Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Nebraska Crop Budgets 2024, Robert N. Klein, Glennis Mcmclure

Department of Agricultural Economics: Presentations, Working Papers, and Gray Literature

The 2024 Nebraska Crop budget projections were created using cropping practice norms for many producers in Nebraska. However, each individual farming operation is unique, and these budgets should be used only as a guide. The budgets for 2024 are available in the Agricultural Budget Calculator program at:https://agbudget.unl.edu/. To modify these budgets, you can download UNL budgets into your ABC program account or create your own. In addition, the reports for each of the 2024 crop budgets are saved as printable (PDF) files. See also the new budget calculator at https://cap.unl.edu/abc.

The following individuals contributed to these budgets …

Agricultural Carbon Markets: How Might They Work?, Drew Havens

Department of Agricultural Economics: Presentations, Working Papers, and Gray Literature

1) Introduction: a) Climate Change • b) Soil Sequestration and the Carbon Cycle • c) Increasing Soil Carbon Sequestration with Economics • d) Guiding Research Questions • e) Goals of this Report

2) What are agricultural carbon offset payment programs?

3) Are agricultural carbon markets effective?: • a) Voluntary vs Regulatory • b) Regional vs Global • c) Effectiveness of Agricultural Carbon Markets

4) Other Methods of Reducing Emissions: a) Carbon Tax • b) Cap and Trade • c) Summary

5) History of Programs That Provide Carbon Offset Payments to Farmers: a) The Chicago Climate Exchange • b) The Kyoto …

Factors Influencing Producer Propensity For Data Sharing & Opinions Regarding Precision Agriculture And Big Farm Data, Michael H. Castle, Bradley D. Lubben, Joe D. Luck

Department of Agricultural Economics: Presentations, Working Papers, and Gray Literature

With its tremendous success by notable companies in varying industries, “big data” has become a hard-to-miss phrase and many believe its usage in agriculture is the future of the industry. However, the potential benefits of using big data come with just as many challenges, ranging from not knowing how to make use of it, to the debate over who owns and has access to it. A survey asking for producers’ opinions on precision agriculture technologies and big farm data was distributed to a sample of agricultural producers across Nebraska. A Poisson regression was used to determine the factors influencing propensity …

Factors Influencing The Adoption Of Precision Agriculture Technologies By Nebraska Producers, Michael H. Castle, Bradley D. Lubben, Joe D. Luck

Department of Agricultural Economics: Presentations, Working Papers, and Gray Literature

An ever-increasing world population and increasingly-volatile commodity prices have charged producers with the task of becoming more efficient. To combat this, precision agriculture technologies aimed at increasing production efficiency are continually being developed, but their adoption is not yet widespread. A survey regarding the usage of these technologies was distributed to a sample of row crop producers across the state of Nebraska and a Poisson regression was used to determine the factors influencing adoption. Results of the study indicate that larger, more tech-savvy producers and those using irrigation are more likely to adopt a higher number of precision agriculture technologies, …

Opportunities For Nebraska In Future Carbon Markets: Final Technical Report For Ncesr Project 3-#303, Richard K. Perrin, Adam J. Liska, Lilyan E. Fulginiti

Department of Agricultural Economics: Presentations, Working Papers, and Gray Literature

This study was funded to explore potential opportunities for Nebraska in future carbon markets, most explicitly those opportunities related to the possibility of replacing fossil fuels with biomass at Nebraska corn ethanol plants. The most direct and significant finding is that biomass-fired CHP (combined heat and power) technology is not economically viable for Nebraska corn ethanol plants under current conditions. We estimate in the study that corn stover price would have to be at least $50 per ton of dry matter for the requisite amounts to be delivered to any of the three ethanol plant locations considered (Adams, Norfolk and …

2007 Farm Bill Forums: Issues And Options, Bradley Lubben, Samuel Funk, Troy J. Dumler

Department of Agricultural Economics: Presentations, Working Papers, and Gray Literature

A Series of Farm Bill Educational Meetings for Producers and Interested Policy Stakeholders in Kansas and Nebraska.

