The levels and risk-free nature of rice market transition payments associated with the FAIR Act of 1996 have encouraged many rice landowners to reconsider their tenure contracts. A methodology for comparing landowners' decision to "self-operate" versus "rent to a tenant" is presented.

An optimization model is used to evaluate the economics of various components of a large agribusiness. The benefits of using interger programming are contrasted to traditional linear programming analysis in conjunction with outside-the-model budgeting analysis.

Research directed toward determining the optimal capital structure for agricultural cooperatives could provide solutions to debt-related financial stress problems (Moller, Featherstone, and Barton, 1996). Assessing the cooperatives' member needs, proper capitalization, and economies of scale are...