The End of Agriculture in the American Portfolio

by Steven C. Blank

Overview

American agricultural production is destined to end, argues Steven Blank, but this should be no cause for alarm. In this work, he shows that the changes leading to the end of American agricultural production are part of a natural process that is making us all better off. Beginning with broad observations from history and the current status of agriculture around the world, Blank explores how the decisions of individuals combine to make the end of American agricultural production predictable and rational. The inevitable creeping of international economic development is shown to be the sum of individual struggles facing producers across America and around the world. Also, decisions regarding operating an agricultural business derive from many interrelated peculiarities of the industry, both in America and elsewhere. The story is fascinating in its global scope and is relevant to everyone because the simple economic decision-making processes involved will be repeated in the story of other industries.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781567201659
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date:	01/26/1998
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	232
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.69(d)

About the Author

STEVEN C. BLANK is a financial and risk management specialist in the Agricultural and Resource Economics Department at the University of California, Davis. He is the author of numerous publications including two previous books.

Table of Contents

Not Made in America
Agriculture: First In, First Out
Any Portfolio in a Storm
Reading Between the Curvy Lines
Lenders Ride the Rollercoaster
Will Agricultural Risks Chase Lenders Back to the City?
Dueling Portfolios
Live Poor, Die Rich
Working Without a Net
Why Not Fight, Rather than Switch?
Sustainable Agriculture: Golf Courses, Nurseries & Turf Farms
What Time Is the Last Dinner Bell?
Stop the Train, I Want to Get Off!
Guns for Hire
Is the Sky Falling?
Partial Glossary of American Food/Agricultural Clichés, Colloquialisms, Sayings, Etc.
Bibliography
Index

Editorial Reviews

Blank (agricultural economics, U. of California, Davis) proposes that in spite of its reputation as the world's breadbasket, the US is going out of the food production business. He discusses this situation in terms of international economic development and the peculiarities of the US food industry. He concludes that Americans must learn to let go of farming and ranching, become dependent on others for their food commodities, and eliminate the subsidies that delay the inevitable shift from agriculture to more profitable industries. Annotation c. by Book News, Inc., Portland, Or.

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