xt7kwh2dcb4p https://exploreuk.uky.edu/dips/xt7kwh2dcb4p/data/mets.xml University of Kentucky. Office of the Vice President for Research and Graduate Studies Kentucky University of Kentucky. Office of the Vice President for Research and Graduate Studies 1989 volumes. Call Number: LD2762.9 .K38c. Accession Number: 2018ua049 journals LD2762.9 .K38c English Office of the Vice President for Research and Graduate Studies  Contact the Special Collections Research Center for information regarding rights and use of this collection University of Kentucky Odyssey Magazine Research -- Kentucky -- Periodicals Education -- Research -- Periodicals Research -- Kentucky Odyssey: The Magazine of University of Kentucky Research, Summer/Fall 1989 text images Odyssey: The Magazine of University of Kentucky Research, Summer/Fall 1989 1989 1989 2026 true xt7kwh2dcb4p section xt7kwh2dcb4p  

- THE MAGAZINE OF UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY RESEARCH 0 SUMMER/FALL I989 -

 

< THE MAKING OF A SCIENTIST: NURTURING YOUTHFUL CURIOSITY

   

University Archives

Margaret L King Library - North.

Universiéy of Kentucky

Lexington, Kentucky 40506

 

he U niversizy ofKentuchy, the Com—

monwealth's graduate education
and research institution, exists to provide
opportunities for the education, personal
growth and development of individuals
and to contribute to the improvement of
society.

\Vith this mission as its premise, one
goal of the University is to conduct pro—
grams of basic and applied research which
support graduate and professional educa—
tion, provide for the advancement of
leno wledge, and seek solutions for the acute
problems of society.

The University’s research mission also
acts as a magnet for attracting top gradu»
ate students who want to participate in
nationally competitive research projects.
This research experience can ofler them a
significant advantage in their education
while laying the foundation for future
research and development. ODYSSEY,
through articles about various research
projects and graduate education programs,
reflects the breadth of the University’s
search for new knowledge and the myriad
of research endeavors underway. The
progress that the University has made
toward achieving its research mission and
securing the extramural fit nds required to
support these types of endeavors would
have been impossible without the talents
and dedication of our researchers.

The goal of OD YSSE Y is to ofi’r the
reader the opportunity to share in some of
the excitement, curiosity and creativity
evident in the research underway at the

University of Kentucky.

 

 

  

ODYS SEY

Volume V11. No.2

 

   
 

CONTENTS

 

 

 

  

The Making of a Scientist: Nurturing Youthful Curiosity 2
. Making a Go of It on the Farm 8
9 Working to Prevent Farm—Related Injuries and Deaths 12

 

Preventing Farm-Related
Injuries and Deaths. p.12

 

A Burgeoning Business:

 

 

 

 

Kentucky's Automotive Supplier Industry 17
When Teenagers Become )arents 20
Science Program Strengthening Research in Kentucky 24
Gender and Class in the Coal Camps 27
Research Briefs 31

 

Research Results: Collins Perfecting Soybean
Cell—to—Plant Regeneration System 35

 

 

Research Briefs, p.51

()0 YSSEYis a magazine published by the Office of the Vice President for Research and Graduate Studies. Each issue
of OD YSSEl/describes only a few of the many University of Kentucky research projects underway in a variety ofareas.
Requests for permission to reprint material and readers" comments regarding ODYSSEYare welcome and should be
sent to the Editor, Research Communications, University ofKentucky, Lexington 405000057 (Phone 606—257-8297).
The publication of OD YSSEYis not financed by state—appropriated funds.

Editor: Susan H. Hodgetts. Asst. Editor: JeffWorley. Designer: Shear 8i Shear. Publications Assn: Sharon J. Turner.
Student Asst.: Melinda Higgins. Contributing Writers: Elizabeth Hansen, Gary Pierce. Printing: Merrick Printing, Inc.

Credits: photos on cover and pp. 27 and 20—21 by Lee Thomas; photos on pp. 10. 1 1. 16, 18, 22, 28. 2‘) and 35 by Ken
Goad; photos on pp. 6, 24 and 33 by Bill Wells; photo on p.19 by John Mitchell; photo on p3 byJay Fuller; photos on
pp. 12 and 16 courtesy ofUKAg. Cooperative Extension Service; photos on pp. 27—31 by Russell Lee; illustration on p.33
courtesy ofjames N. Cray Construction Company of Lexington; photo on p. 34 courtesy of IBM Corporation.

