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Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences

The Economic Impact Of The Stanislaus County Food Processing Industry And The Food Processing By-Products Use Program, Jay E. Noel, Sean P. Hurley, Jessica Bylsma Oct 2007

The Economic Impact Of The Stanislaus County Food Processing Industry And The Food Processing By-Products Use Program, Jay E. Noel, Sean P. Hurley, Jessica Bylsma

Agribusiness

In the late 1970’s, Stanislaus County recognized that there existed a potential issue with the disposal of food processing by-products. The concern at the time was that the disposal of the by-products could be handled in a more efficient manner that could benefit all interested stakeholders. In 1978, the county took a proactive stance on the issue and brought together a group of producers, UC extension representatives, management from local food processors, and other interested stakeholders to discuss better ways of handling the by-products that came from processing agricultural products. As a result of these discussions, Stanislaus County developed the …


Science, Technology And Skills, Philip Pardey, Jennifer James, Julian Alston, Stanley Wood, Bonwoo Koo, Eran Binenbaum, Terrance Hurley, Paul Glewwe Oct 2007

Science, Technology And Skills, Philip Pardey, Jennifer James, Julian Alston, Stanley Wood, Bonwoo Koo, Eran Binenbaum, Terrance Hurley, Paul Glewwe

Agribusiness

The invention of agriculture that occurred around 10,000 years ago heralded a shift from nomadic hunting and gathering to more managed forms of food, feed and fibre production. The domestication of crops initially involved the saving of seed from one season for planting in subsequent years. Later, farmers purposefully selected crop varieties and so in practice began matching and, by repeated selection over many years, adapting crop genetics to the environment in which the crop was grown. From its inception, enhancing G x E (i.e., gene by environment) interactions was an intrinsic, if not defining, feature of agriculture.


Invited Review: Role Of Livestock In Human Nutrition And Health For Poverty Reduction In Developing Countries, T. F. Randolph, E. Schelling, D. Grace, Charles F. Nicholson, J. L. Leroy, D. C. Cole, M. W. Demment, A. Omore, J. Zinsstag, M. Ruel Sep 2007

Invited Review: Role Of Livestock In Human Nutrition And Health For Poverty Reduction In Developing Countries, T. F. Randolph, E. Schelling, D. Grace, Charles F. Nicholson, J. L. Leroy, D. C. Cole, M. W. Demment, A. Omore, J. Zinsstag, M. Ruel

Agribusiness

Livestock keeping is critical for many of the poor in the developing world, often contributing to multiple livelihood objectives and offering pathways out of poverty. Livestock keeping also affects an indispensable asset of the poor, their human capital, through its impact on their own nutrition and health. This paper outlines the linkages between livestock keeping and the physical well-being of the poor, and examines a number of commonly held beliefs that misrepresent livestock development issues related to these linkages. These beliefs limit the scope of intervention programs to promote livestock and limit their potential contribution to poverty reduction. Recognition of …


A Benefit Transfer Approach To The Estimation Of Agro-Ecosystems Services Benefits: A Case Study Of Kern County, California, Eivis Quenani-Petrela, Jay E. Noel, Thomas Mastin Sep 2007

A Benefit Transfer Approach To The Estimation Of Agro-Ecosystems Services Benefits: A Case Study Of Kern County, California, Eivis Quenani-Petrela, Jay E. Noel, Thomas Mastin

Agribusiness

Agro-ecosystem functions support not only the production of food and fiber but a variety of non-market goods and services that are socially valuable. Examples of those non-market goods and services include aesthetic experiences, wildlife habitat, carbon sequestration, and recreation to name a few. There is a growing awareness of the importance that provision of these non-market goods and services has to the long-run sustainability of agriculture in general and California agriculture in particular. This awareness has led to an increasing interest in the estimation of the economic value of agro-ecosystem functions non-market goods and services. This increased awareness can be …


