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The price of American farmland has been propelled sky-high by forces both internal and external to agriculture: farm expansion, urbanization, rural parcelization, foreign investments in U.S. land, conglomerate corporations entering agriculture, vertical integration in the food system, and so on.

Studs sawn from small-diameter, young-growth ponderosa pine suffer severe warp when dried. Kiln drying under top-load at conventional temperatures results in a 17-percent increase in number of studs meeting grade requirements.

The changing interface between commercial agriculture and quasi-agricultural interests in rural areas and the rising capital requirements in farming suggest an emerging compromise in the form of a dual rural economy: (1) large commercial farm units, and (2) smaller farms, based on subsistence, part-time, retirement, or hobby interests.

Fertilizer nitrogen can be lost when gaseous ammonia volatilizes following surface application of urea fertilizer. Fertilizer placement 1½ inches deep can help prevent significant losses from occurring.

Using compounds that were successful in treating russet-sensitive Golden Delicious apples, scientists tested Yellow Newtown Pippins in the Pajaro Valley for response against russeting. The treatments did not reduce russet enough to warrant use.