Agribusiness Commons^™

Discovery: The Student Journal Of Dale Bumpers College Of Agricultural, Food And Life Sciences - Volume 13 2012, Several Authors

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

No abstract provided.

The Emergence Of A Standards Market: Multiplicity Of Sustainability Standards In The Global Coffee Industry, Juliane Reinecke, Stephan Manning, Oliver Von Hagen

Management and Marketing Faculty Publication Series

The growing number of voluntary standards for governing transnational arenas is presenting standards organizations with a problem. While claiming that they are pursuing shared, overarching objectives, at the same time, they are promoting their own respective standards that are increasingly similar. By developing the notion of ‘standards markets,’ this paper examines this tension and studies how different social movement and industry-driven standards organizations compete as well as collaborate over governance in transnational arenas. Based on an in-depth case study of sustainability standards in the global coffee industry, we find that the ongoing co-existence of multiple standards is being promoted by …

Contents, Discovery Editors

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

No abstract provided.

Instructions For Authors, Discovery Editors

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

No abstract provided.

Disruptive Innovation In Agribusiness, Tyler Mcgee

Undergraduate Theses, Professional Papers, and Capstone Artifacts

The purpose of this thesis is to analyze how the process of disruptive innovation will impact the agribusiness industry, and how this transition will take place. This analysis will be demonstrated through scenario analysis, with three potential scenarios being demonstrated and explained. This project was developed using research from a broad range of sources over the course of several years, as well as studies conducted within the industry itself through firsthand experience gained while working for one of the largest firms operating in this industry. While disruptive innovation has been a phenomenon studied in several industries and areas, it has …

National Contexts Matter: The Co-Evolution Of Sustainability Standards In Global Value Chains, Stephan Manning, Frank Boons, Oliver Von Hagen, Juliane Reinecke

Management and Marketing Faculty Publication Series

In this paper, we investigate the role of key industry and other stakeholders and their embeddedness in particular national contexts in driving the proliferation and co-evolution of sustainability standards, based on the case of the global coffee industry. We find that institutional conditions and market opportunity structures in consuming countries have been important sources of standards variation, for example in the cases of Fairtrade, UTZ Certified and the Common Code for the Coffee Community (4C). In turn, supplier structures in producing countries as well as their linkages with traders and buyers targeting particular consuming countries have been key mechanisms of …

Testing Overreaction And Under-Reaction In The Commodity Futures Market, Jingyu Dai

Dissertations and Theses Collection (Open Access)

Results from previous studies testing for under-reaction and overreaction in the commodity futures market are mixed and inconclusive. Using a data of more than 20 categories of future contacts ranging from agricultural, metal and energy, we have found significant evidence of under-reaction in food and agricultural commodities but not in the energy and metal sector. It is also found that those relatively inactive commodity future contracts tend to have a stronger tendency to under-react than commodity future contracts are very actively traded. The result also agrees with the behavioral hypothesis that under-reaction is caused by gradual incorporation of information among …

The Role Of Local Food In Increasing Access To Healthy Food In Indianapolis, Indiana, Anna Hostetter

Capstone Collection

In the United States today, incidents of obesity are on the rise, currently more than one-third, or 35.7% of U.S. adults are considered obese, up from 30.5% in 2000. These startling numbers are causing news institutions and politicians to refer to it as the “obesity epidemic”.

Obesity is linked to multiple health problems including Type 2 diabetes, coronary heart disease, hypertension, and breast cancer (Aronne, L.J., 2002). There are numerous causes of obesity, including genetics, yet high rates of obesity have also been positively linked with a diet high in processed foods and low in fruits and vegetables (Drewnowski, A. …

Turning A New Leaf: A Feasibility Study Of Converting To Organic Production Of Lettuce From A Conventional Operation, Christina Wilson

Agribusiness

This study focuses on the possible risks associated with the conversion of a farm from conventional to organic farming practices. The purpose of the study is to test the feasibility of the conversion to organic practices using lettuce as the focus crop and following the changes in a 150 acre farm's net income through a four year conversion time span. Revenues and expenses will be gained from cost and return studies and financial documents will be generated for the base year and the four year conversion period in order to generate five net incomes. The four net income that are …

Using @Risk To Forecast Feasibility Of A Strategic Expansion: A Case, Steven Slezak

Agribusiness

No abstract provided.

Cost-Benefit Analysis Of Implementing Wastewater Treatment Facilities In Beer Breweries, Jaffer (Jeff) Shah-Ganai

Agribusiness

The purpose of this study was to both see the effects of wastewater on profitability as well as determine an efficient way of dealing with that wastewater. In addition to finding the most efficient way of treating wastewater, the cost of implementing such a technology was also discussed. Two technologies were specifically talked about and those were an anaerobic digester and a two stage anaerobic digester. Between the three breweries that were discussed, two of them use one of those pieces of equipment; Sierra Nevada has an anaerobic digester and Red Hook has a two stage anaerobic digester.

