Agribusiness Commons^™

A Case Study Examination Of Social Norms Marketing Campaign To Improve Responsible Drinking, Marianne Mcgarry Wolf, Allison Dana, Mitchell J. Wolf, Eivis Qenani Petrela

Agribusiness

This research discusses the use of social norms marketing to improve responsible drinking among college students. It was observed in each year of research that students studied overestimated their peers’ drinking practices. During the social norms marketing campaign decreases were observed in both students’ self-reported number of drinks consumed and perceived number of drinks consumed by peers at bars or parties, indicating that the social norms marketing efforts were somewhat successful. In addition, students reported drinking less alcohol over a shorter period of time. However, some negative behaviors related to drinking did not improve.

The Welfare Of Animals In The Foie Gras Industry

Agribusiness Reports

The production of pâté de foie gras involves force-feeding ducks and geese by placing a long tube down the birds’ esophagi and pumping an unnatural quantity of food directly into their stomachs. Force-feeding induces hepatic lipidosis and causes the birds’ livers to become diseased and enlarged. Substantial scientific evidence suggests that force-feeding can cause pain and injury from feeding tube insertion, fear and stress during capture and handling, gait abnormality due to distended livers, pathologies in liver function, and increased mortality. Force-feeding birds to produce foie gras is detrimental to their welfare.

Redesigned Wine Labels And Consumer Preferences, Alison (Ali) Maddox

Agribusiness

When purchasing a bottle of wine, the first impression the consumer gets is from the wine label. In today’s competitive market, it is important that wineries understand consumer preferences and purchasing decisions when evaluating a wine bottle. This study was undertaken to determine the relationship between redesigned wine labels and consumer preferences. A survey was distributed to residents of San Luis Obispo and 194 people responded. It was found that consumers preferred the original label to the redesigned label. Respondents listed quality, good value, and varietal and the most important wine feature and unique, eye-catching, and colorful as the most …

Paired Price Comparisons Of Farmers’ Market And Supermarket Produce In San Luis Obispo County, Paulina Janda Swenson

Agribusiness

This study was undertaken to determine whether farmers’ markets or supermarkets in San Luis Obispo County are a better outlet for purchasing fresh produce based on paired price comparisons. Prices of fifteen produce items were chosen but later reduced to six because of seasonality, were observed and recorded at three farmers’ markets and three paired supermarkets over a period of five weeks.

Once all price data was collected, each farmers’ market was matched against their paired supermarket to find which market offered a lower average price. ANOVA tests were then performed to test the mean prices of the two market …

Google+: Are Wineries Willing To Adopt?, Michelle Witherwax

Agribusiness

This study was performed in order to assess wineries’ willingness to adopt the social media platform Google+ as a way to market to consumers. More specifically, the study examined current social media use along with different types of brand personality to determine if these factors had an influence on a winery’s willingness to adopt this platform.

A survey was given to 50 wineries located in San Luis Obispo County, and this survey data was taken and analyzed using statistical tests. Frequency tests were used in order to determine which responses were most frequently answered and to determine the percentage each …

Internship With Mission Produce, Inc., Joshua Elias Krueger

Agribusiness

No abstract provided.

Partial Budgeting Analysis Of On-Site Calf Raising Versus Off-Site Calf Raising, Ashley Diana Oostdam

Agribusiness

This study examined whether it is more cost effective for a dairyman who operates two dairies (A and B) in west Texas to own-raise or custom raise his dairy calves. The two dairies currently raise calves differently: calves are own raised on Dairy A and custom raised on Dairy B. Existing resources would allow a switch to own raising on Dairy B or custom raising by Dairy A, so an analysis of the comparative costs was appropriate.

This study analyzed information on key costs associated with own raising calves on Dairy A during a 135-day period in 2011. Because differences …

Swot Analysis For The Installation Of The Teleflora Direct Marketing System For April Flowers, Rae Marie Boghossian

Agribusiness

This project aims to determine the benefits of installing a direct marketing system for April Flowers, a small flower shop in San Luis Obispo. Through the increased use of wire-in, meaning through the use of internet communication, floral design, where individual shops can send orders that are out of area to a local florist instead, there is a broader sense of community amongst florists of all styles. In the shop, there is already an existing wire-in system established through Teleflora, one of the newer aspects of the floral industry, leading the way in the advancement of florists around the country. …

A Comparison Of Attitudes Toward Food And Biotechnology In The U.S., Japan, And Italy, Marianne Mcgarry Wolf, Paola Bertolini, Izumi Shikama, Alain Berger

Agribusiness

This research compares the attitudes of consumers in the United States, Italy and Japan toward food characteristics. The U.S. and Japanese consumers had relatively positive attitudes toward genetically modified food, while the Italian consumer had relatively negative attitudes. The Italian consumer was least likely to be familiar with genetically modified food. They rated organic higher than the U.S. consumer and they appeared to understand the meaning of the term organic better than the U.S. consumers. The U.S. and Japanese consumers were more concerned with freshness and value while the Italian consumers were concerned about the environment and local food.

An Introduction To The Dynamic Strategic Planning Process, Steven Slezak

Agribusiness

No abstract provided.

A Dynamic And Flexible Undergraduate Curriculum: Preparing Agribusiness Students For A Continually Changing Agricultural Sector, Sean P. Hurley, Xiaowei Cai

Agribusiness

Individuals entering the Agribusiness industry need to have the flexibility to adapt to a rapidly changing global environment, and so does an Agribusiness curriculum. This essay provides an overview of a major curriculum overhaul that has transformed the Department of Agribusiness at the California Polytech­nic State University. A rigid concentration structure has been reformed to a more flexible and dynamic no-concentration structure to develop successful future leaders in an ever-evolving industry. This essay explains the need for a more flexible undergraduate agribusiness curriculum and identifies its potential benefits and drawbacks.

