Commitment to farming persists amid declining farmer satisfaction

Researchers have increasingly documented associations between agricultural stress and poorer farmer satisfaction and well-being. However, less attention has been paid to how agricultural stress relates to other responses, including commitment to continuing in agriculture and livelihood adjustments. Using 2025 pilot data from the Alabama Farm Poll, we examine associations between economic, production, policy, and social stressors and farmer satisfaction, commitment to farming, and livelihood adjustments. Linear regression models show that stressors across all four dimensions were consistently associated with lower farmer satisfaction, with social stressors exhibiting comparatively greater relationships across models. In contrast, associations between stress and commitment to farming were weaker and less consistent. Farmers also reported a range of livelihood adjustments, including postponing investments, reducing expenditures, increasing off-farm work, and modifying household consumption patterns. These findings indicate that declines in farmer satisfaction do not necessarily correspond to proportional declines in commitment to remaining in agriculture and that farming households often manage stress through ongoing livelihood accommodations.