Agricultural Migration and Population Prediction.

The article presents an analysis of the pattern of interstate migration of agricultural laborers in the U.S. For the past half-century the primary agricultural migration has been from the South to the North and the West. And it is predicted that these states will lose more population in the coming years. The data for the analysis is collected by interviewing 417 migrant workers or members of their families in two separate districts within Van Buren County, Michigan. Over half of the men, as well as of the women, in the families studied were between the ages of 30 and 49. Most of the migrants who were interviewed, were in agriculture occupation. 42 percent of the total interviewed migrants were originally form the state of Arkansas. It is also found that 175 persons of the total spent nine months or more of the year in their home city and only a small minority like migrancy. Their desire to stay is also related to their social acceptance. They are welcomed by the people in the towns. The study suggests that the movement of agricultural workers across the states would result in a continuing loss of population for the Southern states.