To analyze …

The Economic Returns To U.S. Public Agricultural Research, Julian M. Alston, Matthew A. Anderson, Jennifer S. James, Phillip G. Pardey

Agribusiness

We use newly constructed state-specific data to explore the implications of common modeling choices for measures of research returns. Our results indicate that state-to-state spillover effects are important, that the research and development lag is longer than many studies have allowed, and that misspecification can give rise to significant biases. Across states, the average of the own-state benefit-cost ratios is 21:1, or 32:1 when the spillover benefits to other states are included. These ratios correspond to real internal rates of return of 9 or 10 per annum, much smaller than those typically reported in the literature, partly because we have …

Future Market Trends In Western Agriculture: Strategic Implications, Steven Slezak

Agribusiness

No abstract provided.

It’S All About Produce: Flexing The Muscles Of Western U.S. Organic Spinach Consumption, Christiane Schroeter, Xiaowei Cai

Agribusiness

Over the past few decades, consumers have become more concerned about health and nutrition, which is displayed by an increased demand for organic foods. Once considered a niche product, organic food has become more affordable for consumers through its availability in conventional supermarkets. In 2010, organic food and beverages showed a 7.7% increase in annual sales compared to 2009 sales, with the highest growth rate of 11.8 % in organic produce (Organic Trade Association (OTA), 2011).

Transgenesis In Animal Agriculture: Addressing Animal Health And Welfare Concerns, Michael Greger

Transgenesis Collection

The US Food and Drug Administration’s final Guidance for Industry on the regulation of transgenesis in animal agriculture has paved the way for the commercialization of genetically engineered (GE) farm animals. The production-related diseases associated with extant breeding technologies are reviewed, as well as the predictable welfare consequences of continued emphasis on prolificacy at the potential expense of physical fitness. Areas in which biotechnology could be used to improve the welfare of animals while maintaining profitability are explored along with regulatory schema to improve agency integration in GE animal oversight.

Mueller Game Bird Farm Business Plan, Karl Mueller

BioResource and Agricultural Engineering

This senior project discusses the results from the development of a business plan for Mueller Game Bird Farm which specializes in raising bobwhite quail for hunters, falconers, and other hobbyists. The plan uses current research with personal experience to develop a realistic approach to fit the needs of this business.

A business plan is a document that will continually change as the business grows and develops. This plan is for the business at the current stage of producing 500 bobwhite quail per year and discusses plans for growth over the next three years as well as strategies to obtain that …

Executive Summary, Cumberland County Foodshed Assessment, Report 1, Barbara Ives

Local Food Systems

Like everyone else in these troubled economic times, Mainers are looking for ways to create jobs that will remain relevant and vital in a global economy, that cannot be outsourced, and that will regenerate rather than exploit our natural resources.

A growing number of people believe that a food system rooted in local farms, fisheries, and food production and distribution enterprises can strengthen Maine’s economy and its communities’ health, thereby increasing revenue and decreasing an expense that is crippling government agencies and individuals alike – healthcare. Business people who want to make a living related to food, and public and …

Produce Sales Comparison During A Shelf Talker Advertising Campaign In San Luis Obispo County Grocery Stores, Maxwell Hess

Agribusiness

This consumer study was conducted to assess how effective shelf talker advertisements with nutrition related health claims are at selling fresh produce. Background research was conducted to determine the appropriate displays and FDA defined label claims. The study posted visually appealing shelf talker advertisements next to their respective produce item and compared the recorded sales a week prior to the advertising campaign to the following week with advertisements. Two separate observation periods were conducted at Spencer’s San Luis Obispo and Arroyo Grande locations after the first period in June 2011 produced a surprisingly small amount of statistically significant data. The …

Kring/Mcnamara Ranch Orick, California, Susie Van Kirk

Susie Van Kirk Papers

In 2009, the Northcoast Regional Land Trust acquired the Kring/Mcnamara Ranch on lower Redwood Creek, Orick, California. Consisting of 77 acres, the former dairy ranch includes pastureland, dairy buildings, and a remnant of the creek's north slough. Clearing of the land and the development of a successful Jersey dairy began with the arrival of Danish immigrants. Jens and Maren Kring and their family of mine children in 1915. The Kring Bros. dairy, established initially by sons Theodore and Mads Peter and his son Donald, operated on what is now Land Trust property. The row of buildings--barns, milk house, and equipment/tool …

The Transformation Of China’S Agriculture System And Its Impact On Southeast Asia, Phoebe Mingxuan Luo, John A. Donaldson, Qian Forrest Zhang

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

The increased role for agribusiness and larger scale production in China’s agricultural system is limited by China’s severe lack of arable land. The Household Responsibility System provides farmers a measure of power, hampering agribusiness from acquiring land needed for expansion. Some Chinese companies have sought cheaper and often more accessible land in nearby regions, including Southeast Asia. While such investments have the potential to deliver benefits, including increased productivity, structural constraints such as weak land ownership and environmental laws, highly unequal distribution of land and underdevelopment of peasant organizations prevent many poorer farmers from benefiting from these investments.