Dr. David Peters, along with undergraduate research assistants Emma Bartling and Emily Meyer, presented rural populations trends to the 12 Midwest state directors of the Farm Bureau Federation. The presentation and facilitated discussion was held on May 7, 2024 at the Iowa Farm Bureau headquarters in West Des Moines. Each state director was provided with a population profile for their state. David, Emma, and Emily are all part of the agricultural and rural policy studies program at Iowa State.
The key demographic challenges in the rural Midwest were summarized as: You can’t grow you own. Too many people leave. Aging population. Not enough workers. Rapid diversification. Potential strategies discussed were: Build local leadership capacity. Promote and build rural quality of life. Workforce readiness for rural stayers. Diversify smart.
The presentation can be viewed here: IFBF_7may2024.PDF
State profiles are below: