Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

2022 Census Of Agriculture: Nebraska Highlights, Kathleen Brooks, Bradley Lubben

Cornhusker Economics

In February 2024, the United States Department of Agriculture National Agricultural Statistics Service published data from the 2022 Census of Agriculture. This data is collected every five years. The current article highlights a few of the Nebraska numbers. Two significant highlights from the data are the total number of farms and the total value of production. U.S. farm numbers declined modestly in the U.S. from 2.04 million in 2017 to 1.90 million in 2022. The total value of production for U.S. farms and ranches increased substantially from $388.5 billion in 2017 to $543.1 billion in 2022. Crop production accounted for …

Embracing Diversity In Agricultural Economics, Timothy L. Meyer

Cornhusker Economics

To steal an overused cliché, “There’s room in the tent for everyone.” Over the 2023 academic year, I have reiterated this message to all my students, with one addition. Not only is there room for everyone, but all are invited AND welcome. Food is something we all have in common, no matter the background. I think this is why producers in the state of Nebraska feel as strongly as they do about the food they produce; it is life-giving and should be taken seriously. Nebraska Agriculture is part of what makes our state great, and that is not a secret …

Program Requirements For Beef Cattle Certified As Usda Organic, Carsten Loseke, Elliott James Dennis

Cornhusker Economics

This document provides an overview of the use and production of the USDA Certified Organic program for the beef cattle industry, with an emphasis on the state of Nebraska. We detail what cattle qualify, feed requirements, medical and health standards of cattle, and premiums paid by consumers for USDA certified organic products. All information is taken from the Organic Foods Production Act Provisions available in the Federal Register.

Are Too Many Or Too Few Babies Being Born?, Wesley Peterson

Cornhusker Economics

An additional 1.8 billion people will be added to the world’s population by 2050. At the same time, average incomes are likely to rise. Data from the Groningen Growth and Development Center suggest that average real (inflation-adjusted) GDP per capita increased by a factor of fifteen between 1820 and 2018 and World Bank data indicate that real per capita GDP more than tripled over the past 62 years. It is likely that these trends will continue and there will be more people with higher average incomes in the future straining global food systems and natural resources. Slower population growth rates …

Adding Value To Crop Production Systems By Integrating Forage Cover Crop Grazing, Robert B. Mitchell, Daren D. Redfearn, Kenneth P. Vogel, Terry J. Klopfenstein, Galen Erickson, P. Steven Baenziger, Bruce E. Anderson, Mary E. Drewnoski, Jay Parsons, Steven D. Masterson, Marty R. Schmer, Virginia L. Jin

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

In addition to their value as cereal grains, wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) and triticale (× Triticosecale Wittmack) are important cool-season annual forages and cover crops. Yearling steer (Bos taurus) performance was compared in the spring following autumn establishment as for age cover crops after soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] grain harvest. Replicated pastures (0.4 ha) were no-till seeded in three consecutive years into soybean stubble in autumn, fertilized, and grazed the following spring near Ithaca, Nebraska, USA. Each pasture (n = 3) was continuously stocked in spring with four yearling steers (380 ± 38 kg) for …

Insurance, Policy, And Education For Livestock Producers, Milan Chauhan, Bradley Lubben

Cornhusker Economics

Federal crop insurance programs have existed since the 1930s, but for livestock producers, federal insurance programs were virtually nonexistent until the past 20 years. Livestock producers may not face exactly the same production risks that crop producers face, but they do face similar production risks related to grazing capacity and forage production and of course face price risks just like crop producers do.