The debate on the 2007 Farm Bill has begun in earnest in Washington. The new Congress has already convened several hearings on farm policy issues, including energy and conservation. The Administration has just released its policy recommendations for the new farm bill, opening up further discussion that will grow over the coming months. The current farm bill, passed in 2002, runs through September 2007 and includes programs covering the 2007-2008 crop year. Before it expires, Congress will need to reconcile the current discussion …

Climate Change And Farm Use Of Weather Information, Ikrom Artikov, Gary D. Lynne

Department of Agricultural Economics: Presentations, Working Papers, and Gray Literature

Rapid global climate change as represented by rising temperatures and more erratic and severe weather events has heightened the interest in how farmers use weather information. Due to the food supply being so essential, it behooves us to pay attention to this phenomenon, and especially to put effort into understanding how farmers will respond and adapt to information about climate generally and forecasts in particular. To reduce the negative effects of climate on crop production and enhance field operations, the best weather information needs to be influencing farmer decisions.

The Food, Conservation, And Energy Act Of 2008 Summary And Possible Consequences, Wesley L. Harris, Bradley Lubben, James L. Novak, Larry D. Sanders

Department of Agricultural Economics: Presentations, Working Papers, and Gray Literature

The primary purpose of this article is to provide a summary and briefly comment on key provisions of the Food, Conservation and Energy Act of 2008 (PL 110-246) and discuss possible consequences of the selected provisions. As passed by the House and Senate, the act contains 15 titles (the pdf version covering 683 pages). While most provisions will be at least briefly discussed, more attention will be devoted to the production-related provisions, especially substantive changes from the 2002 act. The general title of any new farm bill is telling in both what is significant in the bill and in what …

Overview Of The 2008 Farm Bill, Bradley Lubben

Department of Agricultural Economics: Presentations, Working Papers, and Gray Literature

The following presentations summarize various titles and sections of the 2008 Farm Bill and provide program details and mechanics of the new legislation as well as potential impacts of the new programs. The presentations were delivered at the 2008 Farm Bill Education Conference and serve as both an outline of the new programs as well as a working template for further education and analysis. The conference was organized by the University of Nebraska-Lincoln along with Auburn University, The University of Georgia, and Oklahoma State University. The conference was sponsored through grants from the Farm Foundation and the North Central Risk …

Developing A Fair Lease Arrangement For Farmland Leasing Arrangements Workshops, Bruce Johnson, Ben Blomendahl

Department of Agricultural Economics: Presentations, Working Papers, and Gray Literature

Topics Covered:

A.Cash Leasing
B.Flexible Cash Leasing
C.Crop share Leasing
D.Other Leasing Aspects

Growing Crops For Better Biodiesel, Loren Isom, William L. Booker

Department of Agricultural Economics: Presentations, Working Papers, and Gray Literature

Identifying high oil yield, low water use crops suitable for biodiesel production is a key component of addressing feedstock availability that will support the development of biodiesel production facilities in Nebraska. Expanded oilseed production can develop new economic opportunities for agricultural producers and suppliers in Nebraska.

Shifting From A Price Safety Net To A Revenue Safety Net, Bradley Lubben, Troy J. Dumler, G. Art Barnaby

Department of Agricultural Economics: Presentations, Working Papers, and Gray Literature

In late July, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Farm, Nutrition, and Bioenergy Act of 2007, or the “2007 Farm Bill,” to reauthorize farm, food, and other agricultural programs for 2008 through 2012. This culminated more than two months of discussion in the House Agriculture Committee and subcommittees and reflected much of the policy direction championed by committee chair Collin Peterson of Minnesota.

In the Senate, the agricultural committee under Chairman Tom Harkin of Iowa has yet to begin formal consideration of the 2007 Farm Bill. However, given some comments from Senator Harkin, there are some elements of …

Biofuels: An Emerging Water Resources Hazard, Ray Supalla

Department of Agricultural Economics: Presentations, Working Papers, and Gray Literature

Contents:

BiofuelPlants Operating or Under Construction, Spring 2007

Political Forces

Potential Water Resource Implications

Direct Water Requirements

Indirect Effects of Ethanol on Water Quantity

Food & Industrial Use, including ethanol

Ethanol Impact on Grain Prices

If current grain prices are sustained?

