Since the Great Depression, there have been fewer and fewer U.S. farms, thanks to mechanization, hybrid crops and synthetic fertilizers and pesticides that have boosted productivity and allowed each farmer to cover more acres. A side effect, says Harvest Public Media, is the draining of the rural population and the drop in demand for services of all sorts – schools, health care, food or equipment – in the small towns across the countryside.
As an example, Haxtun, Colo., lost its movie theater, bowling alley and all but one of its restaurants over the years as its population shrank to 917 residents at latest count, says Harvest Media. “We have fewer and fewer farm kids,” says school superintendent Darcy Garretson.
University of Missouri rural sociologist Mary Hendrickson says the problems confronting small rural towns often are written off as unsolvable and too widespread to address. She told Harvest Media that if a healthier environment is the national goal, it will take more than local farmers to reverse the economic trends plaguing small towns. “It’s going to take some investments from rural development agencies, from potentially people outside the region as well.”
It’s not all doom and gloom in Haxtun, says Harvest Media. “Parts of the town’s economy are thriving, despite the declining number of farmers. Those restaurants in downtown have been replaced by farm suppliers, agronomists and irrigation companies. Big farms need more services, more agriculture specialists they can hire to help out.”