Agriculture Commons^™

Managing Cattle Market Risk With Lrp Insurance, Jay Parsons

Cornhusker Economics

Price and market uncertainties pose a significant risk to cattle producers with a substantial amount of money invested in breeding livestock, land, and other infrastructure. Price protection through the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) futures contracts and options can be used to help mitigate this risk but, in the case of futures contracts, they can also introduce financial burdens in the form of margin calls. Furthermore, many medium to small-scale producers prefer not to get involved with trading futures and options contracts.

An Introduction To The Economic Impact Of Dry Edible Bean Production, Tim Meyer

Cornhusker Economics

Amazing statistics about Nebraska agriculture are plentiful. For example, Nebraska produces the 4th most output of agricultural products in the United States, while ranking only 37th in population. No wonder Nebraska's agricultural output ranks first when adjusted for population. It is safe to say most Nebraskans understand the importance of beef, corn, soybeans and ethanol. On the other hand, secondary crops play an important role in the economy as well, especially in the western portion of the state.

Incentives And Nudges For Environmental Stewardship On Farmland: A Lab Experiment On The Agglomeration Bonus, Simanti Banerjee

Cornhusker Economics

Payment for Ecosystem Services (PES) schemes have an important role in generating ecosystem services conservation and restoration benefits through adoption of various land uses on private agricultural property. These policies provide financial compensation to producers for benefits delivered over and above a baseline level and for any income losses arising from the land use change (Hanley et al. 2012). Examples of PES schemes include the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) in the U. S., the Pago por Servicios Ambientales in Costa Rica and the Stewardship Schemes in the U. K. to name a few.

Demand And Risk Management Analysis Of Rainfall Index Insurance, Ashlee Carlson

Department of Agricultural Economics: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

This thesis has two research chapters regarding the government provided Rainfall Index Insurance for Pasture, Rangeland, and Forage (RI-PRF). In the first chapter, we empirically examined whether charity hazard exists between Rainfall Index Insurance (RI-PRF) and government mandated Livestock Forage Program by estimating the demand for RI-PRF. Evidence was found that lagged LFP payments significantly increase the marginal effects of participating in RI-PRF in three of the five states and in the combined model. These results support the opposite of charity hazard where LFP payments improve the probability of purchasing RI-PRF. In our other models, the results provide evidence in …

Who Is Trading In The Futures Markets And Why It Matters Part 2, Fabio Mattos

Cornhusker Economics

In a previous article (Who Is Trading in the Futures Markets and Why It Matters ?Part 1, 12/14/2016), we discussed the importance of learning about different types of traders in commodity markets and how we can obtain and understand the Commitments of Traders (COT) report, which provides data on trader's positions in futures markets. Today we will discuss some approaches to interpret COT reports, trying to assess the reasoning behind trading decisions from different traders, which can reflect their price outlook and provide insights on how futures prices might change.

Community Size And Resident Satisfaction: Is There A Sweet Spot?, Randy Cantrell

Cornhusker Economics

Members of the rural development industry have long debated the existence of a "Best" community size in which to invest resources successfully. Some places, it is argued, are simply too small to attract the businesses and population required for sustained development. Population trends of the last 50 years seem to support this notion, since every rural regions and communities have consistently lost population while larger places have grown by serving as regional trade centers.

Livestock Air Emission Requirements, J. David Aiken

Cornhusker Economics

Federal environmental laws require the reporting of emissions of hazardous substances beyond EPA-established minimum amounts. EPA has established a 2008 reporting exemption for livestock operations smaller than large CAFOs (concentrated animal feeding operations). Environmental groups challenged the EPA livestock exemption. On April 11, 2017, the D.C. federal court of appeals invalidated the livestock reporting exemption. Reporting requirements will go into effect November 15, 2017 unless the court grants EPA an additional time extension for implementing the livestock reporting program.

