Changes in productivity are usually associated With technology At the firm level, this is a natural way to think about productivity. However, in aggregate analysis, measures of productivity can change even when technology does not The measures change when the proportions of farms in stable...

Self-appraisal--serious self-appraisal--is often recommended, rarely practiced. But the following article is a serious effort to set down and appraise the process or methods by which the Bureau of Agricultural Economics does develop its appraisal of the general economic situation which plays so...

Realized net income of farm operators reached a postwar high of 16.8 billion dollars in .1947 and declined to a postwar low of 12.4 billion dollars in 1950. These estimates are for calendar years. On a quarterly basis, in terms of seasonally adjusted annual rates, the postwar high was 17.9...

This article reviews economic and accounting bases for costs-of-production (COP) calculations It finds that the problems of circularity of arguments, potential cost� price spirals, and escalating land values are Inherent m all full COP methods of setting support prices Inflation, Income tax...

Costs of seven methods of handling beef by retail firms are explored, considering number and size of stores per firm and distance from the packer. The least costly method is centralized cutting into retail cuts by retail firms. Larger store size reduced per unit costs significantly for all...

Four strategies for farm growth are analyzed and compared on the basis of ownership, equity, and productive capacity achieved, and on the basis of resistance to adversity. The primary tool of analysis was a model utilizing a stochastic simulator interfaced with both ex ante and ex post linear...

Labor productivity is measured for each of 4 selected years for each of four components of personal consumption expenditures for food: food purchased for off-premises consumption, purchased meals and beverages, food furnished Government and commercial employees, and food produced and consumed on...

This article examines the role of agriculture in economic development in three Asian countries Japan, Korea, and Taiwan Agricultural output increased substantially and agricultural exports were achieved at the initial stage of economic development on Japan and Taiwan In Korea, however,...

Among all economic cycles that alternately bring cheer and despair to their participants and continuously challenge the ingenuity of analysts, none presents so rhythmic a pattern as does the cycle in cattle numbers. Many studies of the cattle cycle have been attempted but few published. This...

As part of its expanded research program, the Agricultural Estimates Division of AMS is exploring the possibilities of objective forecasts of yield for several crops. This paper summarizes results obtained from the first year's work on soybeans. Although these results must be regarded as...