ABSTRACT
The Iowa economy is so poor and depressed that there is no use looking for a job locally. The state better look for ways to help keep people employed. Farming is both a business and a way of life. For many rural Iowa communities, farming is the primary economic base. The culture of the rural communities reflects their agrarian heritage. As the farm economy entered its worst financial decade since the Great Depression, agriculturally dependent communities were swept along in the flood waters of the farm crisis of the 1980s. The families in the present study are representative of those residing in these small rural towns. This chapter describes what happened in these agriculturally dependent communities as the farm crisis emerged and engulfed the state. There are at least five major areas of concern about the probable impacts of the farm crisis: the structure of farming, community life, social relationships, and individuals and families.