Individual And Community Well-Being In Nonmetropolitan Nebraska: 2017 Nebraska Rural Poll Results, Rebecca J. Vogt, Cheryl A. Burkhart-Kriesel, Randolph L. Cantrell, Bradley Lubben, L. J. Mcelravy, T. L. Meyer

Rural Futures Institute: Publications

Conclusion

By many different measures, rural Nebraskans are positive about their community. Many rural Nebraskans rate their community favorably on its social dimensions: as friendly, trusting and supportive. Most rural Nebraskans say it would be difficult to leave their community and have a positive attachment to their community. And, most rural Nebraskans disagree that their community is powerless to control its future.

Across all years of this study, rural Nebraskans’ views about the change in their community have generally been positive. The proportion believing their community has changed for the better during the past year has usually been greater than …

Nebline, November/December 2017

NEBLINE Newsletter Archive from Nebraska Extension in Lancaster County

CONTENTS

Feature: 4-H’ers Grow Into True Leaders Through Service

Food & Health

Farm & Acreage

Pests & Wildlife

Horticulture

Early Childhood

4-H & Youth

and other extension news and events

Risk Implications From The Selection Of Rainfall Index Insurance Intervals, Ashlee Carlson, Cory Walters, Kathleen Brooks, Monte Vandeveer, Jerry D. Volesky, Walt Schacht

Cornhusker Economics

Since the passage of the 1994 Crop Insurance Reform Act, the federal crop insurance program has grown in both size and scope. The program progressed from generating under $1 billion in premiums in 1994 to generating nearly $9.3 billion in 2016 (USDA-RMA 1994, 2016b). In 2007, the federal crop insurance program introduced the Rainfall Index (RI) and Vegetation Index (VI) Insurance Pilot Program for Pasture, Rangeland, and Forage (PRF) in selected states. In 2016, RI-PRF replaced VI-PRF and was made available in all 48 contiguous states enrolling 28,538 policies and providing over a billion dollars in coverage on more than …

Influence Of An Internal Parasite Control On Cattle Grazing Behavior And Production, Jace Stott

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Six herds of 45 to 90 cow/calf pairs grazing on upland range were used to examine the efficacy of an injectable extended release eprinomectin parasite control on production traits, activity behavior, and efficacy against internal parasitism. In 2016, treatment cows were given a subcutaneous injection of LongRange^tm. In 2017, all cows in the study were treated with a short acting Synanthic^tm treatment and only treatment cows were given an additional LongRange^tm treatment. In both 2016 and 2017, fecal egg counts were significantly lower (P < 0.05) in eprinomectin treated cows compared to control cows. Calf gains were 4.8 kg and 8.7 kg greater (P < 0.1) for the calves of dams treated with eprinomectin compared to calves of control cows in 2016 and 2017, respectively. Activity characteristics of cattle were inconclusive, with treated cows having lower (P < 0.01) grazing and traveling times compared to control cows in 2016, and more (P < 0.01) grazing and traveling in 2017.

Differences in grazing behaviors based on time within pasture at different times …

Econometric Estimation Of Groundwater Depth Change For The High Plains Aquifer, Jonathan R. Sims

Department of Agricultural Economics: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

This article presents a new method for estimating changes in depth to groundwater at a yearly, county level and incorporates these estimates as the dependent variable of econometric models for the High Plains aquifer. The High Plains (Ogallala) aquifer underlies eight states in the central United States and is the primary source of irrigation water for this large food producing region. The stock of groundwater is a finite, non-renewable resource with minimal recharge in most areas. Many fields of study, including hydrology and agricultural economics, are interested in depth to groundwater changes because they serve as a proxy for estimating …

Strengthening Quality Of Life In Small Towns, Cheryl Burkhart-Kriesel

Cornhusker Economics

Quality of life is often mentioned as the reason why some people choose to live in a small town. But if you try to get a definition of what quality of life means, you quickly discover that there are all kinds of answers. For instance, it may be the low student-to-teacher ratios in the local school, or it may be the friendly check-out person at the grocery store or the variety of activities available through civic organizations and local churches which come to mind when people define small town quality of life.