Fruit And Vegetable Consumption Among College Students In Arkansas And Florida: Food And Culture Vs. Health Knowledge, Christiane Schroeter, Lisa House, Argelia Lorence Sep 2007

Fruit And Vegetable Consumption Among College Students In Arkansas And Florida: Food And Culture Vs. Health Knowledge, Christiane Schroeter, Lisa House, Argelia Lorence

Agribusiness

This study determines the impact of demographics, dietary and health knowledge, and food culture on fruit and vegetable consumption of college students in Arkansas and Florida. Our empirical analysis demonstrates that food culture significantly impacts consumption of fruits and vegetables; a finding which emphasizes the need to target cultural aspects when developing effective and efficient management of agribusiness firms. Understanding the antecedents to consumption for products like fruits and vegetables is important to agribusiness industry, policy makers and organizations interested in evaluating the effectiveness of health education in promoting college students’ health and decreasing the trends to obesity.


Pennsylvanians' Knowledge Of Agriculture, Fern K. Willits, A. E. Luloff, Jennifer S. James Aug 2007

Pennsylvanians' Knowledge Of Agriculture, Fern K. Willits, A. E. Luloff, Jennifer S. James

Agribusiness

In 2005, researchers at Pennsylvania State University surveyed 1,521 Pennsylvanians in 65 counties to determine their knowledge of and perceptions about agriculture in the state. The study looked to: assess the level of agricultural knowledge of Pennsylvanians; ascertain how personal characteristics and frequency of rural visitation related to agricultural knowledge and to the perceptions of citizens about various agricultural issues; explore the relationship of agricultural knowledge to public perceptions of selected agricultural issues; and suggest how information on Pennsylvanians’ knowledge, experiences, and perceptions of agriculture are relevant to policy makers. The study results showed that, overall, most participants believed they …


An Analysis Of The Tradeoffs Between Policy Instruments To Induce Dairy Producers In California To Participate In A Centralized Digester, Sean P. Hurley, James J. Ahern, Douglas Williams Jul 2007

An Analysis Of The Tradeoffs Between Policy Instruments To Induce Dairy Producers In California To Participate In A Centralized Digester, Sean P. Hurley, James J. Ahern, Douglas Williams

Agribusiness

Tradeoff between different utility rates and policy intervention to induce dairy producer to join a regional digester are studied. Results demonstrate that a regional digester for the dairy industry in California is feasible given the digester receives $0.05 per kWh and government intervention or $0.0925 per kWh with no intervention.


Financial Performance Value-Added Dairy Operations In New York, Vermont And Wisconsin, Charles Nicholson, Mark Stephenson Jul 2007

Financial Performance Value-Added Dairy Operations In New York, Vermont And Wisconsin, Charles Nicholson, Mark Stephenson

Agribusiness

Federal, state and local governments have funded various efforts to support value-added agriculture, often implicitly assuming that the enterprises would be profitable and that the transition from commodity producer to producer-processor-marketer-distributor would be relatively easy. Some analysts (e.g., Streeter and Bills; 2003a, 2003b) have questioned both of these assumptions, noting that available aggregate data do not allow assessment of the financial performance of value-added enterprises. Our study collected detailed financial information from 27 value-added dairy enterprises with cows, goats or sheep in three states. These businesses processed and marketed cheese, fluid milk products and yogurt; 17 had begun processing during …


The Impact Of Economic Factors On Consumer Health, Christiane Schroeter, Jayson L. Lusk Jul 2007

The Impact Of Economic Factors On Consumer Health, Christiane Schroeter, Jayson L. Lusk

Agribusiness

This study estimates the relationship between economic factors and consumer health. The results show that increasing prices of food away from home are associated with decreasing the probability of risk factors and health conditions, which emphasizes the need to differ between multiple food types in health demand analysis.


