Agricultural Policy as a Social Engineering Tool

In addition to sales, the results suggest that there also exists a negative
relationship between the education variable and farm operators who indicate that
countries should be allowed to restrict trade to pursue domestic economic and social
policy goals if the policies affect international trade. Farm operators with some college
education are 58% less likely to indicate that countries should be allowed to restrict trade
to pursue domestic economic and social policy goals if the policies affect international
trade. Farm operators with a bachelor’s degree and those with a high school diploma are
36% and 33% less likely to indicate such a preference, respectively.

The estimated coefficient from the variable that measures the age of principal
operators between the ages of 35 and 44 is positive and suggests the farm operators
within that age category are 42% more likely to indicate that countries should be allowed
to restrict trade to pursue domestic economic and social policy goals even if the policies
affect international trade. While not directly comparable to the current finding, young
farmers and ranchers ages 18-35 in a recent American Farm Bureau Federation survey
indicate that the best way to increase overall agricultural profitability is to boost US
agricultural exports (The New Jersey Farmer, 2003). Clearly restricting trade runs
counter to that view.

The positive coefficients of the variable that measures the percent of family
income earned from farming or ranching suggest that farm operators in that income
category are also more likely to indicate that countries should be allowed to restrict trade
to pursue domestic economic and social policy goals even if the policies affect
international trade. For example, farm operators who earn between 51% and 75% of their
income from farming or ranching are 72% more likely to indicate such a preference.

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