Farm size, farm structure, energy and climate: an alternate ecological analysis of United States agriculture [USA]

F. H. Buttel & O. W. Larson, III (see SA 29:1/81L2315) have used the aggregate state-level data contained in the Census of Agriculture (no publication information available) to study the relationship between farm size, structure, & energy consumption. Since data are aggregated on the basis of political units, problems arise both from the general question of ecological inference & from the question of whether political & agricultural boundaries have sufficient similarity for valid results. Reanalysis of Buttel's & Larson's data from the 48 contiguous states supports use of climatic variations rather than farm size as the primary explanation of variations in energy use. The nature of the relation of farm size to energy use becomes complex & variable when this factor is considered. In Farm Size, Farm Structure, Climate, and Energy: A Reconsideration, Oscar W. Larson, III, & Frederick H. Buttel (Cornell University, Ithaca, NY) note that the omission of climatic variables from the original study was due not to lack of data but to lack of theoretical justification for their use. Climatic factors are best perceived as contextual variables rather than as attributes of farm systems. Aggregate data have the advantage of making research possible on otherwise inaccessible topics. 4 Tables. W. H. Stoddard.