Childhood Obesity In The U.S.: How Effective Are School Prevention Programs?, Christiane Schroeter, R. I. Carreira Jul 2007

Childhood Obesity In The U.S.: How Effective Are School Prevention Programs?, Christiane Schroeter, R. I. Carreira

Agribusiness

This study uses a logistic regression to analyze the 2004-2005 Arkansas Center for Health Improvement body mass index data from four school districts in Arkansas. We conclude that the probability of elementary school children being overweight or at risk of being overweight depends on economic factors, demographics, and food availability.


U.S. Agricultural Productivity And Returns To Research, Jennifer S. James, Julian M. Alston, Philip G. Pardey, Matt Andersen Jun 2007

U.S. Agricultural Productivity And Returns To Research, Jennifer S. James, Julian M. Alston, Philip G. Pardey, Matt Andersen

Agribusiness

No abstract provided.


Devolution Of Federal Agricultural Policy: The Case Of Specialty Crop Block Grants, Jay E. Noel, David Schweikhardt Jan 2007

Devolution Of Federal Agricultural Policy: The Case Of Specialty Crop Block Grants, Jay E. Noel, David Schweikhardt

Agribusiness

There is a lengthy history of devolution of federal policy and programs to the states through the use of grants-in-aid in general and block grants in particular. In the area of agricultural policy, for example, programs for agricultural research and extension have, since their origin, been jointly funded by a system of grants from the federal government to the states. In recent years, the possible consequence of a major devolution of farm policy and programs from the federal government to the states has received much attention.


Review Of Methods For Modelling Systems Evolution, Charles F. Nicholson Jan 2007

Review Of Methods For Modelling Systems Evolution, Charles F. Nicholson

Agribusiness

Acceleration of economic, technological, social, and environmental change challenge decision-makers of various kinds to learn at increasing rates, and at the same time, the complexity of the dynamic systems in which we live is growing (Sterman 2000). In agriculture and international development contexts, there are often significant delays in the development and implementation of technologies and policies, and agriculture-based livelihood systems are in constant and sometimes rapid evolution. In order to make technologies and policies better match the future state of these systems, it is necessary to better understand the likely evolution of agricultural systems. The goal of these efforts …


Estimating Willingness To Pay Using A Polychotomous Choice Function: An Application To Pork Products With Environmental Attributes, Sean P. Hurley, Douglas J. Miller, James B. Kliebenstein Aug 2006

Estimating Willingness To Pay Using A Polychotomous Choice Function: An Application To Pork Products With Environmental Attributes, Sean P. Hurley, Douglas J. Miller, James B. Kliebenstein

Agribusiness

Bid data from a Vickrey auction for pork chops with embedded environmental attributes were analyzed. It was found that approximately 62% of the participants had a positive WTP for the most "environmentally friendly" package of pork. Thirty percent of the participants had no WTP, and 8% had a negative WTP. A polychotomous choice model was used to accommodate data having an anchoring point within the distribution of the data. Standard variables found in the WTP literature coupled with this model were used to predict participants who were premium payers and non-premium payers using an estimated ordered probit equation.


Clustering Of Independent Dairy Operators For Generation Of Bio-Renewable Energy: A Feasibility Analysis, Sean P. Hurley, James J. Ahern, Douglas Williams Jul 2006

Clustering Of Independent Dairy Operators For Generation Of Bio-Renewable Energy: A Feasibility Analysis, Sean P. Hurley, James J. Ahern, Douglas Williams

Agribusiness

According to the California Agricultural Statistical Service (CASS), California had almost 1.7 million dairy cows in 2003. These cows generated approximately four billion dollars in revenue, making the California Dairy industry the largest agricultural commodity in the state. These California dairies are estimated to have produced roughly thirty million metric tons of manure in 2003. According to the 2002 USDA census, eighty-seven percent of the dairy cows in California are located on farms of five hundred or more cows. Furthermore, the dairy industry is heavily concentrated in eight counties of California. This high concentration of dairies in the state implies …


