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Articles 571 - 596 of 596
Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences
Internet Access In The United States, Matt Spilker
Internet Access In The United States, Matt Spilker
Cornhusker Economics
The rapid expansion of Internet has changed the business landscape throughout the United States. But as Internet becomes a larger part of everyday life, do we all have equal access to its resources? How does Internet access differ across categories such as geography, race and ethnicity, income and education?
Federal Court Rules Missouri Livestock Price Regulation Statute Is Constitutional, J. David Aiken
Federal Court Rules Missouri Livestock Price Regulation Statute Is Constitutional, J. David Aiken
Cornhusker Economics
In 1999 South Dakota, Nebraska and Missouri enacted statutes limiting price differentials being paid by packers to livestock producers. The South Dakota statute was ruled unconstitutional in August 1999 for interfering with interstate commerce. The Nebraska Attorney General ruled in 2000 that state packer price restrictions were preempted by October 1999 federal livestock price reporting requirements. The Missouri statute was upheld as constitutional in 2001. This newsletter issue will contrast the three decisions, and consider what legal options are available to the Nebraska Unicameral should it wish to re-establish limits on livestock price differentials paid by packers.
Inventorying Nebraska’S Irrigation Acres, Bruce B. Johnson, Peter Brummels, Lance Kuenning
Inventorying Nebraska’S Irrigation Acres, Bruce B. Johnson, Peter Brummels, Lance Kuenning
Cornhusker Economics
With much of the state lying over the Ogallala Aquifer, Nebraska has a valuable irrigation endowment. According to USDA’s 1997 National Resources Inventory, Nebraska has more than 7 million acres of irrigated cultivated cropland. Only one other state, Texas, has more cultivated cropland; and that state has been experiencing a steady decline in irrigated acres over the past quarter century.
While the economic significance of these irrigation assets to the state’s economy seems obvious, it is somewhat surprising to find no clear consensus as to how many acres are really under irrigation. Nor has there been any definitive information on …
Information Technology Diffusion Among Businesses In Nebraska: What Does It Mean For The Future?, John C. Allen
Information Technology Diffusion Among Businesses In Nebraska: What Does It Mean For The Future?, John C. Allen
Cornhusker Economics
In the past decade, there has been a convergence of computer and telephone technologies that has created the Internet, arguably the most rapidly embraced technology in history. Using a benchmark of rapid diffusion as the time required to reach 50 million users, the public Internet, which took four years to reach 50 million users, is spreading more rapidly than radio (38 years), the personal computer (18 years), television (13 years) or any other modern technology. The result has been that the Internet has already reached “mass market” status ( Burgess, 1999).
A Somewhat Skeptical Look At 2001 Tax Relief, George Pfeiffer
A Somewhat Skeptical Look At 2001 Tax Relief, George Pfeiffer
Cornhusker Economics
Perhaps it is the best one could hope for from a government directed by a President selected without a plurality of the popular vote, a closely divided House of Representatives, and a Senate whose majority party is in the process of changing for the third time in 6 months. In any case, the Senate and House have agreed on, and the President will soon sign the first major federal tax reduction bill since 1981. What a difference two decades make! The tax reductions and the massive restructuring of the tax system that were passed in the Reagan revolution of 1981 …
What’S Ahead For Farm Programs?, Roy Frederick
What’S Ahead For Farm Programs?, Roy Frederick
Cornhusker Economics
At a family gathering over the long Memorial Day week-end, a shirttail relative used this for a conversation starter: “So, have you got the new farm bill figured out?” My response was a quick and unequivocal “no.” In fact, the whole process becomes more uncertain as the Democrats assume majority control of the U.S. Senate.
