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IntroductionThe number of acres of land in each crop in an area can be predicted and the pattern of change in land use analyzed, using a stochastic model called a finite Markov chain.' The method is well developed mathematically and partially developed statistically, and it has been successfully applied to other economic problems.a In order to judge the usefulness of Markov chains for agricultural supply analysis, the assumptions, limitations, and characteristics of the model will be investigated and an empirical application of the method to the cropping sequences during a five-year period in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania will be analyzed.