Price and income policies

Discussion and objective debate is an important and necessary ingredient of social decision-making in a democracy. Only thus can the public, legislators, administrators and special interest groups inventory and understand the complete range of phenomena relevant for public decision. Discussion and analysis is a method of measurement, for a more complete inventory of goals and sub-goals of public policy and for expression of hypotheses and predictions in respect to outcomes of various policy means. Discussion is the most ancient and universal process for reasoned calculation in social policy, whether this be at the program committee of the 4-H Club or in presidential elections.https://lib.dr.iastate.edu/card_reports/1006/thumbnail.jp

Fixed and Variable Elements in the Calculation of Machine Depreciation

Knowledge of the influence of depreciation on the costs of machinery usage is required for such decisions as custom hire vs. ownership of machines and timely replacement. Here, the author is developing a technique for estimating the joint effects of the fixed and variable elements on depreciation

Are Farmers Losing Their Right to Manage Their Farms Because of Contract Farming?

Excerpt: Farmers should be concerned about keeping the essential rights to the management of their farms in their own hands either as individuals or through cooperatives, or both. Farmers make up only about a third to a fourth of all the people who work to produce, process, and market farm products, including those who produce farm supplies. If large numbers of farmers should cease to assert major responsibilities for farm management and the risks of production, they might become submerged in the larger total of what has been called the "agribusiness sector." If the people who live out on the farms cease to make the vital decisions, they will become in effect piece workers, sharecroppers, or wage hands, and other entrepreneurs that have assumed the risks and responsibilities of management will eventually become the leaders of, and the spokesmen for, agriculture

Economic Effects of Progress in Animal Feeding

Technological progress in animal production in the last 30 years has been substantial in some ways, negligible in others. On the one hand, livestock production per animal unit of breeding stock has shown gains of the same order as those in crop production per acre of land. But on the other hand, aggregate livestock production per unit of feed has shown little improvement. Progress has followed, in the main, the path of increased physical efficiency per head rather than that of increased physical efficiency in feed conversion. What are the reasons for this disparity in rates of improvement in animal production per head and per unit of feed? Is it real? If so, will it persist? Why is it that significant advances in animal breeding, nutrition, and sanitation are not reflected in available data on feed conversion? These and many other related questions need to be answered. In this paper the authors analyze several aspects of economic effects of the apparent lag in feeding efficiency

Forestry Cooperatives: Organization and Performance

This study describes organizational structure, functions, and facilities of forestry cooperatives in the United States. It evaluates their economic performance and explores current problem areas and potentials for future development. Cooperative organization provides woodland owners professional forestry assistance, in terms of forest management, marketing, and educational activities. Some cooperatives consistently provide these services at less than prevailing rates and obtain higher than average stumpage prices on a local basis. In addition, forestry cooperatives have the potential to play a great role in marketing alternative forest products, such as wood for energy. Woodland-owner organizations have a wide range of sizes, business activities, types of forest products handled, and variety of services offered. However, there are potentially limiting factors that could inhibit somewhat cooperative organization on a long-term basis