Water Demand from 2007 Increase in Corn Acres: Nebraska Case

If current grain prices are sustained?

Water Quality Impacts

Increased returns to irrigation presents a major threat to water policy objectives

Water Hazards Presented by Ethanol

Retail Sales Trends Across Nebraska Counties And Localities, Bruce B. Johnson, Ben Blomendahl

Department of Agricultural Economics: Presentations, Working Papers, and Gray Literature

Retailing patterns are changing everywhere. Consumer preferences and resources are ever-changing; while simultaneously, the retail sector is constantly evolving into new configurations. Often retail trade centers are pitted against one another in a “zero-sum game” so to speak with any relative gains in trade volume by one occurring at the expense of others. Nebraska is certainly no exception to these universal changes. In fact, the changes often seem compounded across its wide size continuum of towns and cities.

This report represents an update to an earlier report, Retailing Patterns and Trends across Nebraska, 1970-1998. In it we are attempting …

Simulated Analysis Of Drought’S Impact On Different Cow-Calf Production Systems, Matthew C. Stockton, Roger K. Wilson

Department of Agricultural Economics: Presentations, Working Papers, and Gray Literature

Five representative, firm-level, stochastic simulation models were constructed using historical production cost, cattle prices, weather information and scientifically collected production data from the Gudmundsen Sandhills Laboratory operated by the University of Nebraska. The five hundred iterative results indicate the inclusion of crop residual grazing is a viable drought mitigation tool.

Economics Of Management Options For Lake Mcconaughy, Ray Supalla, Thomas V. Buell

Department of Agricultural Economics: Presentations, Working Papers, and Gray Literature

The amount of water stored in Lake McConaughy reached a historical low in the Fall of 2004 and again in 2006. In 2005 and 2006 CNPPID irrigators received less than a full supply of Lake McConaughy water for the first time since the system came on line over 60 years ago. Electric power interests, recreation interests and the regional economy have also been adversely affected by low water levels. What, if anything should the State of Nebraska do to minimize the adverse impacts from this situation and/or prevent it from developing again in the future?

The most critical policy issue …

The Cost Of Reducing Irrigation, Ray Supalla

Department of Agricultural Economics: Presentations, Working Papers, and Gray Literature

For several decades Nebraska has proudly and appropriately regarded irrigation development as an important source of economic growth. However, in some parts of the state we now have too much of a good thing! To meet our Compact obligations to Kansas and Colorado in the Republican Basin and to comply with the proposed Cooperative Agreement for the Platte Basin we must find a way to consume less irrigation water. The cost of reducing irrigation and the equity implications will depend on what methods the state uses to achieve this objective.

We recently estimated the costs to irrigators and to the …

Water Optimizer: A Tool For Decision Support And Policy Analysis, Derrel L. Martin, Ray Supalla

Department of Agricultural Economics: Presentations, Working Papers, and Gray Literature

Water Optimizer is a tool for analyzing alternative water management strategies when the available water supply is limited. It can be used by producers to determine the profit maximizing crops to produce and the optimum amount of water to apply to each crop, given a particular water supply. It can also be used to evaluate the economic consequences of public policies which expand or reduce the amount of irrigation.

The Water Optimizer model can compute the profit maximizing strategy for producers located in any county in Nebraska where there is significant irrigation. This can be done for three different soil …

Bioenergy, Safety Net Tools Are Producers’ Top Priorities For Next Farm Bill, Bradley Lubben, Mary Thompson

Department of Agricultural Economics: Presentations, Working Papers, and Gray Literature

Bioenergy and the structure of safety net programs are of high interest to farmers and ranchers as the next farm bill is debated, according to more than 15,000 farmers and ranchers in 27 states surveyed by Farm Foundation’s National Public Policy Education Committee (NPPEC). The survey was released today as part of Farm Foundation's 2007 Farm Bill Forum.