The House Agriculture Committee originally had planned to complete at least the commodity titles (sections) of a new farm bill by July 11, 2001. More recently, the House target date has been pushed back to August. The leadership on that panel still holds out hope …
Nebraska’S New Generation Agriculture, Sam Cordes
Nebraska’S New Generation Agriculture, Sam Cordes
Cornhusker Economics
Aggregate net farm income in Nebraska in 1999 was $1.66 billion. While this is a substantial dollar amount, it is also misleading in two important ways. First, 1999 aggregate net farm income was nearly 20 percent below the average for the 1990's. Second, a whopping 80 percent of the aggregate net farm income, or $1.32 billion came directly from Federal Farm Program payments. As recently as 1996, government payments were only 11% of Nebraska’s aggregate net farm income (Johnson and Burkholder). In other words, very little of today’s net farm income in Nebraska comes from the economic marketplace. This situation …
Is Farmland A Good Investment?, Glenn A. Helmers
Is Farmland A Good Investment?, Glenn A. Helmers
Cornhusker Economics
It is frequently questioned how farmland as an investment can maintain its value while seemingly generating such low returns per dollar invested. Often a parallel is drawn between investing in farmland vs. a relatively riskless but higher return investment such as U.S. Treasury notes. Risky investments are expected to require a risk premium (higher returns) compared to a less risky investment. Yet it often appears that farmland returns are less than the return from relatively risk free opportunities. Further, farmland and other real estate investments are generally considered less liquid compared to other investments.
The investment market is complex. However, …
Production Ag Profitability Report, Gary Bredensteiner
Production Ag Profitability Report, Gary Bredensteiner
Cornhusker Economics
For the past 6 years, Nebraska Farm Business Association (Cooperative Extension) and Nebraskaland Farm and Ranch Management Educational Program (Community Colleges) have combined data into a single “Production Ag Profitability Report.” The 2000 Report, recently released, contains average data from 156 Nebraska production ag operations enrolled in one of the two programs. Data is monitored and reconciled for accuracy prior to inclusion in the report.
An Added Cost Of Production, Larry L. Bitney
An Added Cost Of Production, Larry L. Bitney
Cornhusker Economics
Agricultural producers typically consider death loss when budgeting costs and returns for a livestock enterprise. But, the cost of disposing of the dead animals has not typically been considered. In the past, rendering companies picked up animals free of charge. They received value from the hides, meat and bone meal, and other by-products.
The Mcdonaldization Of American Agriculture, Jeffrey S. Royer
The Mcdonaldization Of American Agriculture, Jeffrey S. Royer
Cornhusker Economics
In his best-selling book, Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal (Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co., 2001), journalist Eric Schlosser takes aim at the fast food industry, leveling a broad array of charges against it. According to Schlosser, the success of the fast food industry has transformed the American diet, landscape, economy, workforce and popular culture, and is responsible for a national epidemic of obesity, the propagation of an unskilled and poorly paid workforce and the exploitation of teenagers and minorities. It also has contributed to the restructuring of American agriculture.
Basis Changes In The Pork Pricing Structure, Al Prosch
Basis Changes In The Pork Pricing Structure, Al Prosch
Cornhusker Economics
In December 1998 hog prices fell to unprecedented levels. Adjusted for inflation these were some of the lowest prices received by pork producers. The basis relationship (the difference between a futures contract price for a commodity and a local cash price for that commodity) between the cash markets and the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) futures contract on lean hog carcasses increased to record proportions as well. Was the record wide basis a one time event, based on the futures markets inability to drop as quickly as the cash bid, or are there underlying fundamental changes in the basis for hogs?
