Agribusiness Commons^™

B Corps’ Social Media Communications During The Covid-19 Pandemic: Through The Lens Of The Triple Bottom Line, Manveer Mann, Sang-Eun Byun, Whitney Ginder

Department of Marketing Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

The COVID-19 pandemic and rising demand for transparency has heightened the importance of sustainability communications on social media to generate deeper stakeholder engagement. Although B Corporations (B Corps), businesses committed to the triple bottom line (TBL), could serve as a catalyst for sustainable development, little is known about how they communicate on social media during a crisis. Therefore, we examined social media communications of B Corps to (1) identify salient topics and themes, (2) analyze how these themes align with the TBL, and (3) evaluate social media performance against industry benchmarks. We focused on the apparel, footwear, and accessories (AFA) …

Markets And Supply Chains: An Investigation Of The Institutions Influencing The Farm-Supply Chain Interface, Jessica L. Darby

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Farm-level operations have lasting and amplified impacts that promulgate the entire supply chain, and the farm is increasingly in the forefront of today’s headlines on topics such as social responsibility, environmental sustainability, traceability, and food safety. Despite its significance, however, the farm remains a ‘black box’ and has traditionally operated independently with little information-sharing, trust, or collaboration with buyers downstream. This dissertation begins to unpack this ‘black box’ by employing different methodologies to identify the factors influencing exchange in the farm-supply chain interface. In Essay 1, I examine why the farm continues to be a challenge for ‘traditional’ collaborative approaches …

Economic And Environmental Implications Of Biomass Commercialization In Agricultural Processing, Bin Li, Onur Boyabatli, Buket Avci

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School of Business

Motivated by the agricultural industries, this paper studies the economic and environmental implications of biomass commercialization; that is, converting organic waste into a saleable product, from the perspective of a processor that uses a commodity input to produce both a commodity output and biomass. We characterize the economic value of biomass commercializa- tion and examine how input and output spot price uncertainties affect this value. Using a model calibration, we find that lower input spot price variability or higher output spot price variabil- ity or correlation between the two spot prices increases this value for a typical palm oil mill. …

Bonipak Trucker Lounge Improvements, Lauren M. Reade

Agricultural Education and Communication

Bonita Packing Company, also known as Bonipak, has been a produce grower and shipper in the Santa Maria Valley for nearly 90 years and has contracts with customers all over the United States and Canada. Since 1932, the family owned and operated business has maintained steady growth as the population continues to rise all while making it a goal to uphold their family values and maintain their deep roots within the community. Transitioning into a fourth generation family farm, the Bonipak team hopes to continue to promote growth and maintain a positive reputation within the community and beyond. With multiple …

Crop Planning In Sustainable Agriculture: Dynamic Farmland Allocation In The Presence Of Crop Rotation Benefits, Onur Boyabatli, Javad Nasiry, Yangfang (Helen) Zhou

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

This paper examines crop planning decision in sustainable agriculture---that is, how to allocate farmland among multiple crops in each growing season when the crops have rotation benefits across growing seasons. We consider a farmer who periodically allocates the farmland between two crops in the presence of revenue uncertainty where revenue is stochastically larger and farming cost is lower when a crop is grown on rotated farmland (where the other crop was grown in the previous season). We characterize the optimal dynamic farmland allocation policy and perform sensitivity analysis to investigate how revenue uncertainty of each crop affects the farmer's optimal …

Corn, Soybeans Or Fallow: Dynamic Farmland Allocation Under Uncertainty, Onur Boyabatli, Javad Nasiry, Yangfang (Helen) Zhou

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

This chapter develops a theoretical basis for understanding the trade-offs facing a farmer for allocating his farmland among several crops over multiple growing seasons. Specifically, we focus on the farmland allocation among two cash crops (corn and soybeans) and letting the farmland lay fallow to rejuvenate the soil and increase the revenue for the crop grown on this farmland in the subsequent seasons. In each growing period, the farmer chooses the allocation in the presence of revenue uncertainty for each cash crop, and crop rotation benefits across periods, where revenue is stochastically larger and farming cost is lower when a …

Perceptions Of On-Farm Emergency Slaughter For Dairy Cows In British Columbia, Katherine E. Koralesky, David Fraser

Slaughter and Slaughtering Practices Collection

Some jurisdictions permit on-farm emergency slaughter (OFES) as one end-of-life option for dairy cows and other animals that cannot be transported humanely but are deemed fit for human consumption. Anecdotal reports suggest that OFES is controversial among dairy industry professionals, but to date their perceptions of OFES have not been studied systematically. Twentyfive individual interviews and 3 focus groups with 40 dairy producers, veterinarians, and other professionals in British Columbia, Canada, revealed positive and negative perceptions of OFES influenced by (1) individual values, (2) the perceived operational legitimacy of OFES, and (3) concern over social responsibility and public perception of …

Classifying Interdependencies In The Food And Agriculture Critical Infrastructure Sector, John Doerpinghaus

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This work classifies examples of infrastructure interdependencies found in the food and agriculture critical infrastructure sector. Interdependencies are identified through an examination of rice and poultry agriculture throughout the state of Arkansas. The subtleties of interdependence examples in the food and agriculture sector are inadequately captured by the well-studied interdependence classification taxonomies. Through 39 interviews, we develop an understanding of the subtle temporal, geographic, and productivity scales of interdependence in over 100 examples and present five new, distinct classifications of interdependence: (1) dynamic physical, (2) dynamic geographic, (3) deadline, (4) delay, and (5) human, economic, and natural resource interdependencies. An …

Use Of On-Farm Emergency Slaughter For Dairy Cows In British Columbia, Katherine E. Koralesky, David Fraser

Slaughter and Slaughtering Practices Collection

On-farm emergency slaughter (OFES), whereby inspection, stunning, and bleeding occur on the farm before the carcass is transported to a slaughterhouse, is permitted in some jurisdictions as a means to avoid inhumane transportation while salvaging meat from injured animals. However, OFES is controversial and its use for dairy cows has been little studied. Inspection documents for 812 dairy cows were examined to identify how OFES was used for dairy cows in British Columbia, Canada, over 16.5 mo. Producers used OFES for dairy cows aged 1 to 13 yr (median of 4 yr). Leg, hip, nerve, spinal, foot, and hind-end injuries …

Uncaging New Zealand's Sows: Scrutinizing Farrowing Crates, Andrew Knight

Housing and Confinement of Farm Animals Collection

This 13,000 word report was published by SAFE (a leading NZ animal advocacy organisation). It documents the welfare problems experienced by around 15,000 New Zealand sows annually, who are confined within metal cages barely larger than their own bodies, in a practice claimed to decrease piglet mortality. It was delivered to NZ’s Primary Production Select Committee along with SAFE’s own submission in June 2018. The Committee was reviewing a 112,844 signature petition to Parliament (the largest in 5 years), which requested a ban on sow farrowing crates.

Capacity Management In Agricultural Commodity Processing And Application In The Palm Industry, Onur Boyabatli, Jason Quang Dang Nguyen, Tong Wang

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

This paper examines the capacity investment decisions of a processor that uses a commodity input to produce both a commodity output and a byproduct in the context of agricultural industries. We employ a multi-period model to study the optimal one-time processing and (output) storage capacity investment decisions---in addition to the periodic processing and inventory decisions---when both input and output spot prices as well as production yield are uncertain. We characterize the optimal decisions and perform sensitivity analysis to investigate how spot price uncertainty affects the processor's optimal capacity and profitability. Using a calibration based on the palm industry, we study …

A Decade Of Progress Toward Ending The Intensive Confinement Of Farm Animals In The United States, Sara Shields, Paul Shapiro, Andrew N. Rowan

Housing and Confinement of Farm Animals Collection

In this paper, the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) farm animal protection work over the preceding decade is described from the perspective of the organization. Prior to 2002, there were few legal protections for animals on the farm, and in 2005, a new campaign at the HSUS began to advance state ballot initiatives throughout the country, with a decisive advancement in California (Proposition 2) that paved the way for further progress. Combining legislative work with undercover farm and slaughterhouse investigations, litigation and corporate engagement, the HSUS and fellow animal protection organizations have made substantial progress in transitioning the …

Crop Choice And Proximity To Ethanol Plants, Junpyo Park, Eric Thompson

College of Business: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Taking into account local crop processors and livestock, we show transport costs have a substantial influence on land use decisions by farmers.

We utilize detailed GIS data sources which are commonly available rather than a special survey of agricultural producers.

Estimate how the proximity to local agricultural processors impacts crop choice.

