SOUTHERN JOURNAL OF AGRICULTURAL ECONOMICS JULY, 1980 MEASUREMENT AND MODELING OF FARMERS ' GOALS: AN EVALUATION AND SUGGESTIONS

Farmers and other business people common- Lee and others have suggested a goal pro-ly consider multiple goals or objectives in their gramming approach in which it is assumed decisions, especially investment or other long- that various goals can be ranked in order of run decisions. Various techniques, such as dis- importance. Satisficing or target levels of cussed by Keeney and Raiffa, have been de- achievement are specified by the decision veloped to incorporate multiple goals or objec- maker for each of the goals. A lexicographic tives in decision making. These techniques dif- utility function is embodied in the model when fer in how the decision-making process is unique preemptive priority factors are as-viewed, empirical data required about goals, signed to each goal. This model may be repre-and solution algorithms. Considerable empha- sented as: sis has been given to development of alterna-tive models and solution algorithms, but prob- ++ lems (Willis and Perlack), of quantifying (1) Minimize X.aT + g a+ farmers ' goals for use in these models have re- subect to ceived relatively little attention