The Industrialization of Agriculture in Texas and the Nation: Implications for the Family Farm, Community, and Land Grant University System. Technical Report No. 83-2.

This report demonstrates the complexity and diversity of agricultural structures in the United States and discusses changes produced in the family farm by agricultural industrialization. Data from the Economic Research Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the 1978 Census of Agriculture describe similarities and differences in social and technical arrangements of farms. A comparative analysis of production systems examines agricultural diversity in commodities produced, organizational characteristics of farms, personal characteristics of farm operators, and farm corporate structures. Discussion of the interchange between agricultural structures and rural communities includes impacts of farm population changes on rural communities and impacts of community growth on farming. The report examines a U.S. Department of Agriculture proposal to establish four categories of farms based on farm sales as a focus for future research and extension policies and programs. Discussion of the strategy includes identification of proposed research and extension efforts in each category and a critique of the four-category approach. Farms as organizational units of production are examined for the nation as a whole and for 10 leading agricultural producing states, including Texas. Tables containing supplementary data are placed throughout the text. A six-page list of references concludes the document. (LFL)