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<br />In conclusion, we can say that the results of this study are most sen- <br />sitive to the commodity price projections used, and these, in turn, are most <br />sensitive to the demand for export of U.S. farm products. The assumptions <br />used to estimate export demand are reasonable if relatively free trade in <br />agricultural commodities continues and there is no major shift in the rela- <br />tionship between domestic production and demand for food in the countries <br />which are currently major customers for U.S. farm products. A collapse in the <br />export market would have a more significant effect on the economy of the High <br />Plains Region than likey variations from the projected levels of energy <br />price, agricultural productivity, or domestic economic growth used in this <br />study. <br /> <br />Alternative Future Events <br /> <br />A second set of senSitivity analyses was performed to assess the effect <br />of specific events occurring in the Region. Using the regional input/output <br />model, the impacts of three significant changes from the High Plains con- <br />ditions used in the analysis of water management strategies were assessed. <br />This "what if" analysis projected significant economic indicators for sce- <br />narios of drought, enhanced irrigation, and an expanded energy sector. <br /> <br />Drought <br /> <br />The analysis of management strategies in Chapters Five and Six was based <br />on annual average rainfall. In this sensitivity analysis projections were <br />made of a year in which yields fell as a result of insufficient rainfall to <br />levels based on previous drought year experience. <br /> <br />Yield reductions based on examination of statistics for the worst year <br />in ten indicate a loss of 25 percent for dryland prOduction of wheat, sorghum <br />and cotton in comparison to Baseline projections. Irrigated corn yieldS fall <br />by 7 percent, while irrigated sorghum is down 16 percent and cotton down 25 <br />percent. <br /> <br />As a result of these drought induced yield reductions, the value added <br />by farm production in the North falls 10 percent below Baseline in each <br /> <br />A-38 <br />