Dan Kowalski of CoBank recently highlighted the need for farming families to receive supplementary income.  Young and beginning farmers require off-farm jobs.  His data shows that 56 percent of the principal operators of a farm had a supplementary job in 2017 compared to 37 percent in 1974.  Two-thirds of younger operators had primary off-farm jobs in 2017.  Many of the young farmers seeking a non-farm job are attracted by healthcare and other benefits.

Traditionally, rural communities are becoming urbanized because of the relocation of businesses that attract part time workers from farms, especially for service jobs including healthcare, retail and hospitality sectors.