Farm country still lags behind the general population when it comes to getting the COVID-19 vaccine. But, the January Purdue/CME Group Ag Economy Barometer finds producers' attitudes about receiving a vaccine shifting since the fall.
Today nearly six out of ten producers, 58 percent, plan to get vaccinated as soon as possible. Just 24 percent of producers said the same this past October.
Still, 28 percent of farmers say they will NOT get the vaccine, compared with 37 percent in October.
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Last month, the Kaiser Family Foundation COVID-19 Vaccine Monitor reported 3 in 10 people in rural areas say they will "definitely get" the vaccine, compared to 4 in 10 people in urban areas and suburban areas.
Why is this? Dr. Lindsey Paulson is a family medicine physician: "I think that before we're going to be able to convince our community to take a vaccine, we're going to have to convince the community that COVID is a true public health concern."
Doctor Paulson continues. "In a population where most people think that COVID is nothing more than a cold or a mild flu, we may have difficulty convincing folks that they need a vaccine for this illness."