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Agricultural and Resource Economics Commons™
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Full-Text Articles in Agricultural and Resource Economics
Getting Honest With Oil, Bruce Johnson
Getting Honest With Oil, Bruce Johnson
Cornhusker Economics
In this year of the monumental oil spill off our shores, Americans are being brought face-to-face with some stark realities of our time. First, we are seeing that current technology and human processes can’t insure the prevention of environmental disasters, creating havoc to large economic regions as well as to fragile ecosystems. In fact, if a single 21-inch pipe spewing millions of barrels of oil from the floor of the Gulf can continue for months on end, without effective correction, just how ingenious are we as humans?
Nebraska Panhandle Connects With German Institute On Agri Benchmark Project, Paul Burgener
Nebraska Panhandle Connects With German Institute On Agri Benchmark Project, Paul Burgener
Cornhusker Economics
In the Spring of 2009, the University of Nebraska Panhandle Research and Extension Center was contacted by a representative from the Institute of Farm Economics at the Johann Heinrich von Thunen Institute (vTI) in Braunschweig, Germany. In the initial meeting, a partnership was arranged to provide Western Nebraska irrigated economic data for the Agri Benchmark project operated by vTI, with the University of Nebraska receiving access to the worldwide data set that exists within the project. This relationship has grown over the past 18 months to include a number of other opportunities.
Co-Product Prices May Be Nearing Seasonal Low, Darrell R. Mark
Co-Product Prices May Be Nearing Seasonal Low, Darrell R. Mark
Cornhusker Economics
The supply of corn milling co-products from ethanol production has increased rapidly over the last several years. Based on United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) projections of corn ground for ethanol production, approximately 38 million tons of distillers grains would have been produced in the 2009-10 marketing year, with 40 million tons projected for the 2010-11 marketing year. While supply has grown, so too has demand from both domestic and international users. Cattle feeders in particular have found wet distillers grains plus solubles (WDGS), modified wet distillers grains plus solubles (MWDGS) and dried distillers grains plus solubles (DDGS) to be …
Nebraska Farm Business Averages, Tina N. Barrett
Nebraska Farm Business Averages, Tina N. Barrett
Cornhusker Economics
Ten years ago, there was a pattern in net farm income of a good year followed by a bad year, followed by a good year, and so on. From 1999 to 2002 we saw continual drops in net farm income, and since 2003 the pattern has been record high incomes followed by new record high incomes. Grain prices went on the rise and returns followed. In 2009, we recorded the first drop in average net farm income since 2002.
Internet Connectivity And Use In Nebraska, Rebecca J. Vogt, Charlotte Narjes, Connie Hancock
Internet Connectivity And Use In Nebraska, Rebecca J. Vogt, Charlotte Narjes, Connie Hancock
Cornhusker Economics
As discussed in an earlier Cornhusker Economics article (May 26, 2010), the Nebraska Public Service Commission was awarded a grant from the Department of Commerce's National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) for conducting a study of broadband use and needs in Nebraska. The University of Nebraska-Lincoln conducted the survey for the Commission. In addition, the Nebraska Information Technology Commission (NITC), Community Council and Nebraska Department of Economic Development (DED) collaborated with the Commission on this survey.
Poverty Reduction And The Income Inequality In China, Yi Liu, E. Wesley F. Peterson
Poverty Reduction And The Income Inequality In China, Yi Liu, E. Wesley F. Peterson
Cornhusker Economics
In 2000, the United Nations adopted the Millennium Development Goals which set targets for raising living standards in low-income countries. The first goal was to “eradicate extreme poverty and hunger” (United Nations). The World Bank defines extreme poverty as income of less than $1.25 per day (World Bank, 2010a). Based on this definition, the World Bank estimates that the percentage of the population in China living in extreme poverty has fallen from 84 percent in 1981 to about 16 percent in 2005, a period during which China’s population grew by more than 300 million people (see Table 1 on last …
Nama National Conference A Learning Experience For Nebraska Students, Karoline Kastanek, Rosalee A. Swartz
Nama National Conference A Learning Experience For Nebraska Students, Karoline Kastanek, Rosalee A. Swartz
Cornhusker Economics
Change was in the air at the 2010 National Agri- Marketing Association (NAMA) Annual Conference held April 20-23 in Kansas City, Missouri. Students and professionals alike were given the opportunity to rub shoulders with, and hear nationally known speakers engaging audiences on topics such as the new rules of marketing and publication relations, measuring the effectiveness of social media and strategy, and brand communication.
