Many people say farmers are a dying breed. In a recent study, however, one professor is trying to determine how greatly agribusiness is affecting farming in key areas, such as southeastern Pennsylvania.

Counties like Berks, Lancaster, Chester, Dauphin, Northampton, Lebanon, York and Cumberland are subject to population and development pressures.

"Eight out of the top 10 agricultural areas, value-wise, are in these counties. The state has lots of programs for preserving farmland, but if supporting businesses are gone, then how can farms survive?" said Tim Kelsey, associate professor of agricultural economics.

Agribusiness is comprised of three areas. One is the farmer and the land, another is the distributor, which is responsible for taking products like wheat and converting it to flour, said Clyde Myers, a county extension agent for Berks County and a Penn State employee.

The third is supporting businesses, which can include veterinarians, feed mills, equipment manufacturers, aerial spraying and many other companies that support farmers.

"A lot of money is being put into preserving the land. We need to get a hand on the number of acres needed to support agribusiness," Myers said.

At one time these businesses were only 10 or 15 minutes away, but now farmers need to drive an hour or more, or even wait a few days to receive necessary supplies or equipment.

Kelsey received a grant from the Center for Rural Pennsylvania to "examine the economic ties between farming operations, farmland preservation, and agribusiness sustainability."

He is working in conjunction with Penn State Cooperative Extension and the study should be completed by the end of the year.

"Tim's project is exciting because he is trying to address some hard questions. We've been trying to preserve agriculture by preserving farmland. He's trying to determine how much industry is needed to support agricultural production," said Jonathan Johnson, an employee at the Center for Rural Pennsylvania.

The study includes two types of surveys. Written surveys were mailed to 2,000 farmers and agribusiness owners in the southeastern section of the state, and 150 face-to-face interviews with business owners will also be conducted.

"Lancaster County is ranked 15 in the country for agricultural production, while Chester County is ranked 50 and Berks County is 90 out of the top 100," Myers said.

While southeastern Pennsylvania is the most critical area, results should be extricable and can be applied to Centre County, as well as statewide, Kelsey said.

"Access to markets and suppliers is a concern for any type of business and farming is a business," Johnson said.