 

 

 

  

 

THE KING OF A SCIENTIST:

 

 

ODYSSEY 2

 

3 1 . 3i *2? e!

a < aunmm up . u.

Nurturing Youthful i

Curiosity
by Elizabeth Hansen

hey studied egg survival and red blood

cells. They developed membranes for

rel >asing anti—cancer drugs. They stud—
ied nicotine and animal surgery. They built
model bridges.

And in a sense. that’s What all of the high
school students and university undergradu—
ates did this summer in various funded pro—
grams at the University of Kentucky—they
built bridges that could take them into careers
as scientists or engineers.

In an effort to identify and encourage poten—
tial scientists. the University of Kentucky has
developed programs to encourage students to
select undergraduate majors in scientific fields
and to go on to graduate and professional
schools. Funding for the programs comes
from a variety of sources. including the Na—
tional Science Foundation, the National Insti—
tutes of Health. the Department of Education
and the University itself.

“We're in a phase in society where there
aren‘t many people interested in the sciences.
Most scientific disciplines are having to re—
cruit. I hope it is just a phase." says Robert
Dickson. a University Research Professor for
1988—89. Dickson coordinates an undergradu-
ate research program in biochemistry funded
by the department.

Because science classes build on each other.
it is important for students considering scien—
tific careers to make that decision early. “We
want to give undergraduates a chance to see
what research is like." says Dickson. an asso—
ciate professor in the College of Medicine. “If
they put off making a decision {about a
scientific career], they may never decide to do
it."

Like Dickson. Allan Butterfield. professor
of chemistry and director of the Center of
Membrane Sciences. is concerned about the
shortage of scientists.

“There is such a shortage predicted in the
next decade that it‘s frightening. We‘ve got to
encourage people to move into science and
engineering in order to keep the United States
competitive.“ Butterfield says.

 

   

The chemistry department has “a long tradi~
tion of undergraduate students performing re-
search as a part oftheir education," Butterfield
adds. He estimates he has worked with 40 to
45 undergraduate students on independent
study projects in the 14 years he has been at
UK.

The goals of undergraduate research in
chemistry. according to Butterfield, “are to
help undergraduates appreciate what research
is. teach them how to do it well and. in the
process. ifthe student is lucky and particularly
hardworking. something good may come of it
in terms of publication [in a professional jour—
nall. But at the very least they are going to
learn how to organize their thoughts. collect
and assemble and evaluate data and make
some conclusions. In today‘s marketplace. if
people can't do that. they aren‘t going to be
competitive."

Undergraduate research experiences differ
in kind from work in laboratory classes. ac—
cording to Dibakar Iihattacharyya. professor
of chemical engineering. In a lab class. the
outcome is already known. In the students re—
search projects. the results are unknown. Re—
search teaches independence. \Xe [the pro—
fessors] will guide them. but we expect them
to think for themselves." he says.

Because of concern about the shortage of
scientists nationwide. the National Science
Foundation encourages students to consider

graduate school through its Research
Education for Ifndergradu-
ates (REI‘) programs.

   

 

 

 

  

The l'niversity of Kentucky has two REI'
grants currently. One is in aquatic ecology and
is directed by Philip Crowley. professor ofbio-
logical sciences. The other. in the Center of
Membrane Sciences. is directed by Leonidas
Bachas. assistant professor of chemistry. with
Butterfield. Michael‘lay. associate professor of
medical chemistry in the College of Pharmacy.
Bhattachaiyya and Kim \V'ard, assistant pro—
fessor of chemical engineering. as co—princir
pal investigators.

['nlike other Rlil' programs. the 1K prov
grams are both restricted to students at col»
leges within about an hour’s drive of Lexing—
ton. Baclias says. That's because the students
not only spend eight weeks on campus during
the summer doing research full time. but they
are also required to return to campus on a
regular basis during the fall semester for a
series of seminars. In addition. they must write
a paper about their research and present the
paper at a professional meeting. The pro-
grams conclude with a banquet for the stu—
dents. their parents and the students‘ faculty.

The 13» students in the membrane sciences
program and the It) in the aquatic ecology pro—
gram come from the l'niyersity of Kentucky.
’l'ransylvania l‘niversity. (‘yeorgetown College.
Mort-head State l‘niversity. Centre College.
liastern Kentucky I'niversity. Berea College
and Kentucky State l’niversity. Students re—
ceive a SZUHU stipend for the eight-week
program.

