This volume is concerned with the paradigm shifts occurring in U.S. agriculture and its related financial services sector. The U.S. agricultural sector is undergoing rapid change with large segments commonly described as industrialized. Often observers focus on the technological and structural changes that the sector is undergoing and ignore other

Farm credit and tax policies have become increasingly important areas of concern for policymakers and agriculturists. Rising levels of debt use among the nation's commercial producers, rising interest rates, and an increased dependence on international commodity markets have contributed to greater income volatility at the farm level, making financi