Agricultural Economics, Third Edition, offers a broad view of the food system, emphasizing the links between and among financial institutions, the macro economy, world markets, government programs, farms, agribusinesses, food marketing, and the environment. The text lays out the basic theory of microeconomics with numerous examples from the food and agricultural industries, while its coverage of macroeconomics emphasizes real world applications rather than pure theory. Addressing many topics lightly instead of one or two topics in depth, the text allows flexibility for instructors to "skip around" topics.