Politics And Trade In The Former Soviet Union, Marianna Khachaturyan, E. Wesley F. Peterson
Politics And Trade In The Former Soviet Union, Marianna Khachaturyan, E. Wesley F. Peterson
Cornhusker Economics
Fifteen independent countries emerged from the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1989-91. Aside from the Russian Federation, the former Soviet Republics lie in four geographic regions: the Caucasus (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia); Central Asia (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan); the Baltics (Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania); and Eastern Europe (Belarus, Moldova, Ukraine).
Nebraska’S Virtual Corn Suitability Rating, Bruce B. Johnson, Tyler Rosener
Nebraska’S Virtual Corn Suitability Rating, Bruce B. Johnson, Tyler Rosener
Cornhusker Economics
Corn Suitability ratings have been used for many years in other parts of the Corn Belt as an agronomic measure of soil productivity, and in turn, some correlation with associated cropland values. For example, in Iowa the Corn Suitability Rating (CSR) is used extensively as a measure of soil productivity across regions and counties, and even down to parcel levels. Google on Iowa CSR, and you will find weighted average CSRs for each county, as well as private firms offering detailed analysis of CSR for any parcel of land in the state. The intent is to provide an index (between …
New 2010 Division Fence Law, J. David Aiken
New 2010 Division Fence Law, J. David Aiken
Cornhusker Economics
The 2010 Unicameral revised Nebraska’s division fence statutes. This newsletter discusses the changes made to Nebraska’s division fence statutes by LB (Legislative Bill) 667. The primary change is that the cost of a wire division fence is split 50-50 in all cases, except where the neighbors have agreed to a different division of the fence cost.
Leveraging Technology For The Future Of Nebraska: Creating A Statewide Broadband Plan, Charlotte Narjes, Rebecca J. Vogt, Connie Hancock
Leveraging Technology For The Future Of Nebraska: Creating A Statewide Broadband Plan, Charlotte Narjes, Rebecca J. Vogt, Connie Hancock
Cornhusker Economics
In Nebraska, some areas of the state S primarily in the most rural areas of the state S may be underserved or unserved in terms of broadband access. Rural areas of the state also lag in economic development and are experiencing population losses. Additionally, broadband adoption and Internet usage among certain income and population groups remains low. Increasing adoption of broadband and Information Technology (IT) services is one way to create economic opportunities, attract new residents to rural areas and address economic inequalities among population groups.
North Central Risk Management Education Center, Cheryl Griffith
North Central Risk Management Education Center, Cheryl Griffith
Cornhusker Economics
Today’s farmers and ranchers face an unprecedented risk environment. Extreme price volatility has impacted the cost of inputs for producers, as well as the prices they receive for farm commodities. Livestock producers in the dairy, hog and poultry sectors have faced liquidations due to declining profits stemming from high feed prices and reduced consumer demand. The price of fertilizer has increased nearly 400 percent in the past three years, while the price of a bushel of corn, after extreme fluctuations, has settled at roughly the same price as three years ago. In response to the world economic conditions, agricultural lenders …
Attracting And Retaining Workers In Rural Communities, Rebecca J. Vogt, Cheryl Burkhart-Kriesel, Randolph L. Cantrell, Charlotte Narjes
Attracting And Retaining Workers In Rural Communities, Rebecca J. Vogt, Cheryl Burkhart-Kriesel, Randolph L. Cantrell, Charlotte Narjes
Cornhusker Economics
Many rural communities focus their development efforts on job creation. In the non-metropolitan portions of the Northern Great Plains, job creation efforts in the first half of this decade were quite successful. According to the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA, 2005), 167 of the 223 non-metropolitan counties in Nebraska, North Dakota and South Dakota saw an actual aggregate increase in total jobs (full and part-time) of 28,734, between the years 2001 and 2005.
2010 Legislative Summary, J. David Aiken
2010 Legislative Summary, J. David Aiken
Cornhusker Economics
What were some of the major issues addressed in the 2010 Legislature? Water, fences, wind energy and the state budget.
