broken because he watched his uncle sell the family farm that had be around for generations."

Construction Worker: "My family was impacted being small farmers in the 80's. It was very,very hard to make money on crops."

Farmer: "When I asked how was our family impacted by the farm crisis in the 80's, this person responded absolutely zero.' The only crisis were the people that spent way more money than they had on land and machinery. Farmers that went out and spent the money they didn't have paid 20-30% interest. We had good prices, grain prices were good in the 80's. If you watched yourself you had no problems. We had some good years in the 80's...It's worse now than it was in the 80's...He closed by saying, Farmers are always their own worst enemy.'"

Daycare Owner: "The family farm really wasn't affected by the farm crisis at all."

Farmer: "The farm crisis didn't really impact us. In the long run, our business grew because land came up for sale and land prices were down."

Farmer: "The farm crisis in the 80's was not a big concern in our area."


What do you think caused the farm crisis?

Computer Specialist: "I think it was two things: one a little bit of greed on part of the farmers and two the bankers made it too easy for the farmers to get credit."

Teacher: "Terrible markets, foreclosures, accelerated bank loans, banks collapsing."

Farmer: "He stated that Jimmy Carter's trade embargo and high oil prices were what he blamed the farm crisis on."

Farmer: "The farm crisis all began in 1979 when President Jimmy Carter set up a trade embargo with Russia. This stopped the selling of our agricultural products to an entire region of the world."


Do you think that the farm crisis could happen again?


"Most definitely"

"Anything is possible"

"Most likely not, because corn for example is being used to make ethanol, which is needed all over the world. Crops are even more important today for purposes besides providing food."

"I believe that we are a lot smarter now and would have a better shot at not having a recurrence."

"Oh yes! I really thought it would happen in 2009."

"Yes, but I believe we will be prepared."

"It's possible if grain prices go down enough. Farmers have taken out large loans because of the high prices and good yields."



Some notes:

1. It's easier if students just write down what the interviewee answers below each question.

2. Make sure to include biographical information of interviewee.