Is There Any Light At The End Of The Tunnel?, Lynn Lutgen
Is There Any Light At The End Of The Tunnel?, Lynn Lutgen
Cornhusker Economics
Lately, it seems that one of the most commonly asked questions is, will we ever see grain prices recover? There are some indicators that would leave us to believe that there is some light at the end of the tunnel. It appears that global consumption over the past few years has been catching up with the increase in production that has occurred recently. When looking at the chart on the next page, the grain stocks to use ratio is at a relatively modest 16.5 percent. This is the lowest since 1996 when world inventories declined because of a relatively poor …
The Conservation Reserve Program: Then And Now, Richard T. Clark
The Conservation Reserve Program: Then And Now, Richard T. Clark
Cornhusker Economics
The Food Security Act of 1985 first authorized the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP). Since that time CRP has undergone numerous changes with the passage of the Food, Agriculture, Conservation and Trade Act (FACTA) in 1990 and the Federal Agriculture Improvement and Reform Act (FAIR) in 1996. Nonetheless, CRP has survived, and today enjoys an enrollment not much smaller (33.4 million acres) than its peak of about 36.4 million acres, nationwide. Most contracts for enrollment in CRP were, and currently still are for 10 years. There are some exceptions such as land enrolled for tree practices and other conservation specific practices, …
Consumer Willingness-To-Pay For Flavor In Beef Steaks: An Experimental Economics Approach, Dillon M. Feuz, Wendy J. Umberger
Consumer Willingness-To-Pay For Flavor In Beef Steaks: An Experimental Economics Approach, Dillon M. Feuz, Wendy J. Umberger
Cornhusker Economics
This article summarizes the major findings of a just completed agricultural economics dissertation research project that analyzed consumers' perceptions of beef flavor, and more importantly, their willingness-to-pay for various flavor preferences. The research was conducted jointly with the Animal Science Department at UNL. A novel experimental design was used to determine consumers willingness-to-pay for their flavor preferences. After tasting various steak samples, consumers were given the opportunity to bid on and purchase steaks from the same sample. The experimental auction was a sealed-bid, fourth-price auction (similar to a Vickrey auction) where the fourth highest bid determined the market price and …
Moving Beyond Gloomy Environmental Policy, Gary D. Lynne
Moving Beyond Gloomy Environmental Policy, Gary D. Lynne
Cornhusker Economics
The wide-array of books and materials (both textbooks and supplementary reading) now available for helping students in our universities understand the arena of environmental and ecological policy economics is staggering and impressive, while at the same time disturbing. The books are impressive in their comprehensiveness and sophistication of analysis; students can be well prepared, indeed. Yet the same books are disturbing, for while some project doom (e.g., Hackett, 1998) and others seem to have an air of surrealistic cornucopia (e.g., Anderson and Leal, 1991), both lead to a rather gloomy set of environmental policy recommendations.
Agricultural Land Values And Rents In A Stable Mode, Bruce B. Johnson, Peter Brummels, Lance Kuenning
Agricultural Land Values And Rents In A Stable Mode, Bruce B. Johnson, Peter Brummels, Lance Kuenning
Cornhusker Economics
In an ocean of economic uncertainty, Nebraska’s agricultural real estate market remains on a generally steady course, as revealed by preliminary results from the UNL’s 2001 Nebraska Farm Real Estate Market Survey. As of February 1st, the state’s all-land average value was $709 per acre, up 1.6 percent from 12 months earlier (Table 1). However, the choppiness of the economic waters is evident by the variations in the value changes across the various land types and substate areas.
Community Development And Small Business Training, Marilyn R. Schlake
Community Development And Small Business Training, Marilyn R. Schlake
Cornhusker Economics
Findings from a CARI study conducted in 1997 illustrated the importance of business development as a key component of community development. Sixty-five percent reported that the development of small businesses was a high priority. In fact, in communities of less than 500, 72% of the respondents indicated business development would be an effective strategy for their community. How we work with these businesses can determine the future of Nebraska’s communities.
County Feedlot Regulations Invalidated, J. David Aiken
County Feedlot Regulations Invalidated, J. David Aiken
Cornhusker Economics
The development of large swine production facilities has been highly controversial in Nebraska for the past several years. On November 1, 2000 the Nebraska Supreme Court issued its first decision dealing substantively with local government efforts to regulate large swine facilities. In Enterprise Partners v Perkins County, 260 Neb. 650 (2000) the court ruled that county regulations requiring swine lagoons to be covered and regulating discharges from lagoons onto county roadways were zoning regulations, and in this case were invalid because no comprehensive plan had first been adopted. The court came to the correct conclusion but used an incorrect legal …
Year 2001 Multiple-Peril Crop Insurance For Nebraska Corn, Grain Sorghum, Soybeans And Wheat, Roger Selley, H. Douglas Jose
Year 2001 Multiple-Peril Crop Insurance For Nebraska Corn, Grain Sorghum, Soybeans And Wheat, Roger Selley, H. Douglas Jose
Cornhusker Economics
The deadline for sign-up for Multiple-Peril Crop Insurance for spring crops in Nebraska is March 15. Winter wheat sign-up deadline is September 30. Premium subsidies have changed, particularly for higher coverage levels and CRC. In 2001 the administrative fee for CAT is $100 per crop per county, and for all policies above CAT the fee is $30 per crop per year.
