Most of us involved in agricultural research and education are aware of the tremendous aid to our work computers have provided over the past 20 to 25 years. But the innovation to which ECOP refers—the phenomenon of the microcomputer in agriculture–is just now unfolding.

Energy use in U.S. production of food and fiber is extensive and has increased rapidly. A threefold increase occurred from 1940 to 1970 (Carter and Yonde). Food and fiber production accounted for about 13 percent of the total energy consumed in the U.S. in 1980 (Duncan and Webb). Of the total energy use in food and fiber production, farm level production directly consumes about 21 percent (U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture and Forestry).

Rural areas and small towns are facing new challenges as their economies grow and develop. The population influx to nonmetropolitan areas has brought new and increasing demands for community services. Preliminary 1980 census figures indicate that nonmetropolitan counties increased by about 15 percent, whereas metropolitan counties increased by about 9 percent from 1970 to 1980 (Beale).

In an earlier paper, Litzenberg reviewed many of the issues associated with computer use in the agricultural economics classroom. His work also included a survey of land grant university work, inventorying hardware resources and computer-related course offerings.

This paper examines the impact of federal fiscal-monetary (FM) policy on farm structure. FM policy is multifaceted but is confined here mainly to policies influencing aggregate demand. Inflation is defined as an increase in the general price level. Farm structure refers to farm size and numbers, tenure, legal organization, investment, capital-labor ratio, productivity, and status (part-time or full-time farming).

Considerable research has been conducted to explore economies of size in the livestock auction market industry. Since auction market cost functions are expected to conform to microeconomic theory, conclusions regarding industry economies of size are often derived from estimated long-run average total cost (LRATC) functions (French; Stoddard).

Agriculture is unique with respect to the importance of weather variability on output and profits. Irrigation has long been recognized as a means of increasing yields and profits in the arid west, and recently interest in investments in supplemental irrigation in humid areas has accelerated (Brown and Skinner; Hewitt et al.; Levins; Clouser et al., Worm et al.; Schoney and Massie).

The only pesticides a farmer may use on his crops are those that are registered for such use by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Registration of a particular pesticide can be withdrawn or partially restricted if the EPA determines that the risk to society outweighs the benefits of continued unrestricted use.

The productivity of modern agriculture is the result of a remarkable fusion of technology and science. In the West this fusion was built on ideological foundations that, from the early Middle Ages, have valued both the improvement of material well-being and the advancement of knowledge.

Canada is the most important U.S. export market for frozen concentrated orange juice, accounting for over 8 million gallons of exports each of the past 9 years. Brazil and the U.S. are the dominant suppliers of orange juice in Canada. Prior to 1975, the U.S. held more than 60 percent of the Canadian market.

During the 1960s and through 1973, a single equation demand system resulted in reasonably accurate forecasts of both pork and beef prices at the farm and retail levels (Grimes 1974a, 1974b). Errors in forecasts were primarily attributable to errors in projections of supply variables and, to a lesser extent, projections of consumer income. Some minor errors resulted from random variation, captured in an error variable.

The transportation literature reveals several studies that attempt to model freight rates. These efforts are important as they provide insight into rate determinants and consequently assist firms in planning, provide input into transportation policy debates, and are of use in transportation and commodity research. In such studies, freight-rate variations typically are explained by differences in commodity types, competition from alternative modes, and distance (Perkins; Benishay and Whitaker; Binkley and Harrar; Ferguson and Glorfeld; Boles; Miklius). However, when shippers must rely on one mode to ship a very limited mix of goods to one or a few destinations, this approach is of little use in explaining rate variations. The produce industry is a case in point.

This article presents an analysis of factors influencing farm real eatate prices in the southeastern United States. The first step in the analysis is the use of a multivariate criterion to segment the regional market into homogeneous land resource components.

The importance of the role played by household size and the age-sex characteristics of household membership in consumer expenditure and demand studies has been discussed by Barton, Blokland, Buse and Salathe, McClements (1977), Muellbauer (1974, 1980), Prais and Houthakker, and Price.

Recreational pursuits have been discussed by economists and others involved in the planning of public sector investment since early in the 1930s. This discussion developed from a peripheral concern to an intense interest as legislative legitimacy was gained for the use of recreational benefit measures to justify public sector investment in multiple purpose river developments. The history of recreation benefit assessment has been adequately discussed elsewhere. In this paper, the justification for inclusion of recreation benefits in economic analyses is not addressed. However, it is worth noting that emphasis has shifted over time from an almost exclusive concern with recreation opportunities provided by development activities to an emphasis upon the recreation opportunities lost in that process as well.

In an attempt to combat problems of insect resistance and the increasing cost of new insecticides, integrated pest management (IPM) systems have been developed for many crops, including cotton. Cotton IPM systems include such components as scouting to determine when control actions should be taken, planting trap crops, and using short season varieties of cotton. Regardless of the component(s) of IPM systems for cotton, when a decision is made that a direct control action is warranted, the control action most often used is the application of insecticides. Thus, although IPM strategies may reduce the frequency of insecticide applications and consequently reduce the possible problem of insecticide resistance, the use of conventional, broad-spectrum insecticides continues to be the primary control tool when insect outbreaks occur.

Forest management and planning is complex, involving the application of many scarce and diverse resources to the production and maintenance of a multitude of products and services from the forest over a relatively long period of time.

Current concern about the health effects of American dietary habits has led to recommendations by government officials and nutrition experts that consumers increase their consumption of vegetables (U.S. Congress, Council for Agricultural Science and Technology).