Substantial Contribution Of Genetic Variation In The Expression Of Transcription Factors To Phenotypic Variation Revealed By Erd-Gwas, Hung-Ying Lin, Qiang Liu, Xiao Li, Jinliang Yang, Sanzhen Liu, Yinlian Huang, Michael J. Scanlon, Dan Nettleton, Patrick S. Schnable

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Background: There are significant limitations in existing methods for the genome-wide identification of genes whose expression patterns affect traits.

Results: The transcriptomes of five tissues from 27 genetically diverse maize inbred lines were deeply sequenced to identify genes exhibiting high and low levels of expression variation across tissues or genotypes. Transcription factors are enriched among genes with the most variation in expression across tissues, as well as among genes with higher-than-median levels of variation in expression across genotypes. In contrast, transcription factors are depleted among genes whose expression is either highly stable or highly variable across genotypes. We developed a …

Symptoms And Causes Of Foamy Bloat In Cattle, Zachary Christman

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The bovine stomach normally produces gases such as ammonia, carbon dioxide and methane. However when these gases become trapped in the bovine stomach because of a thick, frothy or foamy liquid it is called bloat. Cattle bloat is a very old condition and goes by many names but is primarily trapped gas within the bovine stomach. Readily digested feedstuff such as highly processed grain diets or an overabundance of fresh immature alfalfa often leads to a vast amount of small particles and carbohydrates in the rumen; this is the major cause of foamy bloat. Severe bloat causes death by suffocation …

Estimation Of Irrigation Requirements For Drip-Irrigated Maize In A Sub-Humid Climate, Liu Yang, Hai-Shun Yang, Jiu-Sheng Li, Yan-Feng Li, Hai-Jun Yan

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Drip-irrigation is increasingly applied in maize (Zea mays L.) production in sub-humid region. It is critical to quantify irrigation requirements during different growth stages under diverse climatic conditions. In this study, the Hybrid-Maize model was calibrated and applied in a sub-humid Heilongjiang Province in Northeast China to estimate irrigation requirements for drip irrigated maize during different crop physiological development stages and under diverse agro-climatic conditions. Using dimensionless scales, the whole growing season of maize was divided into diverse development stages from planting to maturity. Drip-irrigation dates and irrigation amounts in each irrigation event were simulated and summarized in 30-year simulation …

Is Less More In Food Safety Information Provision?, Kofi Britwum, Emie Yiannaka

Cornhusker Economics

The development of several niche food markets has been enabled by labels highlighting the existence of desirable or the absence of undesirable food attributes and/or production technologies, effectively targeting consumers willing to pay for this type of information. Examples include the "All Natural," “No growth promoting antibiotic," "No GMOs," and "Cage-free" food labels. In what could be viewed as an extreme example of labeling what is absent, consumers can now purchase gluten-free water (McFadden 2017). This type of "redundant" labeling seeks to exploit uninformed consumers.

Unexpected High Intragenomic Variation In Two Of Three Major Pest Thrips Species Does Not Affect Ribosomal Internal Transcribed Spacer 2 (Its2) Utility For Thrips Identification, Vivek Kumar, Aaron M. Dickey, Dakshina R. Seal, Robert G. Shatters, Lance S. Osborne, Cindy L. Mckenzie

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

The mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase I gene (mtCO1) and the ribosomal internal transcribed spacer 2 region (ITS2) are among the most widely used molecular markers for insect taxonomic characterization. Three economically important species of thrips, Scirtothrips dorsalis, Thrips palmi, and Frankliniella occidentalis were selected to examine the extent of intragenomic variation within these two marker regions in the family Thripidae, and determine if this variation would affect the utility of markers in thrips molecular diagnostics. For each species, intragenomic (within individual) variation and intergenomic (among individuals) variation was assessed by cloning and sequencing PCR-amplified copies. Intergenomic variation was generally higher than …

Identifying Ecologically Relevant Scales Of Habitat Selection: Diel Habitat Selection In Elk, Caleb P. Roberts, James W. Cain Iii, Robert D. Cox

