Digital Commons Network^™

Tennessee Hay Supply And Demand Response To Prices And Other Factors, Jon Edwin Travis

Masters Theses

The hay industry in Tennessee closely resembles a perfectly competitive market. There are no substantial barriers to market entry and farmers can freely exit if they so choose. A large number of firms and consumers (livestock producers and equine operators) exist. Hay is a fairly homogeneous product; although hay varieties are not identical, in many livestock production situations they are close substitutes. Producers are price takers in the market.

Currently, more information is needed regarding Tennessee hay supply and price response. The objectives of this study were: 1) to determine the factors that influence Tennessee hay acreage and yield, 2) …

Benefits Of Participation In The Cannon County 4-H Livestock Projects As Perceived By Select Former Exhibitors, Heath Darrell Nokes

Masters Theses

The Purpose of this study was to determine the perceived influence of the development in certain life skills and decisions regarding education and career choices. A total of 52 former participants of the program were identified and responded to mailed questionnaires concerning their experiences in the 4-H livestock project.

Findings revealed that participation in the 4-H livestock projects had a positive effect on the development of life skills such as leadership, confidence, communication skills, record keeping skills, and confidence. Decisions regarding educational and career choices were impacted. Participants regarded participation in the livestock projects as having "some effect" (M= 3.16) …

Dynamics Of Bee And Wasp Populations In Maine Lowbush Blueberry (Vaccinium Angustifolium), Joseph E. Karem

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Conservation of natural enemies can be an effective form of pest management. If beneficial Hymenoptera, native to the area, can be protected and encouraged to multiply, the benefits of natural insect pest control might be realized. Hymenoptera as "natural enemies" as well as "pollinators" have been studied intensively in many agroecosystems worldwide. However, lowbush blueberry is not an ecosystem where ecology of Hymenoptera has been well studied. This thesis discusses two studies conducted in lowbush blueberry fields in Washington County, Maine in 1997 and 1998. In the first study, I investigated "towers" as a method for deploying insect traps along …

Feasibility Of Production And Marketing Blueberries In Tennessee, Alejandro Enrique Dellachiesa

Masters Theses

The primary objective of this research was to develop a detailed feasibility analysis for blueberry production in Tennessee. The focus of the study was to provide blueberry producers with estimates of the typical costs and returns associated with commercial production and marketing of blueberries. Secondary objectives were to provide pertinent financial information for entrepreneurs to consider when using their available resources to produce what could be a potential opportunity in Tennessee. Another secondary objective was to evaluate options for marketing fresh blueberries.

The objectives of this study were accomplished by constructing cost and return budgets to determine the cost of …

Targeted Economic Development In Tennessee: An Industrial Cluster Analysis Of A Multi-County Upper-Cumberland Region, Benjamin Paul Sanders

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to identify and rank industrial clusters in a rural, multi-county region in Tennessee. Counties in the study region include Clay, Fentress, Jackson, Overton, Pickett, and Putnam. Industrial clusters were identified at the 3-digit level of the North American Industrial Classification System (NAICS).

Five industrial clusters were identified in this region: food manufacturing, primary metal manufacturing, fabricated metal manufacturing, transportation equipment manufacturing, and truck transportation.

These clusters were also analyzed for industrial characteristics, including average establishment size, employment growth, industrial multipliers, average worker wages and income, and revenue generated per worker. The differences in …

Microfluidics Fabrication And Testing For A Novel Biomems Cell Counting Device, Marly N. Dows

Honors Theses

No abstract provided.

Kentucky Feeder Cattle Price Analysis: Models For Price Predictions And Grazing Management, Roger Wayne Eldridge

University of Kentucky Master's Theses

Kentucky plays an important role in the complex U.S. beef cattle industry. Thisstudy focused on the feeder cattle production sector of Kentucky's beef cattle industry.Primarily a cow-calf state with a substantial backgrounding sector, Kentucky is a largesupplier of feeder cattle to the cattle finishing sector. Price relationships within themarket for Kentucky feeder cattle were examined using historical price data fromKentucky livestock auction markets. This research revealed many interesting pricerelationships that Kentucky producers may use in order to increase the profitability of thecow-calf and/or backgrounding operations. A segment of this research includes aGrazing Management Decision Tool which was constructed to enable …

Demand Determinants For U.S. Exports Of Processed Foods To Emerging Markey Economies, Sanjeev Kumar

University of Kentucky Master's Theses

The objectives of this research are to examine the demand for processed foods by emerging markets and to assess demand determinants and potential import growth. Processed foods are the fastest growing segment of U.S. agricultural exports and hence it is imperative to understand the underlying factors behind this growth. Based on a “modified gravity model,” we estimate U.S. exports of processed foods to 10 low and middle-income countries from 1980-2002 using fixed effects method. A classical linear regression model estimates U.S. exports to 60 low and middle-income countries. Results from the classical model indicate that population and income have a …

