Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

The Nebraska Citizen Initiative Process, J. David Aiken

Cornhusker Economics

Nebraska is one of about half of the states that allow its citizens to initiate new statutes (legislative laws) or constitutional provisions by way of the citizen initiative petition process. Since 1992, over 30 constitutional amendments have been voted on under these provisions. In Nebraska, citizen initiatives have dealt with corporate farming restrictions, term limits, gambling, government spending limits and antiaffirmative action requirements. There is a chance that an animal welfare provision may be on the November 6, 2012 general election ballot. This newsletter takes a quick look at the initiative process. For more detailed information, consult an attorney.

2010 Federal Estate Tax Issues, J. David Aiken

Cornhusker Economics

Estate planning is a very important topic for farm families. In 2001, President Bush signed legislation that reduced the Federal Estate Taxes until 2010, when it was reduced to zero. However, in 2011 the Federal Estate Tax will be reinstated, as indicated in the table on the next page. President Obama has proposed a permanent Federal Estate Tax exemption at the 2009 level, but that has not been acted upon by Congress. Other proposals range from a $2 million exemption with a 55 percent top estate tax rate, to a $5 million exemption with a 35 percent top rate.

Thanksgiving Holiday- Farm Prices Only

Cornhusker Economics

Livestock and Products, Weekly Average

Crops, Daily Spot Prices

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A Thin Real Estate Market Becomes Even Leaner, Bruce Johnson

Cornhusker Economics

The market for agricultural real estate has historically been what observers call a “thin market,” in that very little is marketed and changes ownership at any given point in time. In fact, even when there is spirited buying interest and willingness to bid aggressively, the supply side of the market for agricultural land tends to be inelastic - in that the percentage change in quantity put on the market is much less that the percentage increase in bid prices.

Of course, this partially explains upward value trends to agricultural real estate over time. If potential buyers realize there is only …

Developing A Community Marketing Plan, Cheryl Burkhart-Kriesel

Cornhusker Economics

When you think of the word “marketing” what comes to mind? Do you think of advertising and promotional strategies in print, other forms of media or the internet? Maybe you think of direct marketing flyers, email blitzes or email newsletters?

Typically, individuals equate marketing with specific promotional tools, but in reality it is a much broader process. It traditionally starts with identifying consumer wants and needs and developing products or services to meet those needs. The next step for the business owner is to match up their product or service benefits with potential customers groups. Then one tries to find …

Economic Effects Of The Consumer-Oriented Gm Products In Markets With A Labeling Regime, Rim Lassoued, Konstantinos Giannakas

Cornhusker Economics

One of the most intriguing attributes of modern industrial society is its approach to nutrition. Humanity has moved from subsistence economies, where eating was a matter of survival, to economies characterized by the existence of an ever increasing variety of food products. An important recent addition to the types of food products included in our diet has been that of genetically modified (GM) products.

Despite their important agronomic benefits to agricultural producers (e.g., increased yields and/or reduced input costs), GM products have been facing a rather strong consumer opposition. Fears related to potential health and environmental effects of genetic modification, …

If Irrigation Needs To Be Reduced, How Should We Do It?, Raymond J. Supalla

Cornhusker Economics

Nebraska’s obligations under the terms of the Republican Basin Compact and the Cooperative Agreement for the Platte River, as well as our continuing commitment to future generations, require reductions in the consumptive use of water in irrigation. Reducing irrigation in a cost effective and equitable way is perhaps the most important water policy challenge which Nebraska must address. Determining how to meet this challenge involves the following questions: how will irrigators be affected by irrigation reduction programs such as allocation or forced reductions in irrigated acres; how will the Nebraska economy and local communities be affected; what is the least …

The Acre Program: Sign-Up Results, Expected Payments And Future Prospects, Bradley Lubben

