Use of credit by farm families in southern Iowa and northern Missouri

Abstract

<p>Changing economic and social conditions necessitate adjustment by farm families. For many families, increased farm size and rising levels of consumption have resulted in larger outlays for the farm business as well as for family living. Increasingly, farm families have turned to credit to augment their own funds. Therefore, more information is needed about the extent to which credit is used, the uses to which credit is put and the association, if any, between credit use and selected family and economic characteristics. Such information should be useful to extension educators working with farm families in educational programs, to governmental policymakers or legislators who influence the legal framework affecting lending practices and to lending institutions interested in providing greater service to their clientele.</p>