Nebraska

Nebraska is the first comprehensive examination of the patterns of Nebraskas resources, population, economy, climate, and landscape to be published in many years. Focusing especially on the people of Nebraska and the interaction between the environment and human use of the earth, Professor Baltensperger begins with a discussion of the physical environment and resources of the state and ties early patterns of development to the need to adjust settlement systems and agricultural practices to a subhumid climate. The role of energy-intensive agriculture in the states economy is a central aspect of the books examination of human interaction with the environment: The impact of modern technology on Nebraskas agricultural system and on its population receives considerable attention, as do the problems associated with recent agricultural developments. Also scrutinized are the land-use conflicts generated by urban growth and by the demands of an urban society on rural Nebraska.