Last summer Lisa Cox. a senior zoology
major from Lexington. shared a lab in the Mul—
tidisciplinary Research Lab building with Elaine
Meng. a junior biology major from I\1aysville.
The two did research on fat—head minnows.
focusing on egg survival This research is
funded in part by the aquatic ecology REL
grant.

The project involved watching the behavior
of the fish in an aquarium. counting the num»
ber of times one of them would rub its head
against the top of a nest where hundreds of
fish eggs clung to the glass. In order not to
influence the fish or disturb its behavior. Cox
studied its movements as recorded by a video
camera. counting the times the fish rubbed
against the eggs for 13 minutes every two
hours. 24 hours a day. for about five days—the
time it takes the eggs to hatch.

 

 

 

 

Eighteen students representing 16 Kentucky counties competed in pairs in a
bridge—building contest. ]on Stee/ebec/e and David Wade ( middle row, far left),
whose bridge supported the greatest weight, won.

Tonya Foreman of Danville. a senior at
Centre College majoring in English and biol—
ogy. wants to go to graduate school in bioeth—
ics or biology. or go to medical school; but she
wants to make a career as a science writer for
a lay audience. Her REL' project combined her
interests in writing and science. Her job was to
conduct an evaluation of the ['nion L'nder—
wear Company proposal to dump salt wastes
into Lake Cumberland. lTer task was to re-
search the subject. inten'iew both environ-
mentalists and representatives of the

 
 
  
  

 

torrriimed m1 page 1

«£9, ,.

5 ODYSSEY

 

 

   

 

ODYSSEY 4

 

company and conduct a diversity study of fish
from the creek where the waste is now dumped.
Then she will judge whether the company
should be allowed to dump the wastes into
Lake Cumberland. Like the other REU stu—
dents. she will report her findings to the
Kentucky Academy of Science in the fall.

Students participating in the membrane sci—
ences REU program are working in chemical
engineering. chemistry, pharmacy. nutrition
and psychology. Among them is Kelli Wick—
line. who worked in Ward‘s lab in chemical
engineering as a part of the membrane sci—
ences REU program. Wickline, along with Carl
Baker and Leahan Roebuck, who is from
Lexington. South Carolina. spent the summer
studying red blood cell deformability. The
three studied blood samples from patients
with circulatory diseases to determine if the
walls of the red blood cells had become
rigid—less deformable and therefore did not
flow as easily. “I‘m looking at this experience
to introduce me to research." said Wickline, a
chemical engineering junior from Eliza—
bethtown. “I want to see if it's what I‘m really
interested in before I put in all the time of
going to medical school.“

This was not the first research experience
for Baker. who received his degree in chemi4
cal engineering

 

  
 
 
  

 

from UK in May of 1989. He began working on
blood cell deformability during his senior year
because “it seemed like a good project for a
chemical engineer who is going on to medical
school."

Also as a senior, Baker worked on a project
to try to develop a radiotherapeutic drug to
treat liver cancer. The goal was to attach a
radioactive isotope to a tiny biodegradable
particle that could be injected into the body
and then would lodge at the site of the cancer.
A paper Baker wrote based on the project won
first place at the southern regional student
competition of the American Institute of
Chemical Engineers (AICHE). Baker. who is
from l’aducah, is to present the paper in No—
vember at the national meeting of AICIIE.

Rebecca Burchett. a chemical engineering
senior from l’aintsville. also worked with
Ward on developing membranes for con
trolled release ofanti~cancer drugs. “I‘m pulled
toward both medical school and a PhD. I
hope this summer will help me decide,"
Burchett said in early June. “I hope it will let
me see ifI‘m willing to give up medical school
for graduate school.” If she had the time. she
said. she would like to earn both a medical
degree and a PhD. in chemical engineering
and then do research.

Recruiting women students for graduate
programs in engineering “takes a big effort."
Ward says. As the only female faculty member
in the College of Engineering. she sen'es as

a role model for students like \V’ickline.
Burchett and Roebuck. Ward has a
5500.000. three-year grant from the LES.
Department of Education to provide
fellowships for women to pursue
Ph.I).‘s in chemical engineering. She
would like to see some of her under—
graduate researchers go on to gradw
ate school under the POWERS—MS
(Production of Women Engineer-
ing Role Models) fellowships.
For the first time this past sum—
mer. ITK offered a summer pro—
gram in the biological sciences
for undergraduate minority stu—
dents. Twenty—four students were
selected to work on research proj-
ects in plant physiology, bio-
chemistry and molecular biol-

