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periods, nutrients are quickly leached from the soils. Micronutrient deficiencies is nt uncommon. Farmers are thus faced with heavy fertilization in order to achieve yields equivalent to 1/2 to 1/3 the yield common to the Midwest. Considering only fertilizer and fuel costs which have risen dramatically over the past decade and variable market prices, the profit margin is extremely slim when compared to midwest
farms.
The infrastructural Constraints are varied. There are
limited vegetable market opportunities; local market demand is easily saturated by local production forcing farmers to distant markets. The recent changes in the tobacco and peanut allotment systems (the latter wAs eliminated) and changes in grading and marketing policies have tended to force small farm households out of these enterprises. Livestock markets are unstable and given limited sources of animal feed, it is risky to initially invest in livestock. Volume sales enables the Midwest to dominate grain and livestock markets, determining the market price feedstuffs cost. This has a dominating influence on expected net profit of a Flor ida livestock producer. Finally, credit tends to be extended on the basis of whether farmers follow recommended practices designed to achieve maximum yields, rather than practices to assure some returns given the constraints just described.
Constraints may interact with one another. For example, exogenous constraints have further constrained management. Droughts during recent years have made it difficult for a farmer to decide when to plant and fertili-ze. Part time farmers must take advantage of free time to perform a particular management practice with the risk of failure because the time was not opportune, e.g. planting in a dry period. Other farmers, not so constrained, will plant over a period of time so that at least part of the crop makes. Infrastructural conditions affect both management and capital constraints. Federal legislation has periodically changed credit policies, for example, and farm policy has delayed when markets open and consequently left farm household members guessing as to what, when and how much to plant.