Contents -- Foreword -- Introduction -- PART I. Estimation and Statistical Inference in Economics -- Estimation and Statistical Inference in Economics -- The Pre-1940 Period -- The Decade of the 1940s -- The Decade of the 1950s -- The Decade of the 1960s -- The First Half of the 1970s -- The Future -- Concluding Remarks -- References -- Discussion of George G. Judge's Estimation and Statistical Inference in Economics -- References -- PART II. Economic Optimization in Agricultural and Resource Economics -- On Economic Optimization: A Nontechnical Survey -- Optimization Models -- Parametric Programming and Comparative Static Analysis -- Duality -- Algorithms -- Efficiency and Games -- Decomposition and Coordination -- Multiple Goals -- Risk and Uncertainty -- Dynamic Optimization -- Recursive Optimization -- On the Normative Content of Optimizing -- Concluding Remarks -- References -- Optimization Models in Agricultural and Resource Economics -- Food and Diet -- Farm and Agribusiness Management -- Farm Firm Development -- Production Response -- Interregional and Spatial Economics -- Natural Resources -- Agricultural Development Problems -- References -- Agricultural Production Function Studies -- Aggregate Production Functions -- Production Functions for Crop Production -- Production Functions for Animal and Poultry Production -- Assessment -- Future Outlook and Research Needs -- References -- PART III. Systems Analysis and Simulation in Agricultural and Resource Economics -- Systems Analysis and Simulation: A Survey of Applications in Agricultural and Resource Economics -- Historical Perspective -- Nomenclature -- Systems Concepts -- Model Representation -- Simulation -- Applications of Systems Analysis and Simulation -- Critique and Appraisal -- Tables of General References and Surveys -- Notes -- References.

PART IV. Agricultural Economic Information Systems -- Developments in Agricultural Economic Data -- The Setting for Agricultural Data -- The Census of Agriculture -- Survey Methods -- Current Commodity Statistics -- Farm Data -- Production Resources and Costs -- Marketing -- Data on Farm-Related Business -- Food Consumption and Nutrition -- Natural Resource Economic Data -- International Data -- Rural Area Development -- The Future -- Technical Developments in Agricultural Estimates Methodology -- History of Methodology for Agricultural Statistics before 1940 -- Technical Developments in Agricultural Estimates Methodology, 1940-50 -- Technical Advances in Agricultural Statistical Methodology, 1950-70 -- Crop Yield Estimates and Forecasts -- Multiple Frame Estimation Theory -- Advances in Automatic Data Processing -- Future Possibilities for Technological Advances -- Assessment of the Current Agricultural Data Base: An Information System Approach -- The Current State of Our Information Systems -- Data, Analysis, and Information: A Paradigm -- The Design and Management of Information Systems -- Conclusion -- Notes -- Rural Economic and Social Statistics -- The Demand for Economic and Social Statistics -- The Supply of Economic and Social Statistics -- Suggestions for Improvement of the Statistical System -- Conclusion -- Notes -- Appendix (Part IV). A Brief Review of the Literature by Subject Category -- Information Systems and Purposes -- Theoretical and Operational Concepts -- Data Collection Methods -- Evaluations of Methodology -- Evaluations of Information Systems, Programs, Concepts, and Data -- Information and Data Needs -- Reports of Advisory Committees -- Relationship between Agricultural Economic Data and National Economic Data -- Explanations and Illustrations of Data Series -- Evaluative Techniques -- Economic Forecasting Models.

Foreign Agricultural Economic Information -- References (Part IV) -- Epilogue.