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 …

The Perceptions Of Psycap Growth Among College Student Leaders Who Mentor, James Lee

Department of Agricultural Leadership, Education and Communication: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Scholarship

The purpose of this cross-sectional study is to examine the perceptions of Psychological Capital (PsyCap) growth among college student leaders who mentor. Recent research documented a positive association between mentoring and the mentee’s PsyCap growth, yet little is known about how mentoring impacts the mentor’s PsyCap. Additionally, though PsyCap has been researched considerably in the last decade, little is known about both the antecedents of PsyCap and the social mechanisms that contribute to the growth of PsyCap. This study addresses these gaps and examines the influence of mentoring for leadership development on the mentors’ perceptions of PsyCap growth. There are …

Assessing Determinants Of Participation In Conservation Programs In The U.S., Manita Ale

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

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has implemented conservation programs through Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and Farm Service Agency (FSA). Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP), and Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) are some of them. These programs provide financial and technical assistance to farmers and ranchers to adopt land management practices that generate environmental benefits. In this study, we explore the determinants of participation in conservation programs (CRP, CSP, EQIP) in Iowa, Kansas, and Nebraska. For this, we use a unique survey-based data set comprising observations from row crop farmers in these states. We are …

Crop-Livestock Diversification And Efficiency In Agriculture, Jay Parsons, Maroua Afi

Cornhusker Economics

Diversification is a familiar strategy for managing risk in agriculture. It can take several forms including growing more than one crop or operating a farm with both crop and livestock enterprises. As with other strategies for managing risk, diversification comes with a unique set of costs. Managing a farm with multiple enterprises creates additional overhead as well as additional demands on management, labor, land, capital, and other resources. Diversification adds complexity to an operation and too much complexity can lead to inefficiencies.

Producer Long-Term Marketing Opportunities With Ethanol Plants, Austin Harthoorn, Logan Lloyd, Cory Walters, Kate Brooks

Cornhusker Economics

Commodity marketing operates in a complex decision environment with constant information flow, which can conceal long-run financially profitable marketing opportunities for producers. In the corn marketing space, the competitive role of ethanol plants throughout the state may provide producers with long-run financial gains by strategically approaching marketing decisions. In this article, we characterize whether producers can gain financially from strategically marketing corn to ethanol plants. For example, do ethanol plants provide a better long-run return from pre-harvest hedging, spring sale, or harvest sale?

We investigate three important contracting times--forward contract for harvest delivery (called pre-harvest hereafter), harvest delivery, and spring …

Biological Capital Estimation For The United States: Data Sets For Adauto Rocha Dissertation, Adauto B. Rocha Jr., Richard Perrin, Lilyan Fulginiti

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

Excel files with calculations used for chapters in the above dissertation are posted here in the following order:

Ch 1: BIOLOGICAL CAPITAL ESTIMATION FOR ANIMAL CATEGORIES: CAPITAL MEASUREMENT USING DATA ON PRICE OF NEW ASSETS

Dairy capital report US.xls

Beef capital report US.xls

Hog sows capital report US.xls

Ch 2: BIOLOGICAL CAPITAL ESTIMATION FOR ORANGE ORCHARDS: CAPITAL MEASUREMENT USING BUDGET SHEETS

Orange capital report CA.xls

Orange capital report FL.xls

Oranges summary stocks and services.xls

Ch 3: BIOLOGICAL CAPITAL ESTIMATION FOR APPLE ORCHARDS: CAPITAL MEASUREMENT USING BUDGETS

Apple capital report MI.xls

Apple capital report NY.xls

Apple capital report WA.xls

Ch 4: …

The Role And Implications Of Negotiation In Fed Cattle Transactions, Taralee Hudson

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

Within the past three decades, a significant evolution has occurred in how fed cattle are bought and sold. Driven by changes in the quality of beef and consumer health preferences, the beef industry began to advocate for “value-based marketing,” resulting in the development of grid pricing and eventually formula transactions. Alternative marketing arrangements (AMAs) have become the predominant method used for the sale of fed cattle, ultimately resulting in fewer transactions in the negotiated cash market. Such market conditions have recently reignited concerns among industry stakeholders about potentially uncompetitive outcomes for beef producers, particularly after the occurrence of sequential Black …

The Effect Of The Environmental Protection Agency’S Exhaust Emissions Standards On Diesel Tractor Fuel Efficiency, Jerin Tekolste

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

Since its inception the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has been tasked with the assessment, research, and education, of the nation’s environment while also maintaining and enforcing national standards. A characteristic display of this agency’s work is the Exhaust Emission Standards for Nonroad Compression-Ignition Engines that began in 1995. Since the introduction of exhaust emissions standards in 1995, no study has fully examined the subsequent impact on fuel efficiencies.

