Agribusiness Commons^™

Fruit And Vegetable Consumption Among College Students In Arkansas And Florida: Food And Culture Vs. Health Knowledge, Christiane Schroeter, Lisa House, Argelia Lorence

Agribusiness

This study determines the impact of demographics, dietary and health knowledge, and food culture on fruit and vegetable consumption of college students in Arkansas and Florida. Our empirical analysis demonstrates that food culture significantly impacts consumption of fruits and vegetables; a finding which emphasizes the need to target cultural aspects when developing effective and efficient management of agribusiness firms. Understanding the antecedents to consumption for products like fruits and vegetables is important to agribusiness industry, policy makers and organizations interested in evaluating the effectiveness of health education in promoting college students’ health and decreasing the trends to obesity.

Pennsylvanians' Knowledge Of Agriculture, Fern K. Willits, A. E. Luloff, Jennifer S. James

Agribusiness

In 2005, researchers at Pennsylvania State University surveyed 1,521 Pennsylvanians in 65 counties to determine their knowledge of and perceptions about agriculture in the state. The study looked to: assess the level of agricultural knowledge of Pennsylvanians; ascertain how personal characteristics and frequency of rural visitation related to agricultural knowledge and to the perceptions of citizens about various agricultural issues; explore the relationship of agricultural knowledge to public perceptions of selected agricultural issues; and suggest how information on Pennsylvanians’ knowledge, experiences, and perceptions of agriculture are relevant to policy makers. The study results showed that, overall, most participants believed they …

Childhood Obesity In The U.S.: How Effective Are School Prevention Programs?, Christiane Schroeter, R. I. Carreira

Agribusiness

This study uses a logistic regression to analyze the 2004-2005 Arkansas Center for Health Improvement body mass index data from four school districts in Arkansas. We conclude that the probability of elementary school children being overweight or at risk of being overweight depends on economic factors, demographics, and food availability.

Financial Performance Value-Added Dairy Operations In New York, Vermont And Wisconsin, Charles Nicholson, Mark Stephenson

Agribusiness

Federal, state and local governments have funded various efforts to support value-added agriculture, often implicitly assuming that the enterprises would be profitable and that the transition from commodity producer to producer-processor-marketer-distributor would be relatively easy. Some analysts (e.g., Streeter and Bills; 2003a, 2003b) have questioned both of these assumptions, noting that available aggregate data do not allow assessment of the financial performance of value-added enterprises. Our study collected detailed financial information from 27 value-added dairy enterprises with cows, goats or sheep in three states. These businesses processed and marketed cheese, fluid milk products and yogurt; 17 had begun processing during …

The Impact Of Economic Factors On Consumer Health, Christiane Schroeter, Jayson L. Lusk

Agribusiness

This study estimates the relationship between economic factors and consumer health. The results show that increasing prices of food away from home are associated with decreasing the probability of risk factors and health conditions, which emphasizes the need to differ between multiple food types in health demand analysis.

An Analysis Of The Tradeoffs Between Policy Instruments To Induce Dairy Producers In California To Participate In A Centralized Digester, Sean P. Hurley, James J. Ahern, Douglas Williams

Agribusiness

Tradeoff between different utility rates and policy intervention to induce dairy producer to join a regional digester are studied. Results demonstrate that a regional digester for the dairy industry in California is feasible given the digester receives $0.05 per kWh and government intervention or $0.0925 per kWh with no intervention.

Acute Stress Induced By The Preslaughter Use Of Electric Prodders Causes Tougher Beef Meat, R. D. Warner, D. M. Ferguson, J. J. Cottrell, B. W. Knee

Slaughter and Slaughtering Practices Collection

Adrenergic activation and hormone release preslaughter is an inevitable outcome of the systems used to move cattle to slaughter. The aim of this experiment was to investigate the effects of acute preslaughter stress in beef cattle on postmortem muscle metabolism and the meat quality, including consumer-assessed eating quality. Eighty-four cattle were used on three separate days, with ‘mobs’ of four cattle allocated to either a ‘control’ (no electric goads used preslaughter) or a ‘stress’ (six prods given with an electric goad over 5–10 min) treatment at 15 min preslaughter. Cattle undergoing the ‘stress’ treatment had higher plasma lactate at slaughter. …

Influence Of Free-Stall Base On Tarsal Joint Lesions And Hygiene In Dairy Cows, W. K. Fulwider, T. Grandin, D. J. Garrick, T. E. Engle, W. D. Lamm, N. L. Dalsted, B. E. Rollin

Housing and Confinement of Farm Animals Collection

The objective was to quantify the incidence of tarsal lesions and level of hygiene by stall bed type. Cows were scored on 100 dairies from Wisconsin, Minnesota, Indiana, Iowa, and New York in the fall and winter. Thirty-eight dairies used rubber-filled mattresses (RFM), 27 had sand beds, 29 had waterbeds, and 6 used compost packs (CPk). Stocking density, stall dimensions, bedding amount, bedding frequency, and type of bedding were recorded. One pen of early-lactation multiparous cows on each dairy was scored based on injury of the tarsal joints at the lateral and medial surfaces and tuber calcis at the dorsal, …

U.S. Agricultural Productivity And Returns To Research, Jennifer S. James, Julian M. Alston, Philip G. Pardey, Matt Andersen

Agribusiness

No abstract provided.

Fish Behaviour And Welfare, Lynne U. Sneddon

Ethology Collection

Fish are farmed intensively in aquaculture which is an economic necessity to provide large quantities for the food industry yet many species’ normal behaviours may be impaired by the nature of intensive aquaculture. Recommendations have suggested that for optimum welfare, animals should be able to express their natural suite of behaviours. Confining large migratory species such as salmonids to relatively small tanks or cages means they are unable to perform the extensive migrations performed by their wild counterparts so are these fish frustrated? When considering why salmonids migrate, their motivation is to find food yet if they are well fed …

Carcass Composition And Meat Quality Of Three Different Iberian × Duroc Genotype Pigs, Rosario Ramírez, Ramon Cava

Slaughter and Slaughtering Practices Collection

Carcass composition and meat quality of Longissimus dorsi (LD) and Biceps femoris (BF) muscles from three different Iberian × Duroc genotype pigs were studied: GEN1: ♂ Iberian × ♀ Duroc1; GEN2: ♂ Duroc1 × ♀ Iberian; GEN3: ♂ Duroc2 × ♀ Iberian. Duroc1 (DU1) were selected for the manufacture of dry-cured meat products while Duroc2 (DU2) were pigs selected for meat production, with high percentages of meat cuts and low carcass fat. Genotype had a significant effect on the differences found while sex had not. GEN2 showed the highest weights at days 180 and 238 of weaning and the highest …

Farm Animal Welfare: In Legislatures, Corporate Boardrooms, And Private Kitchens, Andrea Gavinelli, Miyun Park

State of the Animals 2007

According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, globally, approximately 56 billion land animals—including nearly 48 billion broiler chickens— are slaughtered for human consumption in a single year (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations 2004), in addition to an untold number of aquatic animals. The numbers of individual animals raised and killed by the meat, egg, and dairy industries far surpass the number of animals with whom human beings have any other relationship—whether they be those seen as fabric, target practice, test tubes, companions, or sideshow spectacles.

Effect Of Stall Base Type On Herd Health, Costs, And Producer Satisfaction, W. K. Fulwider, T. Grandin, D. J. Garrick, T. E. Engle, W. D. Lamm, N. L. Dalsted, B. E. Rollin

Housing and Confinement of Farm Animals Collection

The objective of this field study was to compare effect of stall base on herd health, stall maintenance, bedding cost, and producer satisfaction. Ninety-one dairies visited during a 4-mo period starting October 14, 2005 included 33 rubber-filled mattress (RFM), 27 sand, and 31 waterbed (WB) dairies. In this study, percent culled was higher for RFM (P = 0.001) and sand (P = 0.06) than WB stall base dairies. Percent of cows in fourth lactation or greater was higher on WB than either RFM (P = 0.01) or sand (P = 0.02) dairies. There was no difference between base types for …

The Welfare Of Animals In The Meat, Egg, And Dairy Industries

Agribusiness Reports

Each year in the United States, approximately 11 billion animals are raised and killed for meat, eggs, and milk. These farm animals—sentient, complex, and capable of feeling pain and frustration, joy and excitement—are viewed by industrialized agriculture as commodities and suffer myriad assaults to their physical, mental, and emotional well-being, typically denied the ability to engage in their species-specific behavioral needs. Despite the routine abuses they endure, no federal law protects animals from cruelty on the farm, and the majority of states exempt customary agricultural practices—no matter how abusive—from the scope of their animal cruelty statutes. The treatment of farm …

