LONDON, Ohio — After addressing a large gathering about the future of rural economy at this year’s Ohio State University Farm Science Review, Jason Henderson, associate dean in the College of Agriculture and Director of Purdue University extension, spotted numerous 4-H and FFA members sitting in his audience.
"How many of you have plans on leaving the farm when you get out of school?" Henderson asked. Not one hand was raised.
"That’s more evidence that our rural community will remain strong in years to come," he noted. "We’re seeing an increase in the rural population, especially among those in their thirties and forties. These people grew up in the 1980s and many were told to go off to college in search of better things.
"We’ve learned that most of these people are coming back to their rural communities, and not only because they’re homesick or need to take care of their ailing parents. They’re reconnecting with their rural community."
Henderson, who was assisted by moderator and OSU ag economist Stan Ernst, was among many "Question the Authority" panelists at this three-day show.
"True, the rural community is getting older and getting the labor force in these areas are difficult, but we’re seeing that many young folk are leaving the farm only to seize an opportunity to learn new technology, and most of them return to the farm with these newly discovered resources," Henderson said.
According to him, every state is embedded with isolated communities. Young adults who leave the farm, he explained, bring back new technology to these areas and only need to be "woven" back into the community.
"When coming back home many of these students bring back new technical expertise, but may not want to disrupt how things were done in the past, whether it be the schools, churches or businesses in the area," Henderson said.
On a larger scale, he said the "rural economy in general is doing well, especially those who are tied to commodity markets.
"These areas the past three to four years have held up well, even through our recent recession. We’ve even seen an uptick in rural manufacturing, as this has brought back some middle income jobs to rural America. Today’s rural manufacturing is more high-tech, more high-skilled than in the past.
"But remember, the rural community is still old and getting the labor force in these areas is a bit difficult."
Henderson concluded by saying some small communities benefit by being near metropolitan areas. "Some rural communities have access to educational opportunities beyond high school, whether it’s community colleges, technical colleges or a large four-year university," he pointed out.
