Trends of specialization and scale increases: A micro/macro analysis of agriculture in Iowa
Date
1999
Authors
Carolan, Michael Stanley
Major Professor
Advisor
Padgitt, Steve
Committee Member
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Abstract
This thesis examines specialization and scale increases which have occurred in Iowa agriculture. Beginning with a historical approach, the paper illustrates the concomitant relationship between increasing scale and specialization. Such a relationship has resulted in the average Iowa farm increasing in scale from 157 acres in 1920 to 343 acres in 1997, while Iowa's commodity basket has "shrunk" from producing thirty-nine commodities in at least one percent of all Iowa farms in 1920 to producing only nine commodities in 1997. The thesis follows by investigating the relationship between specialization and scale among current Iowa producers; expecting to observe that smaller operations are more diverse than larger operations due to the "risks" associated with specialized production agriculture. The data reveals, however, that small farms are, in fact, more specialized than are the larger operations; instead, revealing the proliferation of off-farm income among the smaller producers as an alternative strategy to the risks associated with specialized production agriculture.
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thesis