Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Life Sciences Commons

Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

2004

The University of Maine

Agricultural Economics

Articles 1 - 2 of 2

Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences

B850: Representative Farm Budgets And Performance Indicators For Integrated Farming Practices In Maine, Aaron K. Hoshide, Timothy J. Dalton, Stewart N. Smith Nov 2004

B850: Representative Farm Budgets And Performance Indicators For Integrated Farming Practices In Maine, Aaron K. Hoshide, Timothy J. Dalton, Stewart N. Smith

Bulletins

This report compares the relative profitability and sustainability of Maine farms integrating crops and livestock with comparable non-integrated or conventional farms. Potato and dairy systems coupled for only two years had greater profitability compared to conventional systems. Profitability increased in the short term in two ways. First, potato farms grew more of their primary cash crop. Second, dairy farms expanded cow numbers, increasing profitability assuming increasing returns to scale. Coupled systems integrated for more than ten years (long term) had more favorable profitability and sustainability measures than short-term couplers since greater manure-nutrient credits were taken for potatoes and silage corn. …


Genetically Modified Food: What Are Mainers Thinking?, Mario F. Teisl, Luke Garner, Brian Roe, Michael E. Vayda Jan 2004

Genetically Modified Food: What Are Mainers Thinking?, Mario F. Teisl, Luke Garner, Brian Roe, Michael E. Vayda

Maine Policy Review

Whether to allow genetically modified (GM) foods in Maine, and if so, under what circumstances, has been hotly debated in recent years. The authors explore one aspect of the issue—Mainers’ attitudes about the labeling of GM foods. They point out that labeling GM foods is more complex than simply whether to label. Policy decisions need to be made about whether labeling should be mandatory, what pieces of information should be on the label, who should be in charge of monitoring compliance, and even what foods should be labeled. The authors discuss the potential benefits of GM food labeling, and conclude …