Cornhusker Economics

In 2009, agricultural producers participating in federal farm programs had to make a decision between staying in the existing Direct and Counter-Cyclical Program (DCP) and the new Average Crop Revenue Election (ACRE) Program. If producers chose to keep the DCP, their farm income safety net is strictly tied to crop prices with a combination of marketing loans, counter-cyclical payments and direct payments. If producers chose the new ACRE program, they changed their farm income safety net to a combination of price and revenue. The new ACRE component is based on revenue and replaces the counter-cyclical payment. The other parts of …

The Demand For Citizen Leadership In Non-Metropolitan Nebraska, Randy Cantrell

Cornhusker Economics

Those who work with rural communities know this issue well: Population losses have left many rural communities with a shortage of residents willing and able to take on the public and volunteer leadership roles required to keep their communities running smoothly. As a result, individuals are often asked not just to participate in local government and voluntary organizations, but also to accept positions of authority and responsibility in their operation. The outcome, according to conventional wisdom, is that capable and involved citizens can be “burned out” by the demands made on their time, with local leadership often being left in …

Toward Sustainability In Business, Industry And Community: Empathy Tempered Choices, Prabhakar Shrestha, Gary D. Lynne

Cornhusker Economics

In today’s world of 24-hour news service on the internet, youtube, facebook, twitter, electronic newspapers, etc., there are many sources of information constantly seeking our attention, triggering our response and affecting our psyche. Where are such habits of tuning into internet services, mobile services, etc., leading us? Jeremy Rifkin in his new book, The Empathic Civilization talks about the dawn of a new Third Industrial Civilization. The main feature is the sharing of information among millions of people, which is shaping the spatial and temporal orientation of human civilization. This also leads to greater differentiation of skills, greater connectivity, extension …

“The E-Harmony Of Farm Succession”, Dave Goeller

Cornhusker Economics

The age of Nebraska’s farm and ranch operators continues to trend older. Statistics from the National Census of Agriculture indicates that in 1982 there were 13,436 operators of Nebraska farms or ranches under the age of 35. In the most recent Census of Agriculture taken in 2007, those Nebraska operators under age 35 have declined to 3,353. The 1982 Census indicated the number of operators age 65 and over was 8,777, while in 2007 the Nebraska operators age 65 and over increased to 13,062. Nebraska currently has only 25 percent as many operators under 35 years of age as it …

Essays On Industrial Organization And Environmental Economics, Gibson Nene

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

This dissertation studies environmental regulation issues in the hog production industry as well as forces behind the reorganization of the industry during the past two decades. Federal and State-level environmental regulations imposed on U.S. hog production during the year 2003 are examined in Chapter 1. Based on the number of regulations passed by the Federal government and states, the 2003 regulatory index is constructed. The regulatory stringency index suggests that state-level regulations vary across states and have increased over the years. In addition, state-level regulations are more stringent than federal regulations. Chapter 2 develops an empirically implementable theoretical model which …

Input Price Risk And The Adoption Of Conservation Technology, Karina Schoengold

Cornhusker Economics

Energy price trends have shown increases in both the mean and variance in recent years. In addition, innovation activity continues to develop new technologies that can benefit consumers by providing the same services as traditional technology, but with higher input use efficiency. For example, technologies such as hybrid vehicles or compact fluorescent light bulbs provide consumers with benefits, while simultaneously reducing the demand for limited energy inputs. Examining the impact of increasing price variability on the adoption of conservation technologies is important to innovators and policy-makers. This is especially important when multiple technologies exist, and producers have an option to …

Status Of U.S. Initiatives To Limit Ghg Emissions, Diego R. Alvarez, Federico Trindade

Cornhusker Economics

The status of the United States initiatives to limit green house gas (GHG) emissions is the topic of this article. Although there are uncertainties associated with the science of climate change, some aspects of the science are known with virtual certainty (they have a greater than 99% chance of being true). Scientists know with virtual certainty that levels of greenhouse gases, like carbon dioxide in the atmosphere have been increasing since pre-industrial times; that the atmospheric buildup of CO2 and other greenhouse gases is largely the result of human activities such as the burning of fossil fuels; and that increasing …