ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on the overproduction trap facing farmers and dealt with export markets only as a residual outlet for surpluses. The literature coming closest to directly addressing the linkages includes more recent efforts focusing either on the structure of world resources, markets, and trade, or on the technology treadmill. The chapter discusses these linkages as global markets become the norm for agricultural commodities. It illustrates technological advances that are critical to the survival of American agriculture, and the future holds a continuous battle for farmers and ranchers in this country as they seek those advances. The story of technology as a catalyst, in brief, involves the linkages that connect technology and profits for commodity producers. Technology is also a treadmill that keeps American commodity producers running for their lives. The agricultural treadmill concept, developed decades ago by Willard Cochrane, describes why technological developments must be sought on a continuous basis to have any chance of remaining competitive.
