U.S. farms growing rice varied considerably among seven rice-growing regions, according to the 1984 Farm Costs and Returns Survey. This report (which includes 28 data tables) summarizes and compares the production practices and costs of production of United States rice farms. Costs per acre of rice were greatest in California and on the Lower…

Describes the changes taking place as a result of the depletion of groundwater supplied by the Ogallala aquifer. Provides maps and tables which show changes occurring in agriculture, and reports the results of a survey of residents' opinions on potential solutions to the problem. (JDH)

Productivity in farm machinery manufacturing is examined. The authors discuss how the national economy affects productivity, how the growth of agriculture and technology has changed the industry, and how future trends may cause change in the industry. (CT)

Assesses the current status of science and technology in India, focusing on developments in agriculture, energy, medicine, space, basic sciences, and engineering. Indicates that although India has benefited in many fields from international collaboration during the last 30 years, the country's leaders have also placed particularly strong emphasis…

Discusses: (1) the synergistic nature of science, technology, and engineering; (2) the benefits and burdens of technology; (3) the resolution of societal issues; and (4) the roles and responsibilities of scientists and engineers in the resolution of societal issues. (JN)

This report analyzes production and financial characteristics of sugar beet producers in seven regions. Section 1 examines the structural characteristics of U.S. sugar beet producers. Sugar beet production; land use, tenure, irrigation, and livestock enterprises are considered. Section 2 discusses production costs, including cost estimates,…

Discusses the use of remote sensing techniques to obtain locational, estimated, and mapped information at the scales varying from individual fields and farms, to entire continents and the world. (AEM)

This report presents the Economic Research Service's estimates of the costs of producing wheat, feed grains, cotton, and dairy commodities. It includes costs for other farm products that compete with the required commodities, namely rice, peanuts, soybeans, flax, sunflowers, fed cattle, hogs, sheep, and sugar. The report begins by assessing costs…

Definitions of biosphere and ecosystem are provided as the basis for understanding a problem that threatens to become (or already is) a global issue, namely, human activity which results in reducing the diversity of life forms present in the biosphere as an ecosystem. Two aspects of this problem are: (1) the growth of human populations worldwide…

Produced in response to the Science and Technology Policy Organization and Priorities Act of 1976, this two-volume publication was written to provide a look into the future in terms of relating the agenda of science and technology to the visible near-term problems of American society and its external responsibilities for stable peace and the…

Examines the future of United States agriculture, with primary reference to the next two decades and a more general assessment to the year 2020. Major areas considered include population and economic growth, food and agricultural policies, and the long-term productive capacity of U.S. agriculture. (JN)

This is the second volume of a two-volume series produced in response to the Science and Technology Policy Organization and Priorities Act of 1976. This volume consists of source materials in three sections: (1) a report prepared by the National Academy of Sciences which focuses on current and emerging opportunities and problems in selected areas…

Increasingly, institutions are seeking money directly from Congress for new research facilities and other science projects, stirring criticism of "pork-barrel science" and special advantages given to land-grant colleges. (MSE)

Today, farming claims fewer members in the U.S. work force, and its share of the gross national product has substantially decreased. Yet farming remains important to the economy because of its links to a variety of industries. Extensive use of financial inputs has made farmers more vulnerable to fluctuations in the general economy, rising costs,…

This report provides a distribution of research and development (R&D) programs by the functions of the federal budget. It includes only federal conduct of R&D programs, with R&D plant and all non-R&D activities excluded. The sections of the report are presented in descending order of R&D budget authority for the various…