 

 

 

 

  

     
 
  
 

ogy. physiol-
ogy and bio-
physics. and
toxicology.
Students were
matched to projects
and professors based on individual interests.
“The goal of the program is to recruit out—
standing minority students for professional
and graduate schools." says Donald T. Frazier.
director of the physiology and biophysics
section ofthe program. The program is funded
by the Department of Education. Since I982
Frazier has also directed the Minority High
School Student Research Apprentice Program.
funded by the National Institutes of Health.
Minority students with high potential for
continuing their education are selected from
Fayette and surrounding counties. Most are
juniors or seniors. although a ninth grader parv
ticipated this year, They are matched with

faculty members throughout the College of

Medicine based on individual interests. The
students work in labs assisting with research
and at the end of eight weeks prepare a
written report on their experience. Each is
paid $1.000.

Though many of the minority apprentices
go on to college elsewhere—Harvard. Yale.
Princeton. and Emory. for example—~—some
students. including George T. Brown. choose
l'K,

"When I first started high school. I didn't
know what I wanted to do. I thought about
being a business major," Brown said. Then
between his junior and senior years at Bryan
Station High School in Lexington. Brown was
chosen to participate in the l983 minority high

willful/ed on page 6

 

Appalachian Teens Get Hands—On

Scientific Training

 

 

 

    

x,

The Appalachian Explorers Program encourages ninth—grade students to take
part in lab projects and field projects.

For two weeks inJune ofthis year, 22 ninth graders from Appalachia
experienced first—hand the rigors and rewards of being a scientist. The
program. sponsored by the l‘niversity of Kentucky and funded by the
National Science Foundation is aimed at getting more students
interested in studying science.

The Appalachian Explorers—10 boys and 12 girls from \West
Virginia and the Appalachian regions of Kentucky, Tennessee and
Virginia—developed their own ecosystems. visited a strip mine,
learned about predator—prey relationships. studied the formation of
natural bridges, and camped two nights in the forest. among other
activities.

The project is a lot of fun. project organizers say. but it also sets im-
portant groundwork fora group of gifted kids from an often—maligned
region of the country. “There‘s a lot of focusing on how poor the
schools there are." says jane Bagby of UK‘s Appalachian Center. “But
there are many. many bright students in Appalachia." “We give them
information on scholarships while they‘re here.“ she adds. “And we
talk about their heritage. help them to be proud of being Appala—
chian."

At the same time. the program teaches the teenagers about “natural
resources and the wise use ofthem." says co—director Truman Stevens.

 

S ODYSSEY

 

 

 

  

ODYSSEY 6

 

 

George T. Brown wasa minority high
school research apprentice in 1985 l
and I 986 at UK, working on studies
of hypertension, cardiology and
nicotine. He is currently beginning
dental school at the University.

school research apprentice pro—
gram in UK’s College of Medi-
cine. Brown was paid to work in
a laboratory that summer, assist—
ing with a hypertension study
and a cardiology study involving
experiments with cats. He began
thinking about science as a ca—
reer and was chosen for the program again
during the summer of 1986. His role in a study
of the effects of nicotine on rats was to
monitor the rats' blood pressure, which re—
quired him to put a blo<,)d—pressure cuffon the
rats‘ tails. “After the second year, I knew
science was what I wanted to do," Brown
said.

He enrolled at UK in the fall of 1986 as a
biology major and continued to work as a
technician on the nicotine study of rats . This
fall [1989] he begins dental school at UK while
completing requirements for his bachelor‘s
degree in biology, which he will receive next
May. He credits his research experience as
one of the factors in his admission to dental
school.

Another program for minority high school
students operates in the College of Pharmacy.
“High school students, unless their parents
are faculty members, do not get much expo—
sure to what research is all about," says jay,
who directs the program. The five partici~
pants this summer were involved in all as—
pects of pharmaceutical research, from ani—
mal surgery to enzyme assays, Jay says. Four
of the five were among the six students Who
took part in the program during its first year
of operation in 1988. The students are paid
$1500 for eight weeks" work, jay explains,
with faculty members who work with the
students paying half the stipend from their
own research funds.

While the minority apprentice programs
accept students living within commuting dis—
tance of UK, Engineering Ahead, a Young
Scholars Program funded by the National Sci-
ence Foundation, brings high school juniors
from across the state to Lexington for two
weeks to expose them to careers in engineer—
ing.