An Assessment Of Consumer Preferences For Louisiana Strawberries, Michael Neil Bruchhaus

LSU Master's Theses

Louisiana strawberry production has decreased over a period of years while national production has increased, leading to concern that Louisiana's strawberry industry might disappear. California, the leading producer state, has exploited its production advantages and marketing efficiency to increase production. The objectives of the study were (1) to identify strawberry attributes preferred by consumers in the selected market area, (2) to analyze key demographic factors that influence the decision about sources of and preferences for strawberries, and (3) to identify key steps that the Louisiana strawberry industry might take to improve marketability of product and profitability of its production. Conjoint …

Export-Led Growth In Honduras And The Central American Region, Hermann Castro Zuniga

LSU Master's Theses

This thesis examines the validity of the export-led growth (ELG) hypothesis in Honduras and compares the Honduran experience to that of other Central American countries, specifically Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala and Nicaragua. It further evaluates the ELG hypothesis for the agricultural sector of Honduras. The conceptual model incorporates exports into a Cobb-Douglas production function and formulates dynamic econometric models of real gross domestic product (GDP), real gross fixed capital formation (GFCF), labor and real exports for the 1970-2000 period. To test for the validity of the ELG hypothesis, Granger-causality was tested on the export coefficients of the growth equation …

Wendell Berry's Sociological Imagination: Agrarian Values And Good Leadership In A Postmodern Culture, Paul Alan Kaak

Dissertations

Problem. The question guiding my dissertation research was: In what ways do the writings of Wendell Berry, reflecting his sociological imagination, address and advance leadership theory with specific regard for the issue of agrarian values?

Method. I used the writings of Wendell Berry as a modified case study for my inductive, theoretical, exploratory research in a qualitative vein. As I reviewed his writings, I identified his moral ideology and extracted his value-set. Along the way, I observed Berry's use of a method promoted by C. Wright Mills in his book The Sociological Imagination (1959). Since sociological imagination finds …

Economic Evaluation Of Potential Changes In Farm Program Price Support For Typical Louisiana Rice And Cotton Farming Operations, Manuel E. Aldana

LSU Master's Theses

Increased government deficit has led the congress to reduce federal spending. Proposed budget cuts are intended to decrease government spending in several areas, including agriculture. Reductions in farm program spending could cause significant adverse effects on the financial situation of many farms, particularly to rice and cotton enterprises, due to their high reliance on farm program payments as a source of income. Representative rice and cotton operations of one, two, three, and four entities as single crop enterprises were considered and developed for use in this study. Farm enterprise sizes were determined by estimating the acreage level at which a …

An Examination Of U.S. Rice Export Promotion Programs, Yiqian Wang

LSU Master's Theses

The United States Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service (USDA/FAS) administers two primary promotion programs for rice exports: the Foreign Market Development Program (FMDP) and the Market Access Program (MAP). Based on the literature, a single equation framework is specified to estimate the rice import demand model. Three major U.S. rice importing countries are selected: Mexico, Costa Rica, and Honduras. Single equation analysis methods are applied. The effectiveness of the two programs for rice exports to the Latin American markets is evaluated. Promotion programs and the competitors’ exchange rate as primary explanatory variables for the U.S. rice import demand in …

Effect Of The Use Of Amaranth (Amaranthus Spp.) Leaf Flour In The Creation Of Feeds For The Production Of Broiler Chickens, Wendy Valeria Quel Ruíz

Theses and Dissertations

This investigation was conducted in the rural community of Cuambo, located in the northeast of the province of Imbabura, in the Mira river basin of Salinas parish, at 1530 meters above sea level and with an average temperature of 19.5° C. The main objective of this investigation was to analyze the effect of using amaranth (Amaranthus) leaf flour in the creation of feeds for broiler chickens. The field work occurred during 12 months and consisted of two phases: A. Creation of the feed: This proceeded from the cultivation, cutting, and drying of amaranth until the obtaining of the flour and …

Feed Conversion Index In Two Populations And Two Lines Of Guinea Pigs For Meat Production, Kathia Jordán Vargas

Theses and Dissertations

The guinea pig (Cavia aperea porcellus) is an alternative to improve human nutrition because its meat is of excellent taste and quality. Thus, it is an important nutritional source. The feed conversion index was determined under the basic (forage) and mixed (forage and concentrate) diets during the growth phase. This was done with both sexes located in the Tamborada and MEJOCUY populations, using the AUQUI, and San Luis lines. This was done in order to quantify how many kilograms of feed an animal must eat to gain one kilogram of live weight. The animals were randomly distributed into individual pools …