As I write these journal entries and research examples, my research question is shifting and developing with every article that I read. I have gone from writing about the change in American beef purchase over the last 10 years, to focusing on the environmental factors associated with changes in American ranching. The article that I found using Google Scholar relates to how farmers and ranchers are adapting to various external factors. In their article, “Agritourism: Motivations behind Farm/Ranch Business Diversification,” Norma Polovitz Nickerson, Rita J. Black and Stephen F. McCool pose the question, “…why farmers/ranchers have turned to (or plan to turn to) agritourism as a means of diversification/entrepreneurship” (Nickerson et al. 19).

In order to answer this question, the authors conducted a survey. Taking place in Montana, the study population was comprised of “Participant rosters from farm/ranch recreation business workshops…farmers/ranchers listed in the 1996-1997 edition of the annual Montana Travel Planner…[and] members of the Montana Ranch Vacation Association” (Nickerson et al. 21).  After identifying eleven reasons for diversification, a questionnaire was mailed to 707 participants, asking them to rate the reason for diversification on a scale of one to five, with five being most important. The eleven reasons for diversification included: “fluctuations in ag income, employment for family members, additional income, losing government ag programs, to meet a need in the recreation/vacation market, tax incentives, companionship with guests/users, an interest/hobby, to fully use resources, other farm/ranch recreation business successes, and to education the consumer” (Nickerson et al. 21).

After receiving 292 usable surveys, the data was analyzed by describing the data, testing for differences among the eleven reasons by looking at the mean scores for each reason, and using chi-square tests on groups of respondents while controlling for different variables. The authors concluded that the leading factor in diversifying for agritourism is based on economic reasons. They stated that this was not surprising and matched previous research.

This article has led me to question which government actions have had the most impact on farms and ranchers. These authors concluded that economic factors have led to the diversification of farms and ranches, but I want to know which specific government policies have led to these changes. I am also curious about the other ways in which farms and ranches have had to change apart from agritourism.

Nickerson, Polovitz Norma. Black, J. Rita. McCool, F. Stephen. 2001. “Agritourism: Motivations Behind Farm/Ranch Business Diversification.” Journal of Travel Research40(1): 19-26. Retrieved February 18, 2018. (http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/004728750104000104#articleCitationDownloadContainer)