“A primary goal is to get the students inter—
ested in engineering as a career,” says Cindy

 

 

Iten. student affairs coordinator
for the College of Engineering
and project director. An underly—
ing goal is to recruit students for
UK’s program. Twenty students
were selected for the program in
1988 and in 1989.

During their two weeks on
campus, participants learn about branches of
engineering. “They have heard of chemical,
civil, electrical and mechanical engineering,"
Iten says, “but they have a limited idea about
what these areas involve. They have never
heard of materials engineering. and agricul—
tural and mining engineering are easily mis—
construed."

Tim Meade had not considered engineering
as a college major until his counselor at Virgie
High School in Pike County told him about
UK‘s Engineering Ahead program for high
school juniors Though he wanted to attend
medical school, he applied for the program
and was accepted. During his two—week stay
at UK during the summer of 1988. Meade met
a physician who had used an undergraduate
degree in chemical engineering as a route to
medical school. This fall Meade will enroll at
UK as a chemical engineering major. He
credits the Engineering Ahead
program with helping
him choose a major as
well as a university to
attend. He's still con—
sidering medical
school but says an
engineering degree
will give him some
options should he

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 

 

  

decide medicine is not for him.

Like Meade. through the program several
students have discovered that a degree in en—
gineering can lead them to medical school.
Others. like Kelly Brown. a student at Pleasure
Ridge Park High School in Louisville. knew
they wanted to go into engineering but not
which specific discipline. “The program made
me decide to go into civil engineering." said
Brown. who will enroll at UK this fall.

Do undergraduates have enough research
opportunities?

“17K does a pretty adequate job of involving
undergraduates in research." Dickson says. "If
someone is dying to do research. they can find
someone to work with them,"

Ann Marie Hemmer. a UK biology major
from Boone County who worked in Dickson‘s
lab. agrees. “There is so much research to be
done: the opportunities are out there for
undergraduates." she says.

Crowley believes UK should do more. “The
University needs to get more involved in
getting undergraduates into research by com—
mitting some of its own limited funds to
programs." Crowley says. adding that there
will continue to be outside funding available
for undergraduate research programs.

An advantage of undergraduate research
experience is that it makes students more
competitive for graduate and professional

 

schools, Crowley says. It also gives students a
realistic view of what research is all about—
both the hard work and the fun. Bachas adds.

Dan Finn, a biology major at Centre College
who did research on ion selective electrodes
through the Department of Chemistry. says he
was surprised by the responsibility the stu—
dents are given and sees benefits for both
students and faculty members. "It helps both
sides. We get a lot of experience and the
professors get work done they need done."
Finn says.

After participating in the programs. some
students decide research is not for them.
Learning that before embarking on a research
career can also be a valuable lesson.

Some ofthe research projects students under—
take do not pan out. “My attitude is that if
something really productive comes out of [a
project]. great. That‘s gravy." Jay says, “The
important thing is what the students experi—
ence. what they do learn".

 

 

 

  

by Gary Pierce

ODYSSEY 8

 

 

ick Robertson is continuing the family
tradition set by six generations ofmen
before him: he is working the 260-
acre farm in Bath County. Kentucky. But a
new tradition may be in the making. Robertson
is the only one of four brothers to follow his
father into the farming business, And in order
to make a go of it. Dick Robertson holds down
a second job at a Mt, Sterling tobacco ware-
house.
This “coping strategy" is fairly common. ac—
cording to University of Kentucky researchers

Janet Bokemeier and Lorraine Garkovich. who

have been studying the changing nature of
Kentucky farm families as they react to eco—
nomic stress and changes in the farm business.
What they have found is that farm families are
finding new ways to deal with old problems
while sometimes relying on old values and
faiths to see them through new difficulties.
The days of the self-sufficient farm are all
but gone, Instead of growing their own food
and living strictly off the land as in the past.
contemporary farmers are meeting their finans
cial needs by earning “off—farm“ income. "They
find themselves in this kind of a dual role. as
both employee and employer." says
Bokemeier. an associate professor of socioL
ogy. "How they adjust to that situation at a
household level is interesting. They have to
decide whether it makes sense for them to go
out and take a job and then bring in someone
else to make up their time on the farm.
whether it‘s the farm husband or the farm wife
or sometimes even the farm children."
Thirty—eight percent of Kentucky farm men
and nearly 46 percent of farm women are also
employed off the farm. Over all. one—third of
Kentucky farm families have adopted a work
strategy whereby the husband or wife, or
both. enter the off—farm labor force. According
to Bokemeier. off—farm work was the most
commonly occurring strategy employed to

 

MAKING A GO OF IT
ON THE FARM

 

cope with the decreasing profitability of farm-
ing.

This strategy has become a definite trend
among "small—scale farmers." according to
Don Shurley. an associate professor ofagricul—
ture economics at the University of Kentucky.
He and research associate Kurt Stephenson. in
a study of small; and part‘time farmers in the
state, found that of the 75,900 farmers in
Kentucky whose land generates less than
$40,000 a year. about 43.300 of these farm
operators hold down other jobs (this figure
excludes other farm members who work off

—
Thirty—eight percent of
Kentucky farm men and
nearly 46 percent of farm
women are also employed off
the farm.

 

the farm). More than 80 percent of those part—
time farmers work more than 200 days a year
at other jobs. Shurley says. and ()3 percent
work at least 40 hours a week off the farm.

"The farm cannot be considered the primary
source of income." he says. "They need that
off-farm job to help support the farm.” The
decision to take off—farm work is fraught with
a myriad of strategies and concerns for the
farm family. First it must be decided which
family member has the most marketable skills
for off—farm labor. Vivian Razor. whose hus—
band Bob is a farmer. says she doubts whether
her family could make it without the extra
income from her job and his second one. “I‘m
going to be teaching as long as he's farming."
she says. Bob Razor. 50. is co—owner of the
IZS—acre Farmacy Farm. five miles north of
Morehead. He also sells fences. his off—farm
job.

Another concern involves replacing this

 

 

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L1 ODYSSEY

 

  

 

fanet Bokemeier

ODYSSEY 10

 

 

have the family labor there, so it becomes a
sort of vicious cycle."

To cope with that cycle. Garkovich says.
"they sometimes decide to bite the bullet and
spend more than they think they should to
buy themselves one good laborer. and set up
a benefits package to make it worthwhile. The
flip side is that they may go more mechanized,
expand in that direction. If you expand in a
way that requires more hired labor, it doesn‘t
cost as much to do. But if you choose path B
and go more mechanized, you can expand in
such a way that you have a much higher
output but still operate essentially with one
person. Initially the cost is much higher. but in
the long run that was the only sure way to be
able to increase the size of their operation."

Both Bokemeier and Garkovich believe that

—
Farmers are finding themselves
in a dual role, as both employee
and employer. They have to
decide whether it makes sense
for them to go out and take a
job and then bring in someone
else to make up their time on
the farm.

 

farming is in some ways much like other
family—run businesses. but that there are con-
cerns unique to farming which make it dis-
cernibly different. The question ofhow similar
farming is to other family enterprises is a
debatable issue in sociology. but Bokemeier

 

points out some distinctions that seem fairly
clear-cut. “The farmer’s lifestyle is very much
influenced by the economic development of
the local community." she says. "How far they
have to travel for staples. groceries and things.
is important. But how far they have to travel
for spare parts is critical. If all the implement
dealers have moved out. you could spend
three or four hours downtime getting a part re-
placed You have to actually stop the farm."

The seasonality of farming also makes it dif—
ferent from other family businesses. “When
the peppers are ready." Garkovich says. "you
can't sit and interview 50 people over the
course of five days to find the ones who are
capable and willing to do the work. By that
time. your crop is ruined."

Even if a farmer has successfully invested in
higherrtech equipment in hopes of a long—run
return on the investment. the unique charac—
teristics of farming can often undermine care—
fully made long—range plans. Add to this
dilemma the matter of crop price controls and
the farmer‘s outlook becomes even bleaker.
“The lack of control over your market causes
farmers some extraordinary problems."
Bokemeier says. "If you run a drug store and
utilities go up. you can mark up your paper
towels or whatever. Farmers can‘t do that. If
the price of fertilizer goes up. they can't mark
up what they‘ll get for their soybeans. They
have very little control over price setting. And
they have very little control over the global
marketplace. The grain market these days is
Minneapolis. New Orleans. France and Hong
Kong. It‘s a world market."

All of this paints a bleak picture for the
family farm, and the farmers themselves are
divided when it comes to solutions to their
problems. Bokemeier notes that while many
farmers recognized the limits oftheir own lack
of education and argued that beginning farm—
ers simply must have a college education.

 

 

  

Many farmers recognize the limits of their own lack of education
and argue that beginning farmers simply must have a college
education. Many others still hold the opinion that these new-
fangled methods and advanced