The Production And Exportation Of Arkansas Non Gmo Vs Gmo Soybeans To China, Weston Cartwright

Supply Chain Management Undergraduate Honors Theses

In recent years, the increase and shift in China’s population combined with a reduction in useable farmland due to soil contamination has prompted a significant increase in food imports. Soybeans, in particular, have become a significant import, and the United States is one of their prime suppliers. Chinese soybean imports have increased from 18 million bushels in 1996 to 1.171 billion bushels in 2015. Soybeans are used in food products like tofu and cooking oils and also as a base for animal feed. In the United States, soybeans are the second largest field crop, ranking just behind corn. Close to …

The Impact Of Food Recall On Third-Party Certification Adoption, Hongyi Zhang

Theses and Dissertations--Agricultural Economics

Food safety problems have gained national attention, and food recall is one of the most important indications of this concern. Third-party certifications have become a popular way to improve the safety and quality of products for consumers. Publications related to third-party certification usually focus on the motives and benefits of a particular certification. However, to date, no existing research investigates the effects of food recalls on certification adoption.

This study uses Probit models with a binary endogenous explanatory variable to examine the relationship between food recalls and third-party certification, based on recalls occurring between January 1, 2015 and February 18, …

Health Problems And Risk Factors Associated With Long Haul Transport Of Horses In Australia, Barbara Padalino, Evelyn Hall, Sharanne Raidal, Pietro Celi, Andrew Knight, Peter Knight, Leo Jeffcott, Gary Muscatello

Transport of Farm Animals Collection

Equine transportation is associated with a variety of serious health disorders causing economic losses. However; statistics on horse transport are limited and epidemiological data on transport related diseases are available only for horses transported to abattoirs for slaughter. This study analysed reports of transport related health problems identified by drivers and horse owners for 180 journeys of an Australian horse transport company transporting horses between Perth and Sydney (~4000 km) in 2013–2015. Records showed that 97.2% (1604/1650) of the horses arrived at their destination with no clinical signs of disease or injury. Based on the veterinary reports of the affected …

Energy Performance And Indoor Environmental Control Of Animal Houses: A Modelling Tool, Enrico Fabrizio, Andrea Ghiggini

Housing and Confinement of Farm Animals Collection

The energy-related products Directive (ErP) 2009/125/EC has set a new generation of equipment that are more energy efficient and reliable. In the case of climate control for livestock housing, a key role can be played by EC motors direct drive variable flow fans that can be used instead of traditional AC fans in applications like broiler or dairy houses. The energy consumptions of such fans strictly depend on the specific application and on the outdoor weather conditions, and there is therefore the need to forecast their energy performance by means of computational tools. In this work, we present a tool …

Public Attitudes To Housing Systems For Pregnant Pigs, E. B. Ryan, David Fraser, Daniel M. Weary

Housing and Confinement of Farm Animals Collection

Understanding concerns about the welfare of farm animals is important for the development of socially sustainable production practices. This study used an online survey to test how views on group versus stall housing for pregnant sows varied when Canadian and US participants were provided information about these systems, including access to scientific papers, YouTube videos, Google images, and a frequently-asked-questions page (S1 Appendix). Initial responses and changes in responses after accessing the information were analyzed from Likert scores of 242 participants and from their written comments. Participants were less willing to accept the use of gestation stalls after viewing information …

An Exploratory Analysis To Understand Organic Food Market In The United States In Comparison To Europe, Alfiya Ansar, Ismet Anitsal, M. Meral Anitsal

Atlantic Marketing Association Proceedings

To meet the increasing continuous demand of food, many techniques are used for mass production food but these techniques in turn have diminished the quality of many products. The negative effects associated with such production methods make them controversial in nature and thus requires discussion. One such method is the use of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO), which involves genetically modifying the Deoxyribose Nucleic Acids (DNA) of plants or animals of interest to introduce certain traits such as resistance to pests or diseases. Food allergies are on a rise and researchers estimate that up to 15 million Americans suffer from vast …

Perceptions And Practices Of Finnish Dairy Producers On Disbudding Pain In Calves, A. -H. Hokkanen, I. Wikman, T. Korhonen, M. Pastell, A. Valros, O. Vainio, L. Hänninen

Farm Animal Husbandry Collection

Disbudding causes pain-related distress and behavioral changes in calves. Local anesthesia and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are effective for treating disbudding-related pain. Dairy producers play a key role in whether or not calves to be disbudded are properly medicated. Pain and distress related to disbudding of calves often remains untreated. Thus, we conducted this study to characterize perceptions and practices of dairy producers on disbudding and disbudding-related pain management. A questionnaire was sent to 1,000 randomly selected Finnish dairy producers (response rate: 45%). Our aim was to investigate producer perceptions about disbudding-related pain, the perceived need for pain alleviation before disbudding, …

Fact Sheet: The Environmental, Public Health, And Social Impacts Of Pig Factory Farming

Agribusiness Reports

No abstract provided.

