Business Commons^™

California Off-Road Engines And Components Life Span Assessment, Michael Mccullough, Lynn Hamilton

Agribusiness

The useful life and warranty periods for off-road equipment in California for engines rated at 37 kilowatts (kW) and greater have not been updated since the Tier 1 rule phased in from 1996 to 2000; for engines rated below 37 kW, not since the Tier 2 and Tier 3 rules phased in from 2000 to 2008. The California Air Resources Board (CARB) staff is seeking information regarding useful life and warranty to evaluate whether amendments to those requirements are necessary after two decades of technology advancement.

Cal Poly researchers called 55 service providers across the state of California to collect …

Assessing The Cost And Fuel Consumption Of Off-Road Agricultural Equipment, Michael Mccullough, Lynn Hamilton, Cory Walters

Agribusiness

Since 1995, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) emission rules have mandated that off-road engine manufacturers gradually phase in lower emitting diesel engines across all tractor and other off-road equipment sold in the United States. Starting in 1996 with Tier 1 emission standards for tractors between 175-750 horsepower (hp), all tractors were scheduled to be rated as Tier 4 Final by 2015. During the transition period, emission credit agreements made between manufacturers and EPA allowed for nonattainment of some tractors such that several tractor models were produced post 2015 that did not meet Tier 4 Final standards. Tier 4 standards are …

Assessing The Economic Impacts Of Agricultural Equipment Emission Reduction Strategies On The Agricultural Economy In The San Joaquin Valley: Phase Two, 2018 Costs, Michael Mccullough, Lynn Hamilton

Agribusiness

This study is the second phase in a series of studies developed in collaboration with experts to understand the regulatory environment faced by farmers in the San Joaquin Valley (SJV) of California. In 2018 the first phase, “A Framework for Assessing the Economic Impacts of Agricultural Equipment Emission Reduction Strategies on the Agricultural Economy in the San Joaquin Valley”, was completed (McCullough et al., 2018). A major component of that project was a series of 22 case studies that focused on assessing the total cost of regulatory requirements for farms in 2012 compared to their individual costs of production. These …

The Economic Impact On The Local Economy Of Irrigated Agriculture In The Paso Robles Area And Potential Impacts Of The Sustainable Groundwater Management Act, Lynn Hamilton, Michael Mccullough

Agribusiness

The purpose of this study is to analyze the economic impact of the agricultural and wine industry within the Paso Robles Subbasin and AVA and San Luis Obispo County and to assess the economic impact of potential changes in the agricultural industry as a result of the Paso Robles Subbasin Groundwater Sustainability Plan that will reduce water allocations and/or increase the cost of water in the basin from 2020 – 2040 and beyond.

The Groundwater Sustainability Plan submitted to the state Department of Water Resources notes that if water use and precipitation patterns continue, the basin will be in overdraft …

A Decade Of Change: A Case Study Of Regulatory Compliance Costs In The Produce Industry, Lynn Hamilton, Michael Mccullough

Agribusiness

Regulatory pressure is a source of increasing concern to the California agricultural industry. In the decade since 2006, new rules at both the state and federal levels have imposed significantly higher regulatory burdens on growers, specifically with respect to food safety, water quality, labor wages, air quality; and worker health and safety. Additional regulations are in process as the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act is developed at the local levels for implementation in 2022, and minimum wage and overtime laws for farmworkers are phased in, also by 2022.

Previous studies regarding the regulatory environment in California have quantified the total cost …

Fruit And Vegetable Consumption Of College Students: What Is The Role Of Food Culture?, Christiane Schroeter, Lisa A. House

Agribusiness

Our primary objective is to assess the role of culture by linking college students’ current consumption of fruits and vegetables with their produce consumption levels while with family. Using a Tobit model, we analyzed data from an online survey with college students. Family consumption of fruits was highly predictive of the individual’s consumption of fruits. For each unit increase in the reported consumption of fruits (vegetables) with the family, the respondents’ fruit (vegetable) consumption at school increased by 0.65 (0.30) units compared to the base consumption level of 1.95 (1.82) times of fruit intake per day.

A Healthy Indulgence? Wine Consumers And The Health Benefits Of Wine, Lindsey Higgins, Erica Llanos

Agribusiness

Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the US. Moderate red wine consumption has been linked to a reduction in the risk of death by heart disease and heart attack by 30–50%. With about 600,000 people dying from heart disease in the US each year, red wine has become increasingly popular among health conscious consumers. Wine is often touted for its potential health benefits, but to what extent is “health” a factor when consumers make their consumption decisions for alcoholic beverages? This study aims to further understand how consumers make their beverage choices and to understand the role …

Examining Consumer Preferences Within The Avocado Industry: Does Point Of Origin Matter?, Sheldon Bosio

Agribusiness

The avocado market in the United States has grown immensely over the past two decades, and numerous foreign regions import avocados into the United States in order to keep up with domestic consumer demand. This study was conducted to primarily determine if point of origin is a factor consumers take into consideration when purchasing avocados. As avocado consumption has dramatically increased over the past twenty years, trying to understand consumer preferences within the avocado industry was also an important aspect of this study. A survey was conducted and gathered 290 useable responses. The majority of the respondents resided in California, …

Children's Food Security And Participation In The National School Lunch Program, Ariun Ishdorj, Lindsey Higgins

Agribusiness

In 2013 nearly 8.6 million U.S. children lived in households in which one or more child was food insecure. The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) is one of the largest federally funded food and nutrition assistance programs that aims to provide nutritious, well-balanced lunches for school-age children. Given the important role this program plays on food and nutrient intake of school-age children, we examined the relationship between participation in NSLP and children's food security status. After controlling for the endogeneity of the program participation we found that program participation have positive effect on food insecure and marginally food secure children, …

Coaching Student Teams: Guiding Students Through Team-Based Learning Experiences, Lindsey M. Higgins

Agribusiness

No abstract provided.

The Economic Feasibility Of Establishing A Pine Nut Orchard In California, Jason Joseph Colombini

Agribusiness

The purpose of this project was to determine where pine nuts could be grown in California and if they would be economically feasible to grow in California.

There is very limited information for growing pine nuts in a domesticated orchard. Areas where there was a lack of information were completed with assumptions using costs for walnuts. Once all costs were determined, they were entered into an Excel spreadsheet for analysis.

It has been concluded that pine nuts could be grown in California, mainly in the far northern intermountain regions such as Modoc County. The breakeven for the enterprise would not …

Technological Change In The Wine Market? The Role Of Qr Codes And Wine Apps In Consumer Wine Purchases, Lindsey M. Higgins, Marianne Mcgarry Wolf, Mitchell J. Wolf

Agribusiness

As an experiential good, wine purchases in the absence of tastings are often challenging and information-laden decisions. Technology has shaped the way consumers negotiate this complex purchase process. Using a sample of 631 US wine consumers, this research aims to identify the role of mobile applications and QR codes in the wine purchase decision. Results suggest that wine consumers that consider themselves wine connoisseurs or experts, enjoy talking about wine, and are interested in wine that is produced locally, organically, or sustainably are more likely to employ technology in their wine purchase decision. While disruption appears to have occurred on …

Feasibility Analysis Of A Hop Farm In Edna Valley, Ca, Brandon James Spreafico

Agribusiness

No abstract provided.

Agribusiness Department Recruitment Study, Zoe Alyssa Sanchez

Agribusiness

The Agribusiness (AGB) Department within the College of Agriculture, Food, and Environmental Sciences (CAFES) of California Polytechnic State University (Cal Poly) is interested in understanding why AGB freshmen are motivated to choose AGB as their major. Consequently, this recruitment study was undertaken to assist the Department in determining why freshmen chose AGB as their major. This study also attempts to assist the Department in understanding freshmen’s overall experience applying to Cal Poly and their perceptions related to agricultural business.

Two surveys were created and used to collect data on freshmen’s overall application experience and perceptions surrounding agricultural business. The collected …

Survey Research Of The Canned Craft Beer Industry, Scott Taylor Hogland

Agribusiness

This study on the canned craft beer industry was done to see whether or not a significant correlation between one’s age and their willingness to purchase craft beers in cans exists. Furthermore, it sets out to test how creating further consumer awareness highlighting the beneficial aspects of cans versus bottles could affect one’s purchasing decisions.

In order to test the hypothesis that millennials are more open to purchasing canned craft beer, the statistical analysis software SPSS has been utilized. Frequencies have been run on every survey question to obtain an analysis of the entire population. Chi-square variance tests and independence …

A Cost Analysis Of The Addition Of An Onion Processing Line To Taylor Farms: Salinas, California, Garett Sabaska

Agribusiness

Taylor Farms has been one of the leading foodservice companies for the past 17 years. It is looking to expand its operations to include a line that would process red and yellow onions. To determine if this expansion would prove to be profitable, a projected budget for three scenarios was created. The scenarios were formulated to account for the “normal” base period, a “worst” case scenario, and a “best” case scenario. These three scenarios would account for periods where revenues and expenses were either higher or lower than the expected averages. The initial start-up costs as well as expenses of …

Grass-Fed Dairy Steer Enterprise Analysis For Alexandre Family Ecodairy Farms, Joseph Jackson Alexandre

Agribusiness

Alexandre Family EcoDairy Farms (AFEF) is a family dairy farm, producing organic milk in northern California. In the last decade, AFEF has been expanding in value added natural food enterprises, including pastured free-range eggs, pastured pork and grass-fed beef.

This study focuses on the analysis of an organic grass-fed ground beef from dairy-beef cross steers coming from AFEF. The grass fed beef enterprise was analyzed by adopting a UC Davis cost and returns study, modifying it to AFEF production limitations and conditions. Through partial budgeting analysis, opportunity costs were discovered leading to breakeven prices for the final grass fed ground …

Feasibility Study For A Brewpub, John Galante, Daniel Price

Agribusiness

No abstract provided.