In this paper we analyze the resulting fuel efficiency caused by the EPA’s exhaust emission standards. We identify the impact of the emissions standards on tractor fuel efficiency through a statistical …

Things To Consider Before Co-Signing A Loan, J. David Aiken

Cornhusker Economics

In the context of family farms, includes some general points to consider before you sign a loan guarantee for a family member who is heavily in debt.

Conclusion: Having to consider whether to co-sign a child's loan is a very difficult situation-no one wants to be part of losing part of the family farm or ranch to loan foreclosure. But if the loan guarantee isn't part of a financial turnaround plan that has at least a fighting chance of success, don't sign the guarantee unless you absolutely don't need the money for your own retirement.

Deficit Irrigation Management For Irrigated Corn In Nebraska: Economically Viable?, Lia Nogueira, Cory Walters, Emily O'Donnell, Wesley Peterson, Suat Irmak

Cornhusker Economics

In this study we determine the economic value of deficit irrigation management using both technological and methodological advancements. The use of soil moisture probes represents the technological improvement. We provide improvements in the methodology as follows. Regarding data, we employ a field-size study, instead of plots, where the irrigation decision is determined by the moisture level in the soil measured through a soil moisture probe. Regarding the understanding of the yield response to water, although we examine the commonly used quadratic function, we improve upon this specification by also examining an alternative response function, the linear response stochastic plateau. Our …

Regenerative Farming Practices: How Much Carbon Do They Sequester?, Andrew M. Havens

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

Along with the recent rise of voluntary carbon markets comes potential carbon credit producers seeking reliable information on how much carbon they can expect to sequester. In this thesis a distribution of expected sequestration outcomes is constructed using cost-benefit analysis and data gathered from agronomic experiments and land-grant university crop budgets for cover crops and no-till practices. The inverse cumulative distribution of carbon sequestration outcomes from adopting a regenerative agricultural practice is visualized and the net social benefit of paying farmers to produce carbon credits is estimated. Results show that on average there is between $29.02 and $37.20 of social …

2023 Nebraska Women In Agriculture Conference, Jessica Groskopf, Katie Hothem

Cornhusker Economics

Includes a recap of the 38th Nebraska Women in Agriculture Conference held in February 2023 in Kearney, Nebraska.

Nebraska Farmland Values And Cash Rental Rates In 2023, Jim Jansen, Jeffrey Stokes

Cornhusker Economics

The market value of agricultural land in Nebraska increased by 14% over the prior year to an average of US $3,835 per acre, according to the 2023 Nebraska Farm Real Estate Market Survey. This marks the second-largest increase in the market value of agricultural land in Nebraska since 2014 and the highest non-inflation-adjusted state-wide land value in the 45-year history of the survey.

The University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s Department of Agricultural Economics annually surveys land industry professionals across Nebraska, including appraisers, farm and ranch managers, agricultural bankers, and related industry professionals. Results from the survey are divided by land class and …

Comparing Cover Crop Research In Farmer-Led And Researcher-Led Experiments In The Western Corn Belt, Katja Koehler-Cole, Andrea D. Basche, Laura J. Thompson, Jennifer M. Rees

Nebraska Extension: Faculty and Staff Publications

Cover crops can mitigate soil degradation and nutrient loss and can be used to achieve continuous living cover in cropping systems, although their adoption in the Western Corn Belt of the United States remains low. It is increasingly recognized that cover crop integration into corn (Zea mays L.)-based crop rotations is complex, requiring site and operation specific management. In this review, we compared on-farm, farmer-led field scale trials to researcher-led trials carried out in small plots on University of Nebraska-Lincoln experiment stations. Although there is a range of cover crop research conducted in the state, there is no …

The Trade Impact Of Economic Integration Agreements, Byungyul Park, John C. Beghin

