POLICIES TO MEET ACCELERATED GROWTH

Agricultural and Food Policy,

ELEMENTS IN MAKING RURAL DEVELOPMENT GO

Community/Rural/Urban Development,

COMMODITY PRICES AND RESOURCE USE UNDER VARIOUS ENERGY ALTERNATIVES IN AGRICULTURE

An interregional, large-scale linear programming model is used to evaluate the economic impact of the energy crisis on U.S. agricultural production. The study examines the changes in crop production under energy minimization, an energy shortage, high energy prices, and high agricultural exports accompanied by high energy prices. Results indicate that reduced supplies or higher prices for energy will have important impacts on commodity prices, irrigated agriculture, and on rural communities.Resource /Energy Economics and Policy,

Productivity and income of labor and capital on Marshall Silt Loam farms in relation to conservation farming

Farm production results from combining labor, capital in many forms, soil resources and management. Without anyone of these resources, no production would be forthcoming. A farmer\u27s decision, then, is one of determining the form and amount of these various resources to combine. Many resources can be used in farming. Each variety of seed, strain of livestock, form of fertilizer and type of building or machine represents a different form of capital; in a like manner, soils of different productivity, or laborers and managers of different ability, represent different resources or factors of production. However, in a general way, the farm manager must decide on the amounts and combinations of those four major resources, labor, capital, land and management; while farmers generally use their own managerial qualities in the day-to-day and long-run decisions of the farm business, they also have the opportunity to obtain management advice from college specialists, county agents and soil conservation technicians, or even to hire managerial services from a commercial firm

Another Look at the Farm Problem

Treating symptoms may relieve the pain but not effect a cure - unless the basic causes are recognized, understood and treated also. Here\u27s a straightforward look at the two major farm problems we have today and at some possibilities for doing something in the near future to overcome or solve them

FERTILIZER DEMAND FUNCTIONS FOR SPECIFIC NUTRIENTS APPLIED TO THREE MAJOR U.S. CROPS

Several past studies used time series data to estimate price elasticities of demand for fertilizer or nutrient use on all crops in the United States or by region. In this study, demand functions for nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium applied per acre of corn, wheat and soybeans in the United States were estimated, using a combination of autoregressive least squares and seemingly unrelated regression techniques. The results suggest that the demands for nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium applied to corn are price elastic, while similar responses for wheat and soybeans are price inelastic. Nitrogen and phosphorous applied per acre of corn were found to be positively related to government sponsored acreage diversion. The estimated elasticities could provide policymakers with insight for developing fertilizer and crop policies.Crop Production/Industries,

EFFECTS OF ALTERNATIVE FARM POLICIES ON FARM AND NONFARM SECTORS OF RURAL AMERICA

Agricultural and Food Policy,

Towards a Long-Range Solution to the Commercial Farm Problem

Current land diversion programs only extend the commercial farm problem into the future. A long-run program of permanent land withdrawal with appropriate compensation could solve the surplus problem and save yearly treasury outlays

Effect of Export, Environmental and Soil Conservancy Measures on Productivity, Land Use and Income of Iowa

A national model was constructed to evalute the Iowa conservancy law as it might affect environmental quality, land productivity, export potentials and income of the Iowa and national farm sectors. The mathematical model analyzed 12 land classes in each of 12 Iowa agroclimatic regions and in 105 natural agroclimatic regions. Alternatives analyzed included limiting annual soil loss per acre to 2.5 and 5 tons, reduction of chemical nitrogen and shift of pesticides to organophosphates and carbamates in Iowa while parallel adjustments are not made in the rest of the nation\u27s agriculture. Exports at various levels are evaluated. While full implementation of Iowa\u27s conservancy law apart from the nation would maintain land productivity in the state, farm income would decline in Iowa but increase elsewhere, with increased exports, Iowa would gain in farm income but by a smaller proportion than the rest of the nation