A Feasibility Study Of Agricultural Production Of Brussel Sprouts, Cabbage, And Kale For San Ysidro Farms, Roy Orion Killgore

Agribusiness

The purpose of this study was to determine whether it is more profitable for San Ysidro Farms to establish a new commodity mix and grow brussel sprouts, cabbage, and kale in replace of broccoli and cauliflower or continue its current commodity mix for production. The goal is to determine whether the new commodity mix will bring greater profits during the months of January, February, and March.

The project represents a basic comparison technique of the different commodities grown for San Ysidro. Using the current 2013 cash flow statement and others from the previous production years, a comparison amongst the different …

Feasibility Test Of San Vicente Cellar's Expansion, Taylor Lew

Agribusiness

San Vicente Cellars is a small tasting room and production facility in Ventura County. As of now, the winery’s revenue just barely covers the cost of production and other expenses. It is believed that due to their poor location the tasting room is not receiving maximum customers in reflection to the quality of the wines. San Vicente’s owner has a vision of opening an additional tasting room in a higher trafficking location. This project is based on this vision and tests whether or not this new location is financially feasible. After all costs are factored in, the breakeven point of …

Assessing A Pumpkin Butter Enterprise For Bishop's Pumpkin Farm, Meghan Bishop

Agribusiness

Bishop’s Pumpkin Farm is a 40-year-old agriculture tourism destination looking to expand their brand name. One way to do this is through value-added products and in the case of this study, by producing pumpkin butter. To determine if this would be a revenue enhancing enterprise for the business, expenses were analyzed for the ingredients in the product and the processing at an offsite processor. A break-even analysis was performed to determine a minimum price required to cover variable production prices and a minimum required price to cover total costs which would include establishment costs. The numbers were based on a …

Agricultural Credit Analysis, Tyler Culp

Agribusiness

This project was a case study completed to find a specific time where an agricultural borrower’s credit began to have problems, and to find new measures agricultural lenders can utilize as a way to predict future defaults and better analyze credit risk.

These calculations were used on actual borrower information generously provided by Farm Credit West. All information that could divulge the identity of the borrower and any private business measures taken by Farm Credit West have been purposefully omitted from this report. This project used common credit risk ratios and values: Current Ratio, Debt-to-Equity, Loan-to-Value, and Debt Coverage Ratio. …

Effects Of Sample Taste-Testing On Gluten Free Awareness And The Likelihood To Purchase Udi’S Gluten Free Products On Cal Poly San Luis Obispo’S Campus, Kylee Anne Gibson

Agribusiness

Celiac disease is becoming an increasingly recognized autoimmune pathology of the intestine caused by permanent intolerance to gluten (Niewinski 2008). For those with Celiac disease, or gluten intolerance, gluten-free foods are hard to come by, especially on college campuses. Eating gluten free products has positive health effects on numerous diseases. It has been shown that eating gluten free foods can help alleviate symptoms of numerous diseases such as ADHD, autism, and type 2 diabetes (UDI’s Gluten Free website 2012). Throughout the past few years, more gluten free companies have been advocating to promote their products on college campuses for people …

The Preferences In Wine Of Various Aged Consumers, Jacob Clinite

Agribusiness

No abstract provided.

Strategic Risk Management And Agribusiness, Steven Slezak

Agribusiness

No abstract provided.

Agribusiness Strategy Formulation: What Is Strategy?, Steven Slezak

Agribusiness

No abstract provided.

Re-Opening A Dan’S Pet Supply Store In Hemet, California, Jeffrey Z. Harrison

Agribusiness

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine if Dan’s Feed & Seed should re-open a pet supply store in the town of Hemet, California. The goal was to satisfy three objectives including if Dan’s Feed & Seed could compete in the current market, if there was a demand in Hemet, California, and if Dan’s could be profitable within a two year period. Dan’s proved to be able to compete with the competition by having lower prices with two out of three competitors and could compete with the remaining competitor by providing high quality, name brand dog food that …

A Margin Risk Approach To Risk Analysis And Risk Management In Agriculture, Jay Noel, Steven Slezak

Agribusiness

No abstract provided.

The Economics Of Health And Vitamin Consumption, Christiane Schroeter, Sven Anders, Andrea Carlson

Agribusiness

We estimate the impact of vitamin supplement intake, lifestyle, health indicators, food culture, and demographics on diet quality outcomes as measured by the Healthy Eating Index–2005 (HEI). Our data consists of U.S. adults who participated in the 2003–2004 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Alternative instrumental variable estimators explicitly address issues of endogeneity and complex sample design. Our empirical analysis demonstrates that diet quality is strongly interrelated with food culture. We suggest that vitamin consumption serves as another marker for healthy eating. This finding emphasizes the need to employ economic modeling when developing public policy to reduce obesity.

Feasibility Analysis Of A Microbrewery, Dylan Warren Snyder

Agribusiness

No abstract provided.