Current Research Interests

Temporary Foreign Workers

Today many agricultural enterprises are relying on the H2-A and J-1 visas to provide for their temporary labor needs.  This has led to a resurgence of private employment agencies in American agriculture, as well as an atypical stream of agricultural workers from countries such as South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Denmark, Romania as well as many others. 

 

Custom Harvesting Research Project and Oral History

Along with conducting a survey of U.S. Custom Harvesters Inc. members, I have recorded the oral histories of 35 individuals associated with custom harvesting throughout the Great Plains to learn more about international labor, custom harvesting history and culture, Great Plains agriculture, technological advances, and much more.  For more information about this project, please see my blog at http://harvestresearch.blogspot.com/. 

 

Literary and place perception comparison of the U.S. Great Plains and the Russian Steppe

Historical and contemporary views of two grassland environments show myriad similarities between these two regions.  This is a relatively recent undertaking in its early stages.   

 

U.S. Rural Migration

 County-to-county migration data available from the U.S. Census Bureau has proved to be an invaluable resource in this area.