Using a translog production function, cereal production on state farms in Ethiopia between 1980 and 1985 was analyzed. The farms were found to be operating at constant returns to scale. Manual labor was under-utilized, while machinery and other modern inputs were over-utilized. Elasticities of...

In applications of expected utility analysis, researchers are confronted with a choice among several utility functional forms. Subjective utility values and probability distributions for price and yield were elicited from Sri Lankan producers of minor export crops. Exponential quadratic and...

Agricultural activities have been identified as major contributors to the non-point pollution of the Chesapeake Bay. Low-input agricultural practices are being considered to reduce pollution in areas adjoining the Chesapeake Bay. A multiperiod mathematical programming model was used to examine...

The Chesapeake Bay is a major water resource whose quality has been threatened by soil erosion and agrichemical contamination. The control of agricultural pollution of the Bay is one of the focal points of the 1987 Chesapeake Bay agreement formed by four states in the Bay's watershed (Virginia,...

Poor management of the southeastern vegetable marketing cooperatives has been linked to poor record keeping practices. The VEGMARC II Record Keeping Program is part of a comprehensive multi-agency effort to provide solutions to the problems of southeastern vegetable marketing cooperatives. This...

A conceptual optimal control theory model which considers farm level decision making with respect to soil management is developed. A simplified version of the theoretical model is applied to the Piedmont area of Virginia. The model includes the productivity impacts of both soil erosion and...

This paper analyzes the effects of uncertain soil loss in farm planning models. A disaggregated approach was used because of an interest in examining the impact of probabilistic soil loss constraints on farm level decision-making. A stochastic programming model was used to consider different...

The complementary interaction between topsoil depth and technical progress for winter wheat in the Palouse region was found to strengthen the long run payoff to conservation tillage. Nonetheless, conservation tillage was found to be competitive with conventional tillage only if its current yield...