What happened with water? The main bill was LB862, which extends the $10/acre irrigated acre tax to all Natural Resource Districts (NRDs) that are preparing an integrated water management plan. Formerly, this authority had been extended only to Republican Basin NRDs, but the Nebraska Supreme Court ruled that limitation unconstitutional. The Unicameral also repealed the water checkoff on corn and sorghum, and opened up the integrated management plan process to all NRDs. LB862 may help NRDs get closer to where …
Stochastic Partial Budgeting: A New Look At An Old Tool, Sunil P. Dhoubhadel, Matthew Stockton
Stochastic Partial Budgeting: A New Look At An Old Tool, Sunil P. Dhoubhadel, Matthew Stockton
Cornhusker Economics
Farm business managers are constantly making adjustments in their businesses for smoother operations and profitability. Many times, these choices involve actions to enhance the financial return of the farm business; while other times these decisions are made out of necessity to minimize the effects of unfavorable conditions or events such as drought or changes in the market conditions. Some of these decisions are relatively simple, requiring making choices among alternatives within an enterprise; while others are complex involving a total overhaul of the business and its enterprises. Alternative choices within an individual enterprise can have a differential impact on farm …
Tiered Pricing And Cost Functions: Are Equity, Cost Recovery And Economic Efficiency Compatible Goals?, Karina Schoengold
Tiered Pricing And Cost Functions: Are Equity, Cost Recovery And Economic Efficiency Compatible Goals?, Karina Schoengold
Cornhusker Economics
Suppliers of water and energy are frequently natural monopolies, with their pricing regulated by governmental agencies. Pricing schemes are evaluated by the efficiency of the resource allocation they lead to, the capacity of the utilities to capture their costs and the distributional effects of the policies, in particular, impacts on the poor. One pricing approach has been average cost pricing, which guarantees cost recovery and allows utilities to provide their product at relatively low prices. However, average cost pricing leads to economically inefficient consumption levels, when sources of water and energy are limited and increasing the supply is costly. An …
Not Fully-Appropriated Basins Subject To New Well Restrictions, J. David Aiken
Not Fully-Appropriated Basins Subject To New Well Restrictions, J. David Aiken
Cornhusker Economics
On April 8, 2009, the Nebraska Department of Natural Resources (DNR) determined that the Lower Platte River Basin was not fully appropriated. On April 6, 2009, Nebraska Governor Heineman signed LB483, which established procedures to limit new irrigation development in areas like the Lower Platte Basin. This newsletter discusses these developments.
501(C)(3) Nonprofit Organizations In Nebraska: 2008, Randolph L. Cantrell
501(C)(3) Nonprofit Organizations In Nebraska: 2008, Randolph L. Cantrell
Cornhusker Economics
Nonprofit organizations are important to the quality of life in communities. They exist in complex variety and include church congregations, private schools, service clubs, business leagues, social and recreational clubs, labor unions, farm bureaus, community theaters, neighborhood organizations and many more. Only the largest of nonprofits are likely to have employees, with most relying upon volunteers to meet their human resource requirements. They obtain their financial resources through donations, investments, grants and fee based activities, such as festivals and educational programs.
Climate Change Policy: The Waxman-Markey Bill, Diego Alvarez, Richard K. Perrin
Climate Change Policy: The Waxman-Markey Bill, Diego Alvarez, Richard K. Perrin
Cornhusker Economics
The Waxman-Markey Bill is a comprehensive national climate and energy legislation designed to reduce global warming pollution and transition to a clean energy economy. In order to accomplish the first goal, the bill introduces a cap-and-trade program.
Determining Farm Custom Rates, H. Douglas Jose
Determining Farm Custom Rates, H. Douglas Jose
Cornhusker Economics
As I write this, there is still snow in some ditches and fence rows, and many fields look like they are just about right for rice planting rather than corn or soybeans. Nonetheless, spring fever has hit and the field work will soon be going at full throttle. This raises a frequently asked question: “What are custom rates this year?” The Nebraska Custom Rate Survey is conducted every two years, and we are in the process of analyzing the data from our 2010 survey. We will publish those numbers as soon as possible. At this point we are working on …
“Celebrating Our Heritage, Exploring Our Future”, Megan Voss, Regina Janousek
“Celebrating Our Heritage, Exploring Our Future”, Megan Voss, Regina Janousek
Cornhusker Economics
The 25th Women in Agriculture (WIA) Conference “Celebrating Our Heritage, Exploring Our Future” was held in Kearney, Nebraska on February 25-26, 2010. Hosted by the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Agricultural Economics Department, over 375 women participated in the event. A majority came from across the great state of Nebraska, but a few individuals made the trip from Colorado, Kansas, Iowa and South Dakota. Our evaluation data is incomplete at this time; however we have results compiled from 125 evaluations.