Research On Pre-Slaughter Stress And Meat Quality: A Review Of Challenges Faced Under Practical Conditions, A. Y. Chulayo, O. Tada, V. Muchenje

Slaughter and Slaughtering Practices Collection

Transportation and handling of animals are important components in meat production systems. Animals destined for slaughter are stressed by factors such as loading, transportation, restraint, handling, and novelty of the slaughter environment, adverse weather conditions, hunger, thirst and fatigue. When an animal is stressed in the pre-slaughter environment, there is a rapid release of enzymes, cortisols and catecholamines which may lead to depletion of glycogen, high meat ultimate pH (pHu) and dark cuts. Pre-slaughter stress also affects the physiology of the animal resulting in an increase in creatine kinase (CK) activity, glucose, lactate and other blood metabolites. Pre-slaughter stress and …

Extended Grazing: A Detailed Analysis Of Irish Dairy Farms, D. Läpple, T. Hennessy, M. O'Donovan

Farm Animal Husbandry Collection

Profitability and factors affecting grazing season length were econometrically analyzed using a representative sample of Irish dairy farms. The objective of this study was to explore what potential exists on Irish dairy farms to extend the grazing season and to quantify the possible economic benefits that result from lengthening the grazing season. Regression results indicate that location factors affect the length of the grazing season, but even when physical factors are controlled, farmer characteristics, such as education, also affect the grazing season length. The results of a panel data analysis show that significant cost reductions can be achieved by extending …

The Welfare Of Calves In The Beef Industry

Agribusiness Reports

Calves raised for beef often begin life unconfined, on rangeland where they are free to express their natural behavior. However, the welfare of calves can be compromised by certain specific management practices, typical on many ranching operations. These include castration of male calves, dehorning, and branding, all of which are usually performed without anesthesia or analgesia, pain relief of any kind. Welfare is also a concern during weaning, handling, auction, and transport, common stressful events that occur before calves are moved to feedlots. Techniques to minimize pain and distress should be used or further developed in order to address the …

Natural Resources In Nonmetropolitan Nebraska: Use And Priorities: 2012 Nebraska Rural Poll Results, Rebecca J. Vogt, Cheryl A. Burkhart-Kriesel, Randolph L. Cantrell, Bradley Lubben

Nebraska Rural Poll

Many rural Nebraskans say they already recycle a lot and face no barriers. However, many rural Nebraskans cite lack of programs and difficulty getting materials to drop-off sites as barriers to recycling. Persons living in or near smaller communities are more likely than persons living in or near larger communities to say their community doesn’t offer recycling. However, most rural Nebraskans say their community offers either curbside pickup or drop-off recycling for all of the materials listed with the exception of glass bottles.

Most rural Nebraskans are in favor of building the Keystone XL pipeline, but think it should be …

Letter From The Dean, Michael Vayda

Discovery, The Student Journal of Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences

No abstract provided.

Economic Impact Of Stable Flies (Diptera: Muscidae) On Dairy And Beef Cattle Production, David B. Taylor, Roger D. Moon, Darrell R. Mark

Department of Agricultural Economics: Faculty Publications

Stable flies, Stomoxys calcitrans (L.), are among the most damaging arthropod pests of cattle worldwide. The last estimate of their economic impact on United States cattle production was published 20 yr ago and placed losses at $608 million. Subsequently, several studies of effects of stable flies on beef cattle weight gain and feed efficiency have been published, and stable flies have become increasingly recognized as pests of cattle on pasture and range. We analyzed published studies and developed yield-loss functions to relate stable fly infestation levels to cattle productivity, and then estimated the economic impact of stable flies on cattle …

Quality Of Life In Nonmetropolitan Nebraska: Perceptions Of Well-Being And Church Life: 2012 Nebraska Rural Poll Results, Rebecca J. Vogt, Cheryl A. Burkhart-Kriesel, Randolph L. Cantrell, Bradley Lubben, Philip Schwadel

Nebraska Rural Poll

Most rural Nebraskans are positive about their current situation. And, they continue to be generally positive about their future situation. Over one-half (51%) of rural Nebraskans think they are better off than they were five years ago and just under one-half (45%) think they will be better off ten years from now. Certain groups remain pessimistic about their situation. Persons with lower household incomes, older persons, and persons with lower educational levels are the groups most likely to be pessimistic about the present and the future.

When asked if they believe people are powerless to control their own lives, most …

Small-Scale Aid Donors, Agribusiness, And The Zambian Export Sector, John R. Ledgerwood, Stephen N. Morgan

Publications

Production of high value agriculture and natural products has become a key instrument in economic development programs to accomplish the dual objectives of raising rural incomes and conserving valuable environmental resources. Rapid growth in global demand for organic and natural products has provided a strong economic incentive for small scale aid agencies to expand into this niche market. Through this analysis we investigate the economic impact that aid funded agricultural production has had on rural residents of Zambia and how this development strategy allows small scale aid donors to capitalize on the business and export opportunities in the Central African …

Economic Modeling & Optimization Of A Region Specific Multi-Feedstock Biorefinery Supply Chain, William H. Faulkner

Theses and Dissertations--Manufacturing Systems Engineering

The objective of this thesis is to include strategic and tactical level decisions into the biorefinery supply chain design for a specific region while comparing multiple conversion technologies and biomass feedstocks. The allocation of biomass feedstocks, products, and the respective supply chain configuration locations are determined while ensuring the regions monthly biomass availability and product market demand constraints are met. This research considers all actions required to bring the bio-based products to market from harvesting, storing, and processing the biomass to market distribution. Two different conversion technologies are chosen for comparison: one advanced conversion technology and one conventional technology. Potential …