Agribusiness Commons^™

The Feasibility Of A New Sit-Down Restaurant In Ventura, John Wassil

Agribusiness

This study was carried out to determine whether it would be feasible to open a new restaurant in downtown Ventura. The study would also provide information on the type of restaurant and bar individuals prefer and the target market of the new restaurant.

The project’s analysis was conducted by putting together a projected income statement to determine the amount of profit that could be made in the first 3 years of the operation. To find out the preferences of Ventura’s consumers and to determine the target market a survey was conducted and analyzed.

According to the results of the analysis, …

Evaluation Of A Walnut Orchard And A Cost Study Of The Redevlopment Of A Walnut Orchard, Jacob F. Samuel

Agribusiness

A comprehensive study of the redevelopment of a walnut orchard taking into consideration all the factors from planting to harvest. Also a comparison of two orchards where orchard A is well producing and orchard B is poor producing. The study examines the value of the two orchards, where their profitabliltiy is, and whether or not the poor producing orchard should be redeveloped.

Examining Local Consumer Interest In Selling Cal Poly Honey Online, Harrison Luce

Agribusiness

This study was undertaken to determine whether Cal Poly affiliated people were interested in purchasing Cal Poly honey online through its own web store. In addition to determining the level of interest, the target market was examined to explore how to market Cal Poly honey more effectively.  The underlying objective of the project was to determine if a Cal Poly honey web store would be profitable as a honey marketing outlet in addition to current sales at stores around campus.

A survey was administered to Cal Poly affiliated people online using SurveyMonkey.com over a nine-day time period.  The survey focused …

A Study Of The Feasibility Of Establishing A Spray And Fertilizer Equipment Outlet Store In The Paso Robles Area., Daniel C. Rodriguez

Agribusiness

The purpose of this feasibility study was to establish whether or not the proposed spray and fertilizer equipment outlet store could be opened and be profitable in the target area.  The goal was to be profitable within two years of operations.  Personal interviews proved to be important to estimate the preliminary budgets of the outlet store.  Pertinent financial information was evaluated by proforma financials.  This information proved useful as to estimate yearly profits/losses for the business and to accept or reject the author’s hypothesis.

After the study was concluded and all of the figures were evaluated by the author, it …

What Is Strategy?, Steven Slezak

Agribusiness

No abstract provided.

When Do Fat Taxes Increase Consumer Welfare?, Jayson L. Lusk, Christiane Schroeter

Agribusiness

Previous analyses of fat taxes have generally worked within an empirical framework in which it is difficult to determine whether consumers benefit from the policy. This note outlines on simple means to determine whether consumers benefit from a fat tax by comparing the ratio of expenditures on the taxed good to the weight effect of the tax against the individual’s willingness to pay for a one-pound weight reduction. Our empirical calculations suggest that an individual would have to be willing to pay about $1500 to reduce weight by one pound for a tax on sugary beverages to be welfare enhancing. …

Development And Evaluation Of An Integrated Simulation Model For Assessing Smallholder Crop-Livestock Production In Yucatán, Mexico, David Parsons, Charles F. Nicholson, Robert W. Blake, Quirine M. Ketterings, Luis Ramírez-Aviles, Danny G. Fox, Luis O. Tedeschi, Jerome H. Cherney

Agribusiness

Mixed farming systems constitute a large proportion of agricultural production in the tropics, and provide multiple benefits for the world’s poor. However, our understanding of the functioning of these systems is limited. Modeling offers the best approach to quantify outcomes from many interacting causal variables in these systems. The objective of this study was to develop an integrated crop–livestock model to assess biophysical and economic consequences of farming practices exhibited in sheep systems of Yucatán state, Mexico. A Vensim™ dynamic stock-flow feedback model was developed to integrate scientific and practical knowledge of management, flock dynamics, sheep production, partitioning of nutrients, …

Application Of A Simulation Model For Assessing Integration Of Smallholder Shifting Cultivation And Sheep Production In Yucatán, Mexico, David Parsons, Charles Nicholson, Robert W. Blake, Quirine M. Ketterings, Luis Ramírez-Aviles, Jerome H. Cherney, Danny G. Fox

Agribusiness

Simulation models are effective tools to examine interactions between livestock, cropping systems, households, and natural resources. Our study objective was to use an integrated livestock and crop model to assess the outcomes from selected suites of management decisions observed in smallholder sheep-cropping systems of Yucatán, Mexico. The scenarios contrasted specialized systems versus mixed farming, and evaluated the outcomes of increased crop-livestock integration. Mixed enterprise scenarios involving sheep provided more income than specialized enterprises, and capitalized on a lower price of on-farm maize grain, efficient utilization of surplus labor, and availability of common land. Labor and management income was greatest for …

Agricultural Safety Consulting Firm Business Plan, Michael Portugal

BioResource and Agricultural Engineering

No abstract provided.

Feasibility Of Operating A Training Facility On The Central Coast, Katrina Young

Agribusiness

No abstract provided.

Analysis Of American And Australian Preferred Wine Label Attributes, Taylor Lee Hansard

Agribusiness

No abstract provided.