Cornhusker Economics

A year ago, Cornhusker Economics reported on the substantial trade integration that has been taking place globally in recent decades (see Beghin, 2022). With this proliferation of Economic Integration Agreements (EIAs) through regional and bilateral trade agreements and customs unions since the 1990s, many economists have investigated the effect of these agreements on merchandise trade. Early investigations struggled to find robust findings. They reached two opposite conclusions, with an eventual rejoinder on their limitations. Some investigations found statistically insignificant or negligible effects of EIAs on trade flows. Other investigations found significant effects, sometimes negative, of EIAs on trade. See Park …

Cover Crop Planting Practices Determine Their Performance In The U.S. Corn Belt, Katja Koehler-Cole, Roger W. Elmore, Humberto Blanco-Canqui, Charles A. Francis, Charles A. Shapiro, Christopher A. Proctor, Sabrina J. Ruis, Suat Irmak, Derek M. Heeren

Nebraska Extension: Faculty and Staff Publications

Cover crop growing periods in the western United States Corn Belt could be extended by planting earlier. We evaluated both pre-harvest broadcast interseeding and post-harvest drilling of the following cover crops: (a) cereal rye (Secale cereale L.) [RYE]; (b) a mix of rye + legumes + brassicas [MIX1], (c) a mix of rye + oat [Avena sativa L.] + legumes + brassicas (MIX2), (d) legumes [LEGU]) and (e) a no cover crop control. These were tested in continuous corn (Zea mays L.) [corn–corn] and soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.]–corn systems [soybean–corn] at three sites in Nebraska …

The Impact Of Organized Activism On Technology Sharing, Ahmed Chennak, Amalia Yiannaka

Cornhusker Economics

What factors influence a firm's decision to share its technology with competitors? While patent licensing has received considerable attention in the literature, studies have typically focused on the optimal licensing contract for product and process innovations in various market settings. A key finding of this literature is that the optimal licensing strategy depends on the type of the patentee; that is, whether the patentee is a producer in the market (insider patentee) or not (outsider patentee). Little attention has been given, however, to the role the general public can play on firms' incentives to share their innovations through licensing contracts …

Role Of Social Network On Technology Adoption: Application To Nebraska Producers In The Face Of Undesirable Vegetation Transitions, Sabrina Gulab, Holly K. Nesbitt, Simanti Banerjee, Theresa Floyd

Cornhusker Economics

Conclusion

Producers need to have access to information regarding new conservation practices and technologies to ensure land management in the face of ecological threats in general and vegetation transitions (VTs) in the context of our study. This study investigates the role of an individual producer's social network on the willingness to seek information about technologies and management practices and the likelihood of new technology adoption with special attention to risk attitudes and producer spillover effects. Our results provide evidence that network composition and information obtained through a producer's social network don't influence an individual's willingness to seek information about new …

The Role Of Behavioural Factors And Opportunity Costs In Farmers' Participation In Voluntary Agri-Environmental Schemes: A Systematic Review, Sergei Schaub, Jaboury Ghazoul, Robert Huber, Wei Zhang, Adelaide Sander, Charles Rees, Simanti Banerjee, Robert Finger

Department of Agricultural Economics: Faculty Publications

Agri-environmental schemes (AESs) are increasingly implemented to promote the adoption of environmentally friendly practices by farmers. We use a systematic review to explore the role of behavioural factors and opportunity costs in farmers' decisions to participate in AESs in Australia, Europe and North America. Behavioural factors influence how farmers value and perceive options, while opportunity costs relate to farmers' forgone utility when choosing to participate in schemes. We synthesise insights from 79 articles and over 700 factors explaining the participation in AESs. We find that a set of behavioural factors seem consistently connected to participation, including agricultural training, advice and …

Food Fraud: A Persistent Problem That Demands A Comprehensive Approach, Amalia Yiannaka