Optimal Market Contracting In The California Lettuce Industry, Kallie Donnelly, Jay E. Noel Jul 2006

Optimal Market Contracting In The California Lettuce Industry, Kallie Donnelly, Jay E. Noel

Agribusiness

Marketing and production contracts are a widely used risk mitigating strategy in the agricultural industry. Marketing contracts guarantee a market and focuses on the product at time of delivery. The producer owns the crop until time of delivery and is paid a premium based on quality and quantity predetermined in the contract. Production contracts create long term relationships between the producer and contractor. The producer will provide predetermined services to grow the crop. The contractor will provide inputs for the producer, giving the contractor some control over the production process and ownership of the crop. Graph 1 illustrates the growth …


An Estimation Of The Regulatory Cost On California Agricultural Producers, Sean P. Hurley, Jay E. Noel Jul 2006

An Estimation Of The Regulatory Cost On California Agricultural Producers, Sean P. Hurley, Jay E. Noel

Agribusiness

Regulations can have many different effects on producers—both positive and negative. They can positively affect producers by improving marketability of the crop and increasing worker’s safety which would provide benefits to producers in the form of higher prices and/or potential cost savings. They can also negatively affect producers by increasing the cost of production by mandating that producers use more costly or less efficacious inputs, causing negative effects to the producers’ bottom-line. Regulations can also have a negative effect on producers by increasing non-cash costs related to management time.


A Regional And Industry Analysis Of The Complexity Of The Regulatory Environment Affecting Agricultural Producers In California, Sean P. Hurley, Jay E. Noel Jul 2006

A Regional And Industry Analysis Of The Complexity Of The Regulatory Environment Affecting Agricultural Producers In California, Sean P. Hurley, Jay E. Noel

Agribusiness

Regulations have been studied from many different vantage points in the past. Carter, Chalfont, and Goodhue (2002) have studied how a particular regulation will affect a particular crop, while Antle (2000) and Cash and Swoboda (2003) have investigated the effect of a regulation on an industry. Kaplan, Johansson, and Peters (2004) have investigated the marginal costs and benefits of regulations. Attempts have been made by the federal government to obtain the total cost of the regulatory environment (Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, 1997), while Hurley and Noel (2006) have attempted to develop a baseline cost of regulations for California …


Analysis Of The Regulatory Effects Of California Specialty Crops: An Examination Of Various Issues Impacting Selected Forest Products, Tree Fruit, Nut, And Vegetable Crop Industries, Sean P. Hurley, Richard Thompson, Christopher Dicus, Lori Berger, Jay E. Noel Jan 2006

Analysis Of The Regulatory Effects Of California Specialty Crops: An Examination Of Various Issues Impacting Selected Forest Products, Tree Fruit, Nut, And Vegetable Crop Industries, Sean P. Hurley, Richard Thompson, Christopher Dicus, Lori Berger, Jay E. Noel

Agribusiness

In a research report for the California Institute for the Study of Specialty Crops, Hurley provided a broad overview of the web of regulatory bodies affecting California agricultural producers. He found that California specialty crop producers must comply with multiple regulations from multiple local, state, and federal agencies. Locally, producers must comply with county land use regulations developed by the county, as well as, regulations established by the County Agricultural Commissioner. At the state level, producers must follow the regulations established by California Environmental Protection Agency (CALEPA), the Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR), and the California Department of Food and …


Impact Of Increased Minimum Wage On Southern San Joaquin Valley Navel Orange Producers, Kallie Donnelly, Jay E. Noel Jan 2006

Impact Of Increased Minimum Wage On Southern San Joaquin Valley Navel Orange Producers, Kallie Donnelly, Jay E. Noel

Agribusiness

The California Institute for the Study of Specialty Crops (CISSC) developed a representative farm simulation model for navel producers in the Southern San Joaquin Valley. The farm simulation model simulates a producer’s financial statements for 2005-2014, including the income statement, statement of cash flows, and balance sheet. This model allows model prices and yields to vary over time. The variability is based on historical variation in navel orange prices and yield. This is done to capture the risk and uncertainty associated with variable prices and yields.


