Will diversity come to rural America?

Production agriculture is literally “white as snow.” Farmers of color have been gone for at least two generations. People of European ancestry have thrived on the Plains since the mid-1800s, and their productivity has only been matched by that of similar white settlers who moved from Europe to South Africa, Australia and New Zealand. Steve King, an Iowa Congressman, took a lot of heat for declaring that white people have contributed more to the advancement of human civilization than any other “sub-group” of people. Although it was politically insensitive to say, in agriculture, he was right.  That doesn’t mean diversity is not coming. Agribusiness is already diversifying for one simple reason: There are not enough farm-raised kids to supply the needs of corporate America. Rural youth have been one of the most attractive “subgroups” in modern times as the work ethic taught by farm life combined with their parents’ desire for each generation to be educated and excel has resulted in most rural youth seeking careers off the farm. It is often pointed out that our most valuable farm export has been our children. But the well is running dry. DuPont/Pioneer says only 10 percent of its new hires come from a farm background.