Producers ranked renewable energy, enhancing opportunities for small and beginning farmers, and assuring a safe and affordable food supply as their top three goals for the next farm bill. “All the goals presented to producers to rank were decades-old rationales for farm …

Economic And State Budget Cost Of Reducing The Consumptive Use Of Irrigation Water In The Platte And Republican Basins, Ray Supalla, Thomas V. Buell, Brian Mcmullen

Department of Agricultural Economics: Presentations, Working Papers, and Gray Literature

The potential costs to irrigators, the state economy and the state budget were estimated for different methods of reducing consumptive use (CU) of irrigation water in the Platte and Republican Basins. The policy methods considered included: leased retirement of irrigated land using a willing buyer-willing seller approach; required land retirement with lease payments equal to actual producer losses; retirement of irrigated land by purchasing water rights using a willing buyer-willing seller approach; forced retirement of irrigated land with the purchase price equal to actual market value; allocation with 100 percent producer compensation; and allocation with 50 percent producer compensation. Both …

An Examination Of Farm Program Payments On Farm Economic Structure, Saleem Shaik, Glenn A. Helmers

Department of Agricultural Economics: Presentations, Working Papers, and Gray Literature

System of input demand functions is estimated to examine the impact of farm program payments on farm economic structure. Influence of farm program payments on input resource use for the time periods corresponding to the thirteen farm bills in effect since 1938 is also examined. Empirical application to Nebraska agriculture sector for the period 1936-2004 indicate positive impact of farm program payments on farm real estate, breeding livestock and other inputs. Negative influence of farm program payment on the use of farm equipment, farm labor, farm inputs, chemicals and energy was observed during the same period.

The Relationship Of U.S. And Canadian Cull Cow Prices To Lean Beef Prices: A Dag Analysis, Dillon Feuz, Matthew C. Stockton, Suparna Bhattacharya

Department of Agricultural Economics: Presentations, Working Papers, and Gray Literature

What is the price relationship between a cull cow in San Angelo, Texas, Sioux Falls, South Dakota and other major U.S. cull cow markets and those in Ontario or Alberta Canada? How are these prices impacted by the price for lean beef trimmings or the price of imported lean beef from Australia or New Zealand? What impact did the discovery of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) in North America in 2003 have on these price relationships? Answers to these and other questions are the purpose of this paper.

Numerous market and price analysis studies exist on the fed cattle and feeder …

Cropland Leasing, Bruce Johnson

Department of Agricultural Economics: Presentations, Working Papers, and Gray Literature

Contents:

Shift from Crop-share to Cash leasing over time

Incidence of Crop Share and Cash Leasing varies across the state

Nebraska Agricultural Statistical Districts

Cash Lease Rates for Cropland

Cash rent adjustments for non-irrigated corners and for shared irrigation equipment.

Do cash rents lead or lag cropland value trends?

Central Nebraska Center Pivot Irrigated Land: Cash Rental Rates & Values 1981-2006

Eastern Nebraska Center Pivot Irrigated Land: Cash Rental Rates & Values 1981-2006

Relation of Cash Leasing to Crop Share Leasing.

Today’s Crop Share Rent Negotiation Process

Western EcoFallow

Pasture Leasing, Bruce Johnson

Department of Agricultural Economics: Presentations, Working Papers, and Gray Literature

Contents:

Introduction
Nebraska Vegetative Zones
Grassland Table I Nebraska Department of Revenue
Grassland Table II Nebraska Department of Revenue
Grazing Land Leasing
Historical Cash Rental Rates For Cow- Calf Pairs for Major Grazing land Areas
Preliminary 2006 Cash Rental Rates For Major Grazing land Areas
Why variation in rates?
2006 County Rental Surveys
Where are pasture rates headed?
New factors to watch on the horizon

Measuring The Accountability Of Advertising Expenses In The Presence Of Sales Cost Inefficiency And Marketing Spillovers, Konstantinos Giannakas, Giannis Karagiannis, Vangelis Tzouvelekas

Department of Agricultural Economics: Presentations, Working Papers, and Gray Literature

