The purpose of this thesis is to present the results of a study of the impacts of the Conservation Reserve Program, Title XII of the Food Security Act of 1985, on the economies of small communities located in Gilliam, Morrow and Umatilla Counties in Oregon. These counties are representative of many rural counties which are extremely dependent on agriculture for their economic well-being. The main objectives of this study are to determine: 1) the economic impacts of an agricultural policy, in this case the CRP, on rural communities; and 2) who may benefit and who may be adversely affected by the policy. As the structure of agriculture continues to change, communities as well as individual farmers, will experience this change in varying degrees. In general, the outlook for rural communities which are so dependent on agriculture is somewhat bleak. The focus of this thesis, therefore, is to attempt to assess the impact of the Conservation Reserve Program on such communities. / Graduation date: 1988

The purpose was to evaluate airport impact on nearby residential property values (RPV). The hypothesis was that a relationship between noise levels, and nearby RPV could be identified and quantified. The objective was to model a relationship between housing location with respect to an airport and housing value, taking into consideration other relevant factors. Evaluation of aviation facilities impact on RPV was based on a sample of 587 single-family houses sold during 1984 and 1985. Selling price was used as the dependent variable. Independent variables included physical characteristics of a house, distance to the closest airport, accessibility of a house to the urban area, and supply and demand for houses. Distance to nearest airport was used as a surrogate for aircraft noise level. Study indicated that impact of aviation facilities on RPV could be quantified using selling price of a house as the dependent variable and distance from an airport as a primary independent variable along with physical characteristics of a house. Effect of an airport on RPV appears dependent not only on distance, but also on type of airport and selling price of a house. Davis-Monthan Airport (DM), a military airport, has a significantly greater impact than Tucson International Airport (TIA), a commercial airport. DM impact was greatest on houses priced above sample median. However, lower priced houses were effected more when the impact was expressed as a percent of selling price. DM impact area was approximately 2 miles from the airport, while TIA impact was about 1 mile from the facility. Distance from DM was the most significant variable in describing variation in selling price for houses closest to this facility. Living area of a house was also a very significant variable. Distance to TIA was not very significant in evaluating selling price variation. Living area and age of a house were generally the most significant variables describing selling price variation for TIA subset.

The intensity of use of a mineral is traditionally defined as the consumption (production plus net imports) of the mineral divided by gross national product. It has been proposed that this ratio of raw material input to gross economic output is a predictable function of per capita income and that the relationship is based on economic theory. Though the theory has never been clearly defined, the intensity of use method has been used to make long term forecasts. This dissertation formulates a theoretical model of the consumption of minerals and the resulting intensity of use which is used to test the validity of the traditional intensity of use measure and its forecasting ability. Previous justifications of the intensity of use hypothesis state that changes in technical efficiency, substitution rates among inputs, and demands are explained by per capita income, which, as it grows, produces a regular intensity of use pattern. The model developed in this research shows that the life of the goods in use, foreign trade of raw and final goods, prices, consumer preferences, technical innovations, as well as the above factors fully explain economic use, which is not simply a function of per capita income. The complete model is used to restate the traditional theory of intensity of use and to examine the sensitivity of traditional measures to changes in the explanatory variables which are commonly omitted. The full model demonstrates the parameters that must be examined when making a long term forecast. Regular intensity of use patterns are observed for many minerals in many nations. Setting aside the theoretical questions, the intensity of use method is often used to make long term projections based on these trends in intensity of use as well as the trends in population and gross national product. This dissertation examines the forecasting ability of the traditional intensity of use method and finds that it is not necessarily an improvement over naive consumption time trend forecasts. Furthermore, it is unstable for very long term projections.

This item was digitized as part of the Million Books Project led by Carnegie Mellon University and supported by grants from the National Science Foundation (NSF). Cornell University coordinated the participation of land-grant and agricultural libraries in providing historical agricultural information for the digitization project; the University of Arizona Libraries, the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, and the Office of Arid Lands Studies collaborated in the selection and provision of material for the digitization project.

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Item lacks publication date - publication date of 1980-1985 indicated by UA Library Catalog and WorldCat.

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