Growth in the meat packing and processing industry in the Midwestern United States has generated a significant amount of debate regarding the costs and benefits of this type of economic development. This research employs 1990-2000 proprietary data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics'...

This paper examines factors affecting the role of individual, farm production, family finance, and regional characteristics in affecting labor force decisions by farm households. Young, more educated households are much more likely to work off-farm, suggesting that off-farm labor has become an...

A 1996 welfare act that allows states more leeway in designing their own welfare programs is expected to dramatically change the role of local governments with respect to human service delivery programs. It is important that policymakers and local officials understand how changes are likely to...

If economic growth elsewhere raises an individual's earning prospects relative to his present location, then the individual will move. However, if the individual can exploit economic growth elsewhere by commuting, he will not need to move to gain from the expansion. County-level data from eight...

A better understanding of the relationship between a state's agricultural sector and the national agricultural economy increases the ability of agricultural interest groups to anticipate and understand policy developments. This paper develops and documents a state-level model of the Iowa...

The signing of the Food Security Act of 1985 (FSA 85), by President Reagan in December 1985 culminated a lengthy deliberation process involving food producing and consuming groups throughout the United States. During the debate, an analysis of a wide range of policy options for the 1985 Farm...

On July 27, 1993 a multidisciplinary committee was formed at Iowa State University to provide preliminary estimates for the economic effects of the 1993 floods on Iowa's agricultural enterprises. This report summarizes the committee's initial estimates of the losses by broad economic category;...

A better understanding of the relationship between a state's agricultural sector and the national agricultural economy increases the ability of agricultural interest groups to anticipate and understand policy developments. This paper develops and documents a state-level model of the Iowa...