I grew up in rural Maine and helped on several types of farms myself.
Isolation (rural, children leave), low or fluctuating profits (price of diesel, fertilizer, feed etc), high stress and working hours, disconnection and exploitation (industrial seed and fertilizer, predatory distributors or suppliers) in some practices. Not an easy profession or way of life unless it is a hobby.
I know a family from Oxford County that left around 1900. First lose the farm, move to the Coast, split up after that. My impression is that the fields are very low yield compared to the massive acres to the East. Once they were connected by rail, a lot of history stopped right there. I resent the word "hobby" though, since it is essentially living on the land in some way, with a time frame that allows for raising children. The urban centers are the end of the line even for modern people.
Isolation (rural, children leave), low or fluctuating profits (price of diesel, fertilizer, feed etc), high stress and working hours, disconnection and exploitation (industrial seed and fertilizer, predatory distributors or suppliers) in some practices. Not an easy profession or way of life unless it is a hobby.