Heat Stress: A Major Contributor To Poor Animal Welfare Associated With Long-Haul Live Export Voyages, Malcolm P. Caulfield, Heather Cambridge, Susan F. Foster, Paul D. Mcgreevy

Transport of Farm Animals Collection

Recent investigations by the Australian Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry into high mortalities on live export voyages from Australia to the Middle East during the Northern hemisphere summer suggest that animal welfare may be compromised by heat stress. The live export industry has generated a computer model that aims to assess the risk of heat stress and to contain mortality levels on live export ships below certain arbitrary limits. Although the model must be complied with under Australian law, it is not currently available for independent scientific scrutiny, and there is concern that model and the mandated space allowances …

Chart: Us Slaughter Totals, Chickens 1960‐2013

Agribusiness Reports

No abstract provided.

Chart: Us Slaughter Totals, By Species (Excluding Chickens) 1960‐2013

Agribusiness Reports

These data do not include statistics on the slaughter of fish, crustaceans, rabbits, and other farmed animals for whom the USDA does not provide information, or on the slaughter of animals who are not farmed, such as equines. The USDA estimates that up to 2 million rabbits were slaughtered in 2001 in the United States. There is no more recent report than the 2002 Rabbit Industry Profile.

Chart: Us Slaughter Totals, By Species (Excluding Poultry) 1960‐2013

Agribusiness Reports

These data do not include statistics on the slaughter of fish, crustaceans, rabbits, and other farmed animals for whom the USDA does not provide information, or on the slaughter of animals who are not farmed, such as equines. The USDA estimates that up to 2 million rabbits were slaughtered in 2001 in the United States. There is no more recent report than the 2002 Rabbit Industry Profile.

Biosecurity Challenges Of Industrial Farm Animal Production

Agribusiness Reports

No abstract provided.

Implementing Green Roofs On Movie Theaters And Shopping Centers: Business Cases In Profitable Sustainability, Ryan J. Miller

Pomona Senior Theses

This thesis presents the business case for installing green roofs on movie theaters and shopping centers. These businesses can then derive increased profits from the environmental benefits of reduced energy use and increased stormwater retention. After presenting the basic design and benefits of a green roof, the thesis develops stand-alone business plans for a movie theater and shopping center. The author finds that green roofs are a profitable sustainability solution for the commercial enterprise.

Practical Handling Skills During Road Transport Of Fattening Pigs From Farm To Slaughterhouse: A Brief Review, Bert Driessen, Ester Peeters, Jos Van Thielen, Sanne Van Beirendonck

Transport of Farm Animals Collection

The transport of fattening pigs is characterized by a strong human-animal interaction. Consequent handling is important because of animal welfare, meat quality and matching economic consequences. During road transport, human impact can be divided in different steps: 1) driving pigs from the pens via an alley to the trailer, 2) loading, 3) actual transport, 4) unloading to the lairage, and 5) the final phase driving pigs to the stunning. An inadequate design and a poor condition of the facilities will negatively affect the ease of handling pigs. Because of the consequences, acute stress during transport and slaughter should be minimized …

The Welfare Of Animals In The Chicken Industry

Agribusiness Reports

More than 8.5 billion chickens are slaughtered for meat production in the United States every year. Raised in industrial production systems, these animals experience crowded indoor confinement, unnatural lighting regimes, poor air quality, stressful handling and transportation, and inadequate stunning and slaughter procedures. Because they are selectively bred for rapid growth, broiler chickens are prone to a variety of severe skeletal and metabolic disorders that can cause suffering, pain, and even death. Broiler breeders, the parent birds of chickens raised for meat, are subjected to severe feed restriction, and males may undergo painful toe and beak amputations, performed without pain …

The Principles Of The Dry Bulk Ffa Market, Ron Wilson

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

No abstract provided.