Department of Agricultural Economics: Faculty Publications

Food fraud commonly refers to the deliberate and economi­cally motivated adulteration and mislabeling of food, but more broadly defined it also includes food theft, simulation that makes a fraudulent food product look like the legiti­mate product it copies, diversion, and overrun (Moyer et al. 2017). It is a longstanding and persistent challenge that impacts the global food sector; according to some estimates, food fraud results in annual costs of $40 billion (Food Standards Agency 2020). The complexity of globalized agri-food supply chains which are long, fast-moving, and involve a large number of intermediaries, coupled with lax regulatory monitoring and oversight …

Evaluating The Relative Impact Of Multiple Healthy Food Choice Interventions On Choice Process Variables And Choices, Christopher Gustafson

Department of Agricultural Economics: Faculty Publications

Fiscal tools—taxes and/or subsidies—are increasingly used to address diet-related health problems. However, some studies have found that these tools are markedly more effective if attention is drawn to the tax or subsidy, suggesting that the price change alone may go unnoticed in the complex food environments that consumers face. Interventions that prompt individuals to consider health during choice show promise for promoting healthy food choices in both simple laboratory settings and complex, real-world markets. In this pre-registered study, I examine the impact of dietary fiber health prompts and/or dietary fiber subsidies on the per-serving fiber content of foods chosen, the …

Integrated Vs. Specialized Farming Systems For Sustainable Food Production: Comparative Analysis Of Systems’ Technical Efficiency In Nebraska, Maroua Afi, Jay Parsons

Department of Agricultural Economics: Faculty Publications

Complementarities between crops and livestock production have the potential to increase input use efficiency and maintain a diversified livelihood. This paper uses non-parametric data envelopment analysis (DEA) to assess the technical efficiency (TE) of integrated crop–livestock systems (ICLS) compared to specialized cropping and specialized livestock systems in the state of Nebraska, in the central United States. We classify each county of Nebraska into one of three systems according to their dominant agricultural production revenues. We use DEA to measure the TE of each county compared, first, to a group production frontier (in-system comparison) and second, to a metafrontier (cross-system comparison). …

Dissemination Of Agro-Based Information By Telecentres Among Selected Rural Farmers In Tanzania With A Focus On Moshi Rural District, Kilimanjaro Region, Neema Florence Mosha Dr, Edith Talina Luhanga Dr, Pascal Nade Dr, Patrick Ngulube Prof

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

The study assessed the role of Telecentres in the dissemination of agro-based information among selected farmers in rural areas of Tanzania. A cross-sectional study design was conducted in Moshi Rural District, in Kilimanjaro Region, Tanzania. A total of 442 rural farmers aged 21-60 years were randomly selected as study respondents. Questionnaires were used to collect data from respondents. The study found that 205 (55%) respondents were not aware of the existence and services offered among Telecentres, whereas only 12 (7%) respondents reported visiting Telecentres once per day, and 70 (41%) once per year. A total of 140 respondents selected computer …

Interdisciplinary Design Studio: Programming Document Visioning For A Robotic Demonstration, Research, And Engagement Dairy, Steve(N) Hardy, Nate Bicak, Sarah Alduaylij, Noor Al-Maamari, Devyn Beekman, Kelsey Belgum, Lauren Chubb, Nicholas Forte, Mitchell Hill, Joshua Holstein, Dylan Lambe, Phuong Le, Mia Leriger, Elizabeth Loftus, Josh Lorenzen, Megan Lovci, Alex Martino, Zade Miller, Hannah Morgan, Annabelle Nichols, Collin Shearman, Rebecca Sowl, Nalin Theplikhith, Angela Vu, Shaylee Wagner, Ethan Watermeier, Trever Zelenka

Student Creative Activity, Architecture Program

The 2022 COLLABORATE Design Studio brought together students from various disciplines to address a complex, real-world project which required collaborative input from different perspectives. The studio worked to advance the co-creation of knowledge between external stakeholders, students, and instructors. The course was co-taught by faculty from different disciplines, and areas of expertise. During the semester, Nate Bicak and Steven Hardy worked with students from Architecture and Interior Design in collaboration with students in Dr. Tami Brown-Brandl’s students in Biological Systems Engineering and Animal Science to explore the values, spatial qualities, and area requirements of a Robotic Demonstration, Research, and Engagement …