Analyzing Acre: Results For 2009 And Decisions For 2010, Bradley Lubben
Analyzing Acre: Results For 2009 And Decisions For 2010, Bradley Lubben
Cornhusker Economics
In 2009, agricultural producers participating in federal farm programs had to decide between staying in the existing Direct and Counter-Cyclical Program (DCP), and the new Average Crop Revenue Election Program (ACRE). 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 safety …
Cropland Values Rise While Rangeland Values Fall, Bruce B. Johnson, Ryan Lukassen, Tyler Rosener
Cropland Values Rise While Rangeland Values Fall, Bruce B. Johnson, Ryan Lukassen, Tyler Rosener
Cornhusker Economics
Preliminary findings from the 2010 University of Nebraska-Lincoln Nebraska Farm Real Estate Survey show cropland values rising across the entire state over the past 12 months. This follows on the heels of a year of little to no value change for most of the state. For the year ending February 1, 2010, dryland cropland with no irrigation potential rose an average of 6.4 percent, while state-wide averages for gravity irrigated cropland and center pivot irrigated cropland climbed 5.2 and 6.1 percent, respectively (Table 1 on next page). Statewide, dryland cropland with potential to be developed for irrigation rose 7.3 percent …
Energy Restriction During Breeding Gilt Development: An Economic Analysis, Justin Cech, Darrell R. Mark, Roger K. Wilson
Energy Restriction During Breeding Gilt Development: An Economic Analysis, Justin Cech, Darrell R. Mark, Roger K. Wilson
Cornhusker Economics
Swine production has increasingly become a lowmargin business. As costs of production have increased, producers are continuing to increase efficiency in both market pig production and gilt development. Restricting energy during gilt development reduces feeding costs and can enhance some productivity measures, but can also negatively impact other areas of production. Thus, the net economic returns from a restricted energy gilt development program are unclear. This study utilized gilt development and market pig production data for two genetic lines of hogs, LWxLR (a cross between industry Large White and Landrace) and L45X (a Nebraska line selected 23 generations for increased …
Tailoring Rural Community Web Sites To New Residents, Cheryl Burkhart-Kriesel, Randolph L. Cantrell
Tailoring Rural Community Web Sites To New Residents, Cheryl Burkhart-Kriesel, Randolph L. Cantrell
Cornhusker Economics
Recruiting and retaining new residents is critically important to communities that are experiencing either job growth or a declining population. City councils and village boards across the state often ask the question, “How can we bring in and keep new people today?” This issue has not gone unnoticed by the Nebraska Department of Economic Development or the University of Nebraska.
The American Recovery And Reinvestment Act Of 2009, Tina N. Barrett
The American Recovery And Reinvestment Act Of 2009, Tina N. Barrett
Cornhusker Economics
President Obama signed the $787 billion economic stimulus package into law on February 17, 2009. What will this mean to individuals or to tax law for 2009?
Cost Of Production And Crop Insurance, Tina N. Barrett, Brad Heinrichs
Cost Of Production And Crop Insurance, Tina N. Barrett, Brad Heinrichs
Cornhusker Economics
As we approach the March 15 th deadline for signing up for Federal Crop Insurance there are many things to consider before producers make a decision. Obviously, the rates, weather scares, market volatility and “whatever I did last year” will play a part in producers’ decisions, but I think very few consider the real issue of their cost of production.
Nebraska Ethanol's Carbon Footprint, Richard K. Perrin, Diego Alvarez
Nebraska Ethanol's Carbon Footprint, Richard K. Perrin, Diego Alvarez
Cornhusker Economics
If burning a gallon of ethanol emits less greenhouse gas or GHGs (CO2, primarily), than the gasoline it replaces then it has a smaller carbon footprint than gasoline. Actually, it is the amount of fossil CO2 emitted that matters, because CO2 from fossil fuels represents "new" carbon in the atmosphere, whereas the CO2 released by corn ethanol is recycled atmospheric carbon.
Trade Adjustment Assistance For Farmers Available 2010, David J. Goeller
Trade Adjustment Assistance For Farmers Available 2010, David J. Goeller
Cornhusker Economics
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009 has re-authorized and modified the Trade Adjustment Assistance for Farmers program. The statute authorizes an appropriation of not more than $90 million per year for the next three fiscal years. The TAA for Farmers program helps producers of raw agricultural commodities (farmers, ranchers or fishermen) who have experienced significant declines in price or production, adjust to the changing economic environment brought on by import competition. The program provides benefits to eligible producers in the form of educational assistance, as well as up to $12,000 per producer in cash benefits to help …
Variation Of Environmental Regulation Stringency Among The Top Ten U.S. Hog Producing States, Gibson Nene, Karina Schoengold
Variation Of Environmental Regulation Stringency Among The Top Ten U.S. Hog Producing States, Gibson Nene, Karina Schoengold
Cornhusker Economics
The U.S. hog industry, once primarily made up of small owner-operated crop-hog farms, has become dominated by large specialized operations characterized by low costs and improved technologies in livestock management. Such changes have triggered concerns over the dangers large Hog Feeding Operations (HFOs) are likely to pose to the environment. In 2007, the top ten states accounted for more than 85 percent of total U.S. hog production (Iowa (IA), North Carolina (NC), Minnesota (MN), Illinois (IL), Nebraska (NE), Indiana (IN), Missouri (MO), Oklahoma (OK), Ohio (OH), and Kansas (KS)). With such domination on production, these states are often the subject …