Feasibility Study Of An Enomatic Wine Bar In San Luis Obispo, Eric Daniel Maida

Agribusiness

The purpose of this project was to determine whether it would be feasible to open an Enomatic Wine Bar in downtown San Luis Obispo.

There were two major costs involved in this project, the development of the facility and the operation of the business. Once all of the costs were determined, they were entered into an Excel spreadsheet providing the Enomatic Wine Bar Budget and the Income Statement. From the Enomatic Wine Bar Budget and the Income Statement a Return on Investment of 27% was realized.

Using the figures from the Enomatic Wine Bar Budget and the Income Statement, it …

Financial Feasibility Analysis Of A Custom Harvesting Business Of Wine Grapes In Fresno County, Jacob Constance

Agribusiness

This study was undertaken to determine if it was financially feasible to start a custom harvesting business of wine grapes in Fresno County. A fully amortizing loan for $120,000 was taken out at a four percent interest rate and loan term of five years. The custom harvesting business in Fresno County was analyzed using capital budgeting techniques and forecasted financial documents. It is concluded to be profitable over an eight year span to establish and maintain a machine harvesting business based on the investment analysis that provides a net present value of $69,450.37 at a discount rate of 12 percent, …

A Cost Benefit Analysis Of Utilizing Solar Panels On Bates Nut Farm, Brandon Walter Ness

Agribusiness

No abstract provided.

Observational Study Of Retail Wine Venues In San Luis Obispo In Relation To Shelf Space And The Amount Of Wine Sold, J. (James) Calvin Mead

Agribusiness

This study was conducted in order to gain valuable information related to the retail wine industry and find similarities and differences in wine shelf space from store to store. All the stores were unique to some degree, but they also shared several aspects of the wine display. For example, some stores were similar in relation to the number of wine brands they offered, structure of the wine displays, prices of wines, types of promotions, types of packaging, number of sections based on varietals or countries, and overall ratings. Averages, frequencies, one-way analyses, multiple comparisons, and descriptive statistics were all calculated …

Optimal Palm Oil Processing Plant Size In South Sumatera, Shelly V. Gozali

Agribusiness

This study was conducted to determine if the palm oil processing plant with a capacity of thirty tons per hour is the optimal size for the Sutopo Lestari Jaya Company. This report represents two important techniques when performing the analysis. A net present value has been calculated in determining the feasibility of the palm oil processing plant in the next ten years after it is built. A break-even analysis has been performed to determine the number of units produced to cover the fixed cost after the processing plant operates.

It is concluded that the processing plant with a capacity of …

Price Comparisons Of Selected Produce Between Farmers’ Markets And Grocery Stores In San Luis Obispo County., Jacqueline De Figueiredo

Agribusiness

This study was undertaken to determine the price comparisons of selected produce between farmers' markets and grocery stores in San Luis Obispo County.

All data was collected through out an eight week period and recorded to determine if prices, on average, are lower at famers' markets compared to their neighboring grocery. This data was used to compare prices of commodities at farmers' markets and neighboring grocery stores in San Luis Obispo County for five selected produce items. The data collected includes prices of each commodity, location, and date. After collecting the data, the final step in determining if prices are …

Consolidating And Implementing An Employee Handbook At Souza’S Dairy, Inc., Adrianna Souza

Dairy Science

The objective of this senior project was to create a more useful handbook that employees will read, condensing the existing but still retaining the important information. Along with updating the handbook, I plan to implement the use of the employee handbooks. An employee handbook is an important solution to help employers and employees have consistent information. An outdated employee handbook can create problems in the workplace. New and changed laws occur every year and the firm will want to ensure that the employee handbook and policy handbook are up to date with the most recent laws and policies to mitigate …

Forestalling Foreclosure: The Strategic Use Of @Risk To A Health Center In Financial Distress, Steven Slezak

Agribusiness

No abstract provided.

Behavioral Economics: A New Heavyweight In Washington?, Sean B. Cash, Christiane Schroeter

Agribusiness

No abstract provided.

Second Time Is A Charm: The Impact Of Correcting Missed Exam Questions On Student Learning, Christiane Schroeter, Steven V. Green, Erin Bess

Agribusiness

This study determined the learning benefit of correcting missed exam questions. The results show that in addition to exams being an assessment tool, they can also be used as a tool for student learning. The availability of this information will provide help considering design, development, and improvement of traditional assessment methods for student learning.