This paper develops a tractable theoretical framework for analyzing the substitutability between different advertising media, the extent of marketing spillovers in the market, the allocative efficiency of advertising spending, and the sources of total advertising productivity and sales growth. Maintaining the separability assumption between sales and production technology, the proposed methodology relies on cost-function decomposition of total factor productivity and the duality between input distance and cost functions. Utilizing a flexible Translog advertising distance function, the methodology is applied to the advertising activity of meat processing firms in Greece during the period 1983-1997. Scale economies in advertising expenses turn out …

Effects Of Joint Product Management Strategies On E. Coli 0157:H7 And Feedlot Profits, Wiliam R. Perry, Thomas Marsh, Rodney Jones, M. W. Sanderson, J. M. Sargeant, Dicky D. Griffin, R. A. Smith

Department of Agricultural Economics: Presentations, Working Papers, and Gray Literature

The objective of this study was to determine the effect of Escherichia coli 0157:H7 on feedlot profits. Fecal samples from 711 feedlot pens in 73 feedlots in Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas were tested for E. coli 0157:H7. Average daily gain and feed-to-gain ratios were computed for each feedlot pen, and managers from each feedlot provided information on various feedlot management practices. Cattle performance and E. coli 0157:H7 prevalence are both affected by feedlot management practices. The indirect effect of E. coli 0157:H7 on potential feedlot profits was determined by measuring the effects of management practices on E. coli 0157:H7 …

Bioenergy, Safety Net Tools Are Producers’ Top Priorities For Next Farm Bill, Bradley Lubben, Farm Foundation

Department of Agricultural Economics: Presentations, Working Papers, and Gray Literature

Bioenergy and the structure of safety net programs are of high interest to farmers and ranchers as the next farm bill is debated, according to more than 15,000 farmers and ranchers in 27 states surveyed by Farm Foundation’s National Public Policy Education Committee (NPPEC).

Producers ranked renewable energy, enhancing opportunities for small and beginning farmers, and assuring a safe and affordable food supply as their top three goals for the next farm bill. “All the goals presented to producers to rank were decades-old rationales for farm programs with the exception of bioenergy, an issue that has seen explosive growth in …

Hot Issues And Cool Rules, Bradley Lubben

Department of Agricultural Economics: Presentations, Working Papers, and Gray Literature

When President Bush signed the Farm Bill on May 13, 2002, much of the focus was on the new commodity and conservation programs and how they had changed relative to the 1996 Farm Bill. However, near the end of the Farm Bill was some language that has become one of the most contentious issues today.

Title X, Section 10816 of the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 (2002 Farm Bill) addressed country-of-origin labeling (COOL) rules for beef, lamb, pork, fish, fruits, vegetables, and peanuts. The legislation called for voluntary guidelines to be implemented no later than September 30, …

Mathematical Formulas For Calculating Net Returns From Participation In Government Programs, Crp, And Crop Insurance Alternatives, Dustin L. Pendell, William R. Perry, Jeffrey R. Williams, G. Art Barnaby, Bradley Lubben

Department of Agricultural Economics: Presentations, Working Papers, and Gray Literature

The purpose of this report is to provide a revised version of the publication, “Mathematical Formulas for Calculating Net Returns from Participation in Government Commodity Programs including Marketing Loans” (Williams and Barnaby, 1994). The change in design of the government commodity programs and development of several crop insurance alternatives has been significant since the previous paper was published. The formulas for calculating net returns incorporate provisions from the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 and several crop insurance designs developed in the 1990s. Individuals conducting research or education programs will be able to use this revision for reference …

Investing In Hope: Aids, Life Expectancy, And Human Capital Accumulation, Rui Huang, Lilyan E. Fulginiti, E. Wesley F. Peterson

Department of Agricultural Economics: Presentations, Working Papers, and Gray Literature

A three period overlapping generations model is developed to investigate the impact of shorter life expectancy due to disease, on human capital investment decisions and income growth. This research is particularly relevant to Sub-Saharan Africa given the dramatic reduction in life expectancy due to HIV/AIDS and the potential lasting effects on growth. Our results indicate that as life expectancy shortens so does schooling inducing a lower growth rate of income. These relationships are even more pronounced for the African continent than for the rest of the world.