http://www.loc.gov/mods/v3 http://www.loc.gov/standards/mods/v3/mods-3-2.xsd
viii, 108 leaves : illustrations, maps ; 28 cm.
In this study, U.S. agriculture is viewed as a
multidimensional phenomenon varying along three distinct axes
of measurement: corporate-commercial agriculture, fanning-
firm agriculture, and small-farm agriculture. Data were
obtained from the U.S. Census of Agriculture for the years
1982 to 1992, and transformed to improve symmetry. Multiple-
indicators of the structure of agriculture were used to
replicate and extend the previous work of Wimberley (I 987).
Oblique principal-axis factor analysis produced pattern
matrices consistent with expected dimensional structures.
Factor-scores were used to estimate scales that had high
reliabilities (omega coefficients > .9) and strong inter-
temporal correlations for each scale across years were
observed. Although the content of each scale was consistent
across the three years, structural shifts in U.S.
agristructure occur-red at the county level during the 1980s.
Because farming is also affected by technological and
environmental elements, the relationships between farm
program participation, production systems, agrochemical
inputs, and geographic regions with agristructure were
investigated. Bivariate correlations indicated that to
accurately measure agristructure, farm program participation,
production systems, agrochemical inputs, and regional
variations should be considered in future studies.
Issued also on microfiche from Lange Micrographics.
Includes bibliographical references: pages 79-87.