ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the labor force competition and labor market conditions facing farmers as they seek off-farm employment opportunities in their local labor market areas. It draws both the individualistic and structural perspectives to identify variables useful for understanding the employment and wage opportunities available to the nation’s farmers. The chapter discusses the off-farm employment opportunities for farmers within their Commuting Zones by comparing their personal characteristics, such as age and education, with those of potential job competitors. It explores the average local labor market conditions—unemployment rates, earnings levels, and employment and earnings growth—that farm operators face compared with those experienced by the civilian labor force in general. Social scientists have relied on both individualistic and structural perspectives to explain why some farmers seek off-farm work while others continue as full-time farmers. While educational differences between farmers and their local labor pool are minimal at the national level, regional differences exist.