An Examination Of Additively Separable Willingness-To-Pay For Environmental Attributes: Evidence From A Pork Experiment, Sean P. Hurley, James B. Kliebenstein Jul 2005

An Examination Of Additively Separable Willingness-To-Pay For Environmental Attributes: Evidence From A Pork Experiment, Sean P. Hurley, James B. Kliebenstein

Agribusiness

This paper examines what is the best method for pork producers to market pork products with environmental attributes. The objective is to examine evidence of whether it is beneficial for pork producers to incorporate multiple environmental attributes into a single product or sell multiple products with a single environmental attribute.


Determining The Impact Of Food Price And Income Changes On Obesity, Christiane Schroeter, Jayson Lusk, Wallace Tyner Jul 2005

Determining The Impact Of Food Price And Income Changes On Obesity, Christiane Schroeter, Jayson Lusk, Wallace Tyner

Agribusiness

Despite the significant rise in obesity in the U.S., economic research on obesity is still in its infancy. This paper employs a microeconomic approach to investigate the effects of price and income changes on weight in an effort to determine how a high-calorie food tax, a low-calorie food subsidy, and/or income changes affect body weight. Although raising the price of high-calorie food will likely lead to decreased demand for such goods; it is not clear that such an outcome will actually reduce weight. The model developed in this paper identifies conditions under which price and income changes are mostly likely …


Estimating The Impacts Of Differing Price-Risk Management Strategies On The Net Income Of Salinas Valley Lettuce Producers: A Stochastic Simulation Approach, Roland Fumasi, Wayne H. Howard, Jay E. Noel Jul 2005

Estimating The Impacts Of Differing Price-Risk Management Strategies On The Net Income Of Salinas Valley Lettuce Producers: A Stochastic Simulation Approach, Roland Fumasi, Wayne H. Howard, Jay E. Noel

Agribusiness

While government safety-net programs are used to mitigate the price risk for commodity producers, limited programs exist for specialty crop producers. Specialty crop producers utilize forward contracts to reduce downside price risk. In order to estimate the method of price-risk management, if any, that is preferable to selling at market determined prices, a stochastic simulation model was constructed. The completed simulation model was used to estimate probability distributions for Salinas Valley net income under different pricing scenarios. Probabilities of reaching various net income thresholds were compared. Results indicate that Salinas Valley lettuce producers should maximize profitability by using forward contracts.


A Synopsis Of The Regulatory Environment Affecting California Specialty Crops, Sean P. Hurley Jan 2005

A Synopsis Of The Regulatory Environment Affecting California Specialty Crops, Sean P. Hurley

Agribusiness

California specialty crop producers face multiple regulatory bodies from both the state and federal government. These producers face regulations pertaining to labor, the environment, marketing, and food safety. When it comes to regulations, ignorance is not bliss. This project develops an informational source for finding federal and state regulations affecting California agricultural producers and provides a perspective of what the California agricultural regulatory environment looks like. This report presents a visual diagram of the top two tiers of federal and state governmental agencies affecting the California agricultural regulatory environment. The visual diagram is set-up with web links to these regulatory …


Relating Diet, Demographics And Lifestyle To Increasing U.S. Obesity Rates, Christiane Schroeter Nov 2004

Relating Diet, Demographics And Lifestyle To Increasing U.S. Obesity Rates, Christiane Schroeter

Agribusiness

Changes in the American lifestyle are putting more individuals at risk due to the declining quality of their diets. In the last 20 years, the readily available high-fat foods (e.g., "fast foods") combined with the decreased caloric requirements due to lower physical activity levels is assumed to be the major factor in the sharp rise in the prevalence of obesity. The typical away-from-home meal is less healthy than food at home, since it tends to contain more total fat and saturated fat, less calcium, fiber, and iron, and fewer servings of fruits and vegetables. Furthermore, due to the super-sizing trend …