Welfare Issues With Selective Breeding Of Egg-Laying Hens For Productivity

Agribusiness Reports

Today’s commercial laying hens have been selectively bred to produce more than 250 eggs per year. This unnaturally high level of productivity is metabolically taxing, often causing hens to suffer from “production diseases,” including osteoporosis and accompanying bone fractures, and can lead to reproductive disorders. Research suggests that the problem of osteoporosis may be worsening, possibly due to industry’s continuous push toward maximizing productivity. For decades, economic considerations have been valued and emphasized over the welfare of individual birds. An immediate change in priorities is needed to aggressively address welfare problems associated with selective breeding for egg production.

Review Of Methods For Modelling Systems Evolution, Charles F. Nicholson

Agribusiness

Acceleration of economic, technological, social, and environmental change challenge decision-makers of various kinds to learn at increasing rates, and at the same time, the complexity of the dynamic systems in which we live is growing (Sterman 2000). In agriculture and international development contexts, there are often significant delays in the development and implementation of technologies and policies, and agriculture-based livelihood systems are in constant and sometimes rapid evolution. In order to make technologies and policies better match the future state of these systems, it is necessary to better understand the likely evolution of agricultural systems. The goal of these efforts …

Instructions For Authors, Discovery Editors

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

No abstract provided.

Emerging Near-Real Time Forage Monitoring Technology With Application To Large Herbivore Management In Mongolia, Dennis P. Sheehy, Jerry W. Stuth, Douglas E. Johnson, Jay Angerer, Douglas Tolleson

Erforschung biologischer Ressourcen der Mongolei / Exploration into the Biological Resources of Mongolia, ISSN 0440-1298

Large herbivore livestock and wildlife in Mongolia depend almost entirely for substance on forage standing crop produced each year on natural pastureland. Consequently, both livestock and wildlife are continuously subject to environmental risk, especially drought and severe winter storms, while livestock are also subject to financial risk. As consumption-based livestock production changes to commercialized livestock production, steps taken by the livestock herder to avert both environmental and financial risk to livestock can increase environmental risk to large wild herbivores. A realistic and workable pastureland and risk management system will be critical for conservation of large herbivore habitat. New technologies are …

Contents, Discovery Editors

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

No abstract provided.

Devolution Of Federal Agricultural Policy: The Case Of Specialty Crop Block Grants, Jay E. Noel, David Schweikhardt

Agribusiness

There is a lengthy history of devolution of federal policy and programs to the states through the use of grants-in-aid in general and block grants in particular. In the area of agricultural policy, for example, programs for agricultural research and extension have, since their origin, been jointly funded by a system of grants from the federal government to the states. In recent years, the possible consequence of a major devolution of farm policy and programs from the federal government to the states has received much attention.

Letter From The Dean, Gregory J. Weidemann

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

No abstract provided.

Discovery: The Student Journal Of Dale Bumpers College Of Agricultural, Food And Life Sciences - Volume 8 2007, Several Authors

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

No abstract provided.

Estimating Willingness To Pay Using A Polychotomous Choice Function: An Application To Pork Products With Environmental Attributes, Sean P. Hurley, Douglas J. Miller, James B. Kliebenstein

Agribusiness

Bid data from a Vickrey auction for pork chops with embedded environmental attributes were analyzed. It was found that approximately 62% of the participants had a positive WTP for the most "environmentally friendly" package of pork. Thirty percent of the participants had no WTP, and 8% had a negative WTP. A polychotomous choice model was used to accommodate data having an anchoring point within the distribution of the data. Standard variables found in the WTP literature coupled with this model were used to predict participants who were premium payers and non-premium payers using an estimated ordered probit equation.

