Childcare challenges might not be the first thing that comes to mind when thinking about farm business viability, yet according to a new study led by a Penn State researcher, childcare challenges can negatively impact farm businesses and the farm family.

The research—a collaboration between Florence Becot, Nationwide Insurance Early Career Professor in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences, and Shoshanah Inwood, associate professor of community, food, and economic development at Ohio State University—focused on understanding how children and their needs shape the farm enterprise.

To assess the extent to which childcare arrangements, farm individuals and households, and farm enterprise characteristics interact, the researchers compiled and administered a comprehensive survey and analyzed responses from 729 U.S. farm families. They recently reported their findings in Agriculture and Human Values.

"Over three quarters of farm families with children under 18 had experienced childcare challenges, largely due to cost and availability, which means that they often must cobble together multiple paid and unpaid childcare options," Becot said.

"When childcare has been discussed in agriculture before, it has most often been done from a farm-safety standpoint, because children on the farm are exposed to higher rates of injuries and fatalities compared to children in the general population. But this new study suggests that childcare challenges also frequently impact farm business decisions."

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