Red-Light Cameras At Intersections: Estimating Preferences Using A Stated Choice Model, Aklesso Egbendewe-Mondzozo, Lindsey M. Higgins, W. Douglass Shaw

Agribusiness

Red-light cameras placed at intersections have the potential to increase safety, but they are often viewed as an invasion of privacy. Preferences for these cameras were explored using a stated choice model that presents key attributes of camera placements. Stated choice models involve careful experimental design, akin to experimental control in laboratory settings. A variety of design approaches were used, settling on a composition of the choice sets people face in the survey. To illustrate the approach, an internet survey was used with a convenience sample containing a high percentage of college students. The results show that while not the …

Labor Cost Effects On Apple Price, Victor Cancel

Agribusiness

Agriculture is an essential part of life in the United States due to the fact that everyone needs to eat. And, being that many commodities within agriculture, such as apples, are very labor intensive, the people that work in the industry are also very important. But while these laborers, many of who are legal or illegal immigrants from Mexico, are important to supplying Americans with food, many are compensated at a wage at or around the amount required by federal law. Since the apple industry is so labor intensive, discussions have been raised about how much the cost of labor …

Discerning Differences Among Producer Groups And Organic Adoption Barriers In Texas, Michael Lau, Roger Hanagriff, Douglass Constance, Mary York, Brian Vandelist, Lindsey M. Higgins

Agribusiness

While nationwide growth in the production of organic agricultural products has seen rapid expansion, the number of certified organic operations in Texas has remained relatively stagnant. Evidence shows a shift in consumer’s demands toward organic products, yet Texas producers have been comparatively slow to respond to this shift. A survey was distributed to a random sample of 4,006 Texas producers as a means of understanding the perceived barriers of adoption of organic production practices in Texas,. Emphasis was placed on perceived production and market barriers to organic production and differences in perceived barriers among producer groups. The results provide guidance …

Tasting Room Insights From San Luis Obispo County, Kathryn Vogt, Wayne Howard

Agribusiness

No Abstract.

Obesity Economics For The Western United States, Mariah D. Ehmke, Tina Willson, Christiane Schroeter, Ann Marie Hart, Roger Coupal

Agribusiness

The estimated obesity-related health care costs across the Western region in 2008 were $16.2 billion (this is an inflation-adjusted estimate based on the work of Finkelstein, Fiebelkorn, and Wang (2004)). 25 The Western populations, the percentage of obese adults in each state, and the estimated annual obesity-related expenditures by state are summarized in Table 1. The cost estimates include only direct health care expenditures related to obesity. The actual cost of obesity is much higher and includes not only obesity-related illness and disease, but also indirect costs resulting from missed work days and lower worker productivity as well as valued …

Managing Maize Production In Shifting Cultivation Milpa Systems In Yucatan, Through Weed Control And Manure Application, David Parsons, Luis Ramirez-Aviles, Jerome H. Cherney, Quirine M. Ketterings, Robert W. Blake, Charles F. Nicholson

Agribusiness

Milpa cultivation involving cutting an area of forest, burning, and planting crops has existed in the Yucatán Peninsula for more than three millennia. Fallow periods are short and decreasing, leading to a productivity collapse of the system. Technologies that increase yield and maintain plots under cultivation have the potential to decrease the land area needed for family food production, resulting in more mature forests. This study was undertaken to examine the relative importance and potential interactions of declining fertility and increasing weed pressure in reducing maize (Zea mays L.) yields, and to examine the effectiveness of combinations of weed …

Modeling Feedback Between Economic And Biophysical Systems In Smallholder Agriculture In Kenya: The Crops, Livestock And Soils In Smallholder Economic Systems (Classes) Model, Emma C. Stephens, Christopher B. Barrett, Douglas R. Brown, Johannes Lehmann, David Mbugua, Solomon Ngoze, Charles F. Nicholson, David Parsons, Alice N. Pell, Susan J. Riha

Agribusiness

We investigate natural resource-based poverty traps using a simulation model of smallholder farms in highland Kenya. Simulation modeling allows for detailed examination of the complex interactions and feedback between farm-household economic decision-making and long-term soil dynamics, which may contribute to persistent poverty among smallholders in this region. We examine the effects of changing initial endowments of land, labour and stocks of on-farm soil organic matter on the long-term welfare of these households. We find that larger farms are better able to cope with both labour shocks and deteriorating natural capital than smaller farms, with smaller farms remaining poor and unable …

Structural Changes In U.S. Agricultural Production And Productivity, Jennifer S. James, Julian M. Alston, Philip G. Pardey, Matthew A. Andersen

Agribusiness

The structure of U.S. agricultural production changed dramatically during the 20th Century. Major technological innovations transformed the relationship between agricultural inputs and outputs, and contributed to rapid increases in agricultural productivity. However, evidence is mounting that suggests we have entered a new era, with substantially lower rates of productivity growth. In this article, we examine trends and spatial patterns in agricultural input use, production of outputs, and productivity. We focus on productivity growth over the period 1949–2002, and find a statistically significant slowdown in productivity growth after 1990.

Setting Agricultural Science Strategy In Tumultuous Economic Times, Jennifer S. James, Julian M. Alston, Philip G. Pardey

Agribusiness

The international competitiveness and prosperity of U.S. agriculture depends on steady and rapid productivity growth fueled by public agricultural research and development (R&D). Agricultural science benefits consumers and the environment, not just farmers. Enhanced productivity as a result of agricultural R&D means that consumers have access to a more abundant, cheaper, safer, higher quality, and more diverse and convenient food supply, produced with less stress on natural resources and the environment. From a global perspective, productivity growth allows agricultural production to increase faster than demand; food has become much cheaper over time in spite of a rapidly growing world population …