The Livestock Mandatory Reporting Act: Could It Be A Mixed Blessing?, Azzeddine Azzam
The Livestock Mandatory Reporting Act: Could It Be A Mixed Blessing?, Azzeddine Azzam
Cornhusker Economics
The Livestock Mandatory Reporting Act of 1999 (the Act), which went into effect February 1, 2001, requires meat packers to report detailed price and quantity information on cattle, hogs, lambs and products to the USDA's Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) on a daily basis. Historically, packers reported to AMS on a voluntary basis. However, “as more animals are being bought and sold under marketing arrangements where neither the arrangements nor the final purchase prices are publicly disclosed, ... it has become more difficult for producers to determine the actual prevailing purchasing price for livestock..” So, by making reports to AMS mandatory …
Agricultural Production Contract Act, J. David Aiken
Agricultural Production Contract Act, J. David Aiken
Cornhusker Economics
Agricultural production contracts are becoming more widespread in Nebraska. (Contract production should be distinguished from custom farming, which is not at issue here). Under ag production contracts, farmers may contract to produce crops or livestock typically for processors. Contracting is widespread in the broiler industry, and is becoming more common in the swine and beef industry, and for some crops. The Producer Protection Act of 2000 (PPA) is a proposed model state statute prepared by the National Association of Attorneys General to deal with legal issues associated with agricultural contracting. The PPA was developed in order to avoid some problems …
The Impact Of The Agricultural Risk Protection Act Of 2000 On Crop Insurance Programs, H. Douglas Jose
The Impact Of The Agricultural Risk Protection Act Of 2000 On Crop Insurance Programs, H. Douglas Jose
Cornhusker Economics
After considerable discussion and alternative proposals, crop insurance reform became a reality in the form of the Agricultural Risk Protection Act (ARPA) last summer. Here are some of the key features of the act.
The Potential For Hard White Winter Wheat In Nebraska, Richard K. Perrin, Phil Anthony
The Potential For Hard White Winter Wheat In Nebraska, Richard K. Perrin, Phil Anthony
Cornhusker Economics
Hard white winter wheat, a crop developed using traditional crop breeding techniques, is a new crop with some potential payoff for Nebraska wheat producers. Phil Anthony, currently a Masters' degree student in the Dept. of Agricultural Economics, completed a study of the economic potential for this crop as part of a senior honors project while an undergraduate at UNL. The following is based largely on that study.
The Changing Nature Of “Success”, Wade Nutzman
The Changing Nature Of “Success”, Wade Nutzman
Cornhusker Economics
What is the definition of a good farmer/rancher? Of course, that has always depended a great deal on whom you ask, as well as their age. As things have changed, so has this definition, in my opinion.
Working individually with many Nebraska farmers and ranchers over several years has given me a chance to recognize some patterns. Here are a few common threads, along with some reasons those valued qualities continue to change.
Fertilizer Diversification, Glenn A. Helmers
Fertilizer Diversification, Glenn A. Helmers
Cornhusker Economics
Crop diversification is commonly regarded as a risk reducing strategy to moderate the impacts of variable crop prices and yields. The addition of one or more livestock enterprises may lead to still greater income stability for an agricultural producer. Diversification reduces income volatility whenever low returns in one enterprise are associated with relatively moderate or high returns in another enterprise. The reverse phenomenon (moderate or relatively high returns in the first enterprise, occurring during years of low returns for the second enterprise) is also necessary for diversification to be effective. The greater the tendency for enterprise returns from different enterprises …