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Although organisms make resource selection decisions at multiple spatiotemporal scales, not all scales are ecologically relevant to any given organism. Ecological patterns and rhythms such as behavioral and climatic patterns may provide a consistent method for identifying ecologically relevant scales of habitat selection. Using elk (Cervus canadensis) as an example species, we sought to test the ability of behavioral patterns to empirically partition diel scales for modeling habitat selection. We used model selection to partition diel scales by shifts in dominant behavior and then used resource selection probability functions to model elk habitat selection hierarchically at diel scales within seasons. …

Livestock Production And Health, Christopher Gustafson

Cornhusker Economics

As in Nebraska and other cattle-producing states, livestock are an important source of income for hundreds of millions of people living in developing countries. However, for livestock keepers in developing countries, animals are often central to multiple dimensions of the family’s existence, providing—in addition to income—important sources of energy-dense, nutrient-rich animal source foods, generating cultural status, including playing a role in family formation through wedding dowries, and serving, for some, as the household’s primary store of wealth. Livestock play all of these roles in pastoralist—semi-nomadic livestock-keeping—communi-ties. While in the past pastoralism was a relatively common way of life throughout the …

Gamma Sigma Delta, Nebraska Chapter Newsletter, Issue #55 Fall 2017

Gamma Sigma Delta, Nebraska Chapter: Newsletters

The Nebraska Chapter was selected as a Gold Chapter for the second consecutive year. The Gold Chapter Achievement Award is selected based on the annual chapter report. A maximum of five chapters may receive the award each year.

President’s Message, Dann Husmann

2017 Gamma Sigma Delta International Foundation Undergraduate Scholarship - Alissa Martindale

2017 John Riley Gamma Sigma Delta Service Scholarship - Andrea Gurney

In Memoriam: Albert “Dale” Flowerday, 89; Michael G. Boosalis, 99; Loyd Karl Fischer, 97

NOMINATIONS FOR GAMMA SIGMA DELTA – Due November 17, 2017

Award of Merit Nomination

Extension Award Nomination

Research Award Nomination

Teaching Award …

Nebline, October 2017

NEBLINE Newsletter Archive from Nebraska Extension in Lancaster County

CONTENTS

Feature: Floodwater and Stormwater Can Contaminate Water Wells

Food & Health

Farm & Acreage

Pests & Wildlife

Horticulture

Early Childhood

4-H & Youth

and other extension news and events

Effects Of Nitrogen And Phosphorus Fertilizer And Topsoil Amendment On Native Plant Cover In Roadside Revegetation Projects, Heidi L. Hillhouse, Walter H. Schacht, Jonathan M. Soper, Carol E. Wienhold

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Establishing vegetation on roadsides following construction can be challenging, especially for relatively slow growing native species. Topsoil is generally removed during construction, and the surface soil following construction (“cut-slope soils”) is often compacted and low in nutrients, providing poor growing conditions for vegetation. Nebraska Department of Transportation (NDOT) protocols have historically called for nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) fertilization when planting roadside vegetation following construction, but these recommendations were developed for cool-season grass plantings and most current plantings use slower-establishing, native warmseason grasses that may benefit less than expected from current planting protocols. We evaluated the effects of nitrogen and …

Do Advisors Perceive Climate Change As An Agricultural Risk? An In-Depth Examination Of Midwestern U.S. Ag Advisors’ Views On Drought, Climate Change, And Risk Management, Sarah P. Church, Michael Dunn, Nicholas Babin, Amber Saylor Mase, Tonya Haigh, Linda Stalker Prokopy

Drought Mitigation Center: Faculty Publications

Through the lens of the Health Belief Model and Protection Motivation Theory, we analyzed interviews of 36 agricultural advisors in Indiana and Nebraska to understand their appraisals of climate change risk, related decision making processes and subsequent risk management advice to producers. Most advisors interviewed accept that weather events are a risk for US Midwestern agriculture; however, they are more concerned about tangible threats such as crop prices. There is not much concern about climate change among agricultural advisors. Management practices that could help producers adapt to climate change were more likely to be recommended by conservation and Extension advisors, …

Media, Institutions And Voting: Perceptions Of Nonmetropolitan Nebraskans: 2017 Nebraska Rural Poll Results, Rebecca J. Vogt, Cheryl A. Burkhart-Kriesel, Randolph L. Cantrell, Bradley Lubben, L. J. Mcelravy, Timothy L. Meyer

Rural Futures Institute: Publications

Conclusion

Rural Nebraskans most trust information received from local news sources (TV and newspapers) and public sources (PBS and public radio). They least trust information from social networking sites and Internet blogs. Most rural Nebraskans are somewhat or very confident in their ability to recognize news that is made up.

