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Farm Income Variability and the Supply of Off-Farm Labor by Limited-Resource Farmers

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 April 2015

Oscar Vergara ,
Keith H. Coble ,
George F. Patrick ,
Thomas O. Knight  and
Alan E. Baquet
Oscar Vergara
Affiliation:
Department of Agricultural Economics, Mississippi State University, Mississippi State, MS
Keith H. Coble
Affiliation:
Department of Agricultural Economics, Mississippi State University, Mississippi State, MS
George F. Patrick
Affiliation:
Department of Agricultural Economics, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN
Thomas O. Knight
Affiliation:
Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX
Alan E. Baquet
Affiliation:
Department of Agricultural Economics, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE
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Abstract

We study the relationship between the off-farm labor decision and the limited-resource farmers' and spouses' off-farm wages, experience, education, and sources of income. We found that farmers' and spouses' off-farm experience and wages are significant factors in explaining the off-farm labor supply decision. Contrary to expectations, farm income variability is not significant in the farmers' and spouses' decision to seek off-farm work. The off-farm labor supply of farmers and their spouses is negatively correlated with income transfers from the government. It was also found that the spouse is a residual supplier of on-farm and off-farm labor.

Keywords

farm income variabilitylimited-resource farmeroff-farm workTobit regressionC34D19D81J15J22Q18
Type
Articles
Information
Journal of Agricultural and Applied Economics , Volume 36 , Issue 2 , August 2004 , pp. 467 - 479
Copyright
Copyright © Southern Agricultural Economics Association 2004

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