ABSTRACT
Change and the adaptation to change are the rule, not the exception. In fact, the ability to anticipate and assess dynamic conditions and to activate an effective response is fundamental to success. Thus the farm operator and his or her family tend to be adept at adjusting, including coping with difficult situations. The farm financial crisis of the mid-1980s, however, was a period of unparalleled stress for farmers. In addition to making family adjustments to cope with the financial crisis, operators and their families had to make considerable changes in their farming operations to ensure sustainability or orderly termination. As a part of this risk-reducing strategy, farming practices and resource use were altered in a variety of ways; these are the focus of this chapter. Less frequently, operators and their families felt it necessary to take more drastic measures that represented partial, if not eventually complete, termination of their farming operation.