Most rural Nebraskans have confidence in their local institutions (public safety agencies in their community; public schools in their community; and voting and election systems in their county). On the other hand, over one-quarter of rural Nebraskans have very little confidence in the following national institutions: U.S. House of Representatives, …

Economic Injury Levels For Aphis Glycines Matsumura (Hemiptera: Aphididae) On The Soybean Aphid Tolerant Ks4202 Soybean, Lia Marchi-Werle, Edson L.L. Baldin, Hillary D. Fischer, Tiffany Heng-Moss, Thomas Hunt

Department of Entomology: Faculty Publications

The soybean aphid, Aphis glycines Matsumura (Hemiptera: Aphididae), is an invasive species from Asia that has been the major economic insect pest of soybeans, Glycine max (L.) Merrill, since 2000. While use of soybeans expressing antibiosis and antixenosis is a well-studied strategy to manage this pest, aphid-tolerant soybeans remain underexplored. This study examined the relationship between cumulative aphid-days (CAD) and yield loss in the tolerant soybean KS4202 during two growing seasons to determine the economic injury levels (EILs) for soybean aphids on KS4202. Soybean aphid infestations were initiated during the soybean reproductive stages. A range of CAD treatments (3,000–45,000 CADs) …

A Food Demand Framework For International Food Security Assessment, John Beghin, Birgit Meade, Stacey Rosen

Department of Agricultural Economics: Faculty Publications

We present a parsimonious demand modeling approach developed for the annual USDA-ERS International Food Security Assessment, a large-scale prospective assessment focusing on chronic food insecurity in 76 countries. The approach incorporates price effects, food quality variation across income deciles, and consistent aggregation over income deciles and food qualities. The approach is based on a simple demand approach for four food categories. It relies on data on food availability, complemented by own-price and income elasticities and food price data. Beyond consistent aggregation, the framework exhibits desirable characteristics: food quality is increasing with income; price and income responses become less sensitive …

Nebline, September 2017

NEBLINE Newsletter Archive from Nebraska Extension in Lancaster County

CONTENTS

Feature: Early Childhood Educators Benefit from Mindfulness Reflection

Food & Health

Farm & Acreage

Pests & Wildlife

Horticulture

Early Childhood

4-H & Youth

and other extension news and events

Latino Immigration And Community Development In Rural Nebraska, Daniela Mettos

Cornhusker Economics

"Community" originates from the Latin "communis," meaning common. A community can be defined as a group of people who know one another and share common cultural traditions, interests, concerns, and objectives mainly because they have always interacted on a regular basis. To most rural people, community means the same familiar faces and places, a daily routine, social systems and norms they understand, things they have always done. This scenario has been changing with the influx of immigrants in rural areas. Nowadays, rural community residents find themselves sharing their place with new people from distant regions and different cultures.

Market And Welfare Effects Of Renewable Portfolio Standards In United States Electricity Markets, Suparna Bhattacharya, Konstantinos Giannakas, Karina Schoengold

Cornhusker Economics

Rising energy prices, dependence on foreign oil supplies, and alarming consequences of global warming have prompted governments worldwide to initiate green energy policies that can motivate a shift away from fossil fuels and toward renewables for electricity generation. Recognizing the fact that around 40 percent of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions in the United States come from fossil fuel combustion in the electricity sector, several policies have been adopted across states for reducing carbon emissions and stimulating renewable energy development. One of the innovative policy instruments that stands out due to widespread adoption by states since the late 1990s is the …