AMES, Iowa -- Four new publications are now available that report on the findings of the 2007 Iowa Farm and Rural Life Poll. The poll is designed to monitor changes in Iowa’s agricultural and rural life and is a cooperative project of Iowa State University Agriculture and Home Economics Experiment Station, ISU Extension and the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship.

PM 2043, Iowa Farm and Rural Life Poll 2007 Summary Report, reports findings on a number of issues that are timely and relevant to Iowa farmers and rural non-farm and urban populations. The survey asked farmers several questions about key considerations related to ethanol and other biorenewable fuels and the potential impacts of these developments. Data also were collected on grain storage capacity, alternative energy sources and current and future farming plans. Other areas of interest in this year’s poll include retirement plans, satisfaction with farming as a career, bias in information sources regarding ethanol and much more.

The 12-page report is based on responses from nearly 1,100 Iowa farmers. It is available in printed and electronic versions from the ISU Extension Online Store at www.extension.iastate.edu/store/ or through county ISU Extension offices.

In addition to the main Summary Report, three additional reports were prepared to focus on specific areas of the data. They are PM 2044, Iowa Farm and Rural Life Poll 2007 Survey Report on Farmer Entrepreneurship; PM 2049, Iowa Farm and Rural Life Poll 2007 Survey Report on Grain Storage and Transportation; and PM 2050, Iowa Farm and Rural Life Poll 2007 Survey Report on Iowa Farmers’ Views on the Bioeconomy. Each of these publications is eight pages and is available only online as an electronic file at www.extension.iastate.edu/store/. County ISU Extension offices can provide downloading assistance if needed.

The supplemental report on entrepreneurship found that Iowa farm families operate a substantial number of businesses in addition to their regular farming operations. More than half of these businesses have been around for 20 years or more and provide many full-time and part-time jobs.

The report on grain storage and transportation found that farmers are taking advantage of opportunities arising from the emerging bioeconomy with plans for increased corn production, sales to ethanol plants and construction of storage facilities. But the data also showed that many producers are not aware of the need for better quality corn for ethanol production.

The bioeconomy report builds on Extension’s Bioeconomy in Iowa: Local Conversations effort. The report shows Iowans want to see their state become a world leader in biofuels development (see figure). The research also indicates that farmers and the general population alike would like to see compatibility between biofuels production and the livestock industry, emphasis on local economic benefits from ethanol plant development and minimization of environmental impacts of biofuels production.

The Iowa Farm and Rural Life Poll was founded in 1982 by Paul Lasley, chair of the Department of Sociology and ISU Extension rural sociologist. Upon completion of the 2007 report, he announced that J. Gordon Arbuckle Jr., rural sociologist who joined the ISU faculty last year, will take over management of future surveys. Preparation of the 2007 reports also was assisted by Peter Korsching, professor of sociology, and Trevalyn Gruber, sociology research assistant.

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