Assessment Of Biofuels In California And Potential For Future Utilization, Douglas Williams, James J. Ahern, Keith Ochwat Oct 2004

Assessment Of Biofuels In California And Potential For Future Utilization, Douglas Williams, James J. Ahern, Keith Ochwat

Agribusiness

This study analyzed the potential energy resources contained in the biomass residues from the leading crops and livestock in California. As compared with an earlier similar study by Knutson and Miller (1982), where a total of 24 million tons of biomass was reported having an energy value of 336,000 billion Btu’s, this current study showed a total of over 18 million tons (excluding 7.2 million tons of lumber mill and forest slash residues), which translates to almost 13 million tons of dry matter. The energy value of this biomass is 189,000 billion Btu’s, about 56 % of the 1982 value. …


The Impact Of Health Information And Demographic Changes On Aggregate Meat Demand, Christiane Schroeter, Ken Foster Aug 2004

The Impact Of Health Information And Demographic Changes On Aggregate Meat Demand, Christiane Schroeter, Ken Foster

Agribusiness

Over the past few decades, U.S. meat consumption patterns have changed. Figure 1 shows the U.S. per-capita meat consumption from 1970-1999. Consumers have increased their total meat consumption by 9.3% from 1970 to 1999, however, the composition of the meat consumption changed as well. While beef consumption has consistently decreased since 1985 - that of poultry and fish have increased. Per capita pork consumption has not changed on average from the 1970’s to the 1990’s.


The Impact Of Health Information And Women In The Work Force On Aggregate Meat Demand, Christiane Schroeter, Ken Foster Aug 2004

The Impact Of Health Information And Women In The Work Force On Aggregate Meat Demand, Christiane Schroeter, Ken Foster

Agribusiness

Over the past few decades, U.S. meat consumption patterns have changed. Changes in food consumption patterns can be the result of changing demographic characteristics, changing lifestyles, increasing health awareness, and nutritional concerns. Prior research suggests that these factors have significant influence on the demand for meat (Capps and Schmitz; Kinnucan, Hsia, and Jackson). The recent interest in low carbohydrate diets and the association with increased red meat consumption is an anecdotal example of this phenomenon.


The Impact Of Market Structure On Agricultural Technology Transfer, Charles F. Nicholson Jul 2004

The Impact Of Market Structure On Agricultural Technology Transfer, Charles F. Nicholson

Agribusiness

An agribusiness focus has emerged in public discussions as way to enhance agricultural production in Indonesia and to improve sustainable income for farmers. The focus has led to increased attention on marketing. Marketing agricultural products via processing technologies can indeed address national objectives of rural poverty alleviation. REI-Indonesia observed that limited marketing alternatives are frequently mentioned by farmers as a significant constraint. In Indonesia, a significant amount of institutional support currently exists for the ideas presented in this paper. In particular, one should consider the multifaceted mission of agricultural development in Indonesia, which includes: (a) policies that encourage competition and, …


Cost Of Organic Pork Production: A Seasonal Analysis And Needed Price Premium For Continuous Production, James Kliebenstein, Sean P. Hurley, Ben Larson, Mark Honeyman Jul 2004

Cost Of Organic Pork Production: A Seasonal Analysis And Needed Price Premium For Continuous Production, James Kliebenstein, Sean P. Hurley, Ben Larson, Mark Honeyman

Agribusiness

Niche markets of agricultural products are experiencing rapid growth. One such niche market is organic pork. Organic pork production is a relatively new and expanding segment of the pork industry. Similar to some other niche markets, it has also experienced rapid growth (Organic Trade Association). It is well known that the cost of organic pork production is greater than for traditional pork production due to increased feed costs and decreased swine performance. The industry has dealt with this by paying premiums to induce producers to produce the organic product. However, it is not clear on what level or how the …