Farm children opt for more stable careers

WALTERS, Okla. (AP) -- Like many children of Oklahoma farmers, 23-year-old Josh Gammill of Walters says he doesn't plan to continue the family business.<br/><br/>Gammill says he's seen his parents

Sunday, May 29th 2005, 11:43 am

By: News On 6

WALTERS, Okla. (AP) -- Like many children of Oklahoma farmers, 23-year-old Josh Gammill of Walters says he doesn't plan to continue the family business.

Gammill says he's seen his parents struggle to make a living on the family's 2,000-acre wheat farm and would prefer a guaranteed paycheck.

So Gammill plans to join the Oklahoma Highway Patrol this year, which he says will lead to a more stable and financially comfortable life.

By most accounts in Oklahoma farming communities, children aren't taking over the family business in the numbers their parents did a generation ago.