Clustering Of Independent Dairy Operators For Generation Of Bio-Renewable Energy: A Feasibility Analysis, Sean P. Hurley, James J. Ahern, Douglas Williams

Agribusiness

According to the California Agricultural Statistical Service (CASS), California had almost 1.7 million dairy cows in 2003. These cows generated approximately four billion dollars in revenue, making the California Dairy industry the largest agricultural commodity in the state. These California dairies are estimated to have produced roughly thirty million metric tons of manure in 2003. According to the 2002 USDA census, eighty-seven percent of the dairy cows in California are located on farms of five hundred or more cows. Furthermore, the dairy industry is heavily concentrated in eight counties of California. This high concentration of dairies in the state implies …

An Estimation Of The Regulatory Cost On California Agricultural Producers, Sean P. Hurley, Jay E. Noel

Agribusiness

Regulations can have many different effects on producers—both positive and negative. They can positively affect producers by improving marketability of the crop and increasing worker’s safety which would provide benefits to producers in the form of higher prices and/or potential cost savings. They can also negatively affect producers by increasing the cost of production by mandating that producers use more costly or less efficacious inputs, causing negative effects to the producers’ bottom-line. Regulations can also have a negative effect on producers by increasing non-cash costs related to management time.

Optimal Market Contracting In The California Lettuce Industry, Kallie Donnelly, Jay E. Noel

Agribusiness

Marketing and production contracts are a widely used risk mitigating strategy in the agricultural industry. Marketing contracts guarantee a market and focuses on the product at time of delivery. The producer owns the crop until time of delivery and is paid a premium based on quality and quantity predetermined in the contract. Production contracts create long term relationships between the producer and contractor. The producer will provide predetermined services to grow the crop. The contractor will provide inputs for the producer, giving the contractor some control over the production process and ownership of the crop. Graph 1 illustrates the growth …

A Regional And Industry Analysis Of The Complexity Of The Regulatory Environment Affecting Agricultural Producers In California, Sean P. Hurley, Jay E. Noel

Agribusiness

Regulations have been studied from many different vantage points in the past. Carter, Chalfont, and Goodhue (2002) have studied how a particular regulation will affect a particular crop, while Antle (2000) and Cash and Swoboda (2003) have investigated the effect of a regulation on an industry. Kaplan, Johansson, and Peters (2004) have investigated the marginal costs and benefits of regulations. Attempts have been made by the federal government to obtain the total cost of the regulatory environment (Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, 1997), while Hurley and Noel (2006) have attempted to develop a baseline cost of regulations for California …

Analysis Of The Regulatory Effects Of California Specialty Crops: An Examination Of Various Issues Impacting Selected Forest Products, Tree Fruit, Nut, And Vegetable Crop Industries, Sean P. Hurley, Richard Thompson, Christopher Dicus, Lori Berger, Jay E. Noel

Agribusiness

In a research report for the California Institute for the Study of Specialty Crops, Hurley provided a broad overview of the web of regulatory bodies affecting California agricultural producers. He found that California specialty crop producers must comply with multiple regulations from multiple local, state, and federal agencies. Locally, producers must comply with county land use regulations developed by the county, as well as, regulations established by the County Agricultural Commissioner. At the state level, producers must follow the regulations established by California Environmental Protection Agency (CALEPA), the Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR), and the California Department of Food and …

Evaluation Of Cauliflower And Broccoli Varieties: Summer Planting (November 2005 - February 2006), Department Of Food And Agriculture, Western Australia

Horticulture research reports

This document has been prepared from a cauliflower and broccoli variety evaluation trial conducted at the Manjimup Horticultural Research Institute, South Western Highway, Manjimup WA 6258. The results reflect the growth characteristics, yield, quality and density of the cauliflower and broccoli varieties as recorded at this site during the conditions of the growing period (November 2005 to February 2006).

This report is the first in a series of four produced from the evaluation of cauliflower and broccoli varieties conducted at the Manjimup Horticultural Research Institute.

The results are provided to allow seed suppliers, seedling nurseries, producers, packers and marketers to …

Impact Of Increased Minimum Wage On Southern San Joaquin Valley Navel Orange Producers, Kallie Donnelly, Jay E. Noel

Agribusiness

The California Institute for the Study of Specialty Crops (CISSC) developed a representative farm simulation model for navel producers in the Southern San Joaquin Valley. The farm simulation model simulates a producer’s financial statements for 2005-2014, including the income statement, statement of cash flows, and balance sheet. This model allows model prices and yields to vary over time. The variability is based on historical variation in navel orange prices and yield. This is done to capture the risk and uncertainty associated with variable prices and yields.