Agribusiness Commons^™

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 …

Hop Farm Business Plan And Economic Study, Matt Polvi

Liberal Arts and Engineering Studies

The purpose of this project is to create a business plan for a hop farm in the

Willamette Valley of western Oregon with the final document including a study for both

financial and agricultural feasibility.

Firestone-Walker Brewing Company, Joe Hare, John Fitche, John Mazzilli

Case Studies in Agribusiness

Starting in 1996, Firestone-Walker Brewing Company grew to become the 16th largest craft brewer in the U.S. by 2013. Much of their success can be attributed to taking advantage of opportunities when they present themselves. Their “805” brand is an example of many factors coming together to the company’s benefit.

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, …

Video Production For Inaugural Agb Alumni Gala: A Collaborative Project Between The Journalism And Agribusiness Departments, Katheryn Jaymes Mcdermott

Journalism

This project was designed to provide an overview of the Agribusiness department and its history at Cal Poly. It was designed to be used for purposes having to do with alumni relations. The goal of the project was to describe, through the use of video, the history of the department and its impact on the Agriculture department at Cal Poly. Ultimately the project is intended to demonstrate the history of where the department started, where it is now, and where it is headed in the future.

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, …

Re:Find Distillery, Ronald Cain, Kasey Urman, Taylor Frias

Case Studies in Agribusiness

When Alex and Monica Villicana started their winery in 2002, they had no intention of starting a distillery. But in order to have the right ratio of skins to juice they had to bleed off and dispose juice. Trying to find a use for the excess juice, they distilled it into vodka and gin. Much to their surprise, they quickly sold out. The case discusses licensing and technical issues of starting a distrillery.

Lagunitas Brewing Company, Maria Camozzi, Kelsey Guttchen, Amy Robertson

Case Studies in Agribusiness

The story of Lagunitas Beer is presented, from its start as a hobby for the founder Tony Magee to its current production of over 600,000 barrels per year, making it the 5th largest craft brewer in the US in 2013. To add perspective, a brief history of beer and the emergence of craft beer is included.

La Baguette Case Study, Logan Smith, Christina Willman, Joe Brunello

Case Studies in Agribusiness

La Baguette is a bakery/deli/coffee shop with two company-owned stores and one franchise. Starting as a retail bakery, it expanded into coffee, deli sandwiches, catering services and custom orders. The owners are considering several expansion options.

Mollydooker Wines: Supply Chain Analysis, Jacob Mix, Marianne Gera, Navreen Thandi

Case Studies in Agribusiness

MollyDooker (Australian slang for a left-handed boxer) exports 90-95% of its 70,000 case production of ultra-luxury wine (retail $185/bottle) to the US. Currently they have distributors handling the logistics for them. This study evaluates the pros and cons of MollyDooker running their own warehousing and shipping facility. It concludes that MollyDooker should continue to pay others to handle their wine.

Tap It Brewing Company: Raising The Bar, One Pint At A Time, Alex Flint, Jordan Long, Keith Inokuchi, Meera Vyas

Case Studies in Agribusiness

Johns and Miles Gordon had started and sold a successful pet food company in Texas and decided to move to the Central Coast. Their shared love of beer led to starting Tap It as a craft brewery in San Luis Obispo. The case discusses the history of beer, the emergence of craft beer in the US, and the issues and problems a small brewery faces as it gets started.

Barriers To Adoption Of Methane Digester Technology On California Dairies, Desiree Lee Libarle

Master's Theses

The goal of this research was to analyze the barriers to adoption of methane digesters on California dairies. Methane digesters have long existed as a technology in the dairy industry, both in the United States and abroad. Much research has been done to attest to the viability and economic sustainability of methane digesters; however in 2014, there were 26 dairies in California that have methane digesters installed, and of these, only 17 of those were still in operation, according to the USEPA AgStar Anaerobic Digester Database. Hence, the question remains, as to why this technology has not been widely adopted …

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

Agribusiness

No abstract provided.

Methane Production By A Packed-Bed Anaerobic Digester Fed Dairy Barn Flush Water, Sean Richard Thomson

Master's Theses

Packed-bed digesters are an alternative to covered lagoon digesters for methane production and anaerobic treatment of dilute wastewaters such as dairy barn flush water. The physical media of packed-beds retain biofilms, often allowing increased treatment rates. Previous studies have evaluated several types of media for digestion of dilute wastewaters, but cost and media fouling have setback commercial development. A major operational cost has been effluent recirculation pumping.

In the present effort, a novel approach to anaerobic digestion of flush dairy water was developed at pilot-scale: broken walnut shells were used as a low-cost packed-bed medium and effluent recirculation was replaced …

The Impact Of Local On Meat Purchasing Decisions, Steven Mclennan

Master's Theses

The research examines the target market for a meat product produced by the local university. Further, desirable attributes of meat and how consumers definition of “locally produced and/or raised” are identified. A total of 290 personal interviews were completed in San Luis Obispo County, California on the consumers’ willingness to purchase Cal Poly meat. Likely purchasers are found to be 31 percent of the San Luis Obispo population. The target buyer of Cal poly meat products are both male and females, who tend to be older, and make more than $60,000 a year. Local is defined by 31 percent of …

A Study To Determine Student Perceptions Of The Cal Poly Veterinary Clinic, Fallon Bliss Sheridan

Master's Theses

The purpose of this study was to determine the important benefits of Cal Poly Veterinary Clinic (CPVC) and establish areas of interest for the students at the CPVC. The CPVC is a student run veterinary clinic that exposes students to teachable hands-on veterinary experiences by addressing the needs of animals on campus as well as animals in the San Luis Obispo.

This study thoroughly investigated the student who have taken or are currently taking any of the five courses taught at the CPVC. The research was accomplished through a survey questionnaire. The student questionnaire was conducted by the researcher at …

Law Estates Wine, Devon Pitts, Cheyenne Jepsen, Will Akkaya

Case Studies in Agribusiness

Law Estate Wine differentiates its high end wines through quality and highly personal wine tastings. Believing that word of mouth and personal experience is the best way to market high end wines, Law offers tastings only through appointments, with 4-6 people per tasting. They also submit wines to selective wine journals and competitions. This selective business model appears to be successful for this boutique (under 10,000 cases) winery.

Lone Madrone Winery And Bristols Cider, Kallo Collines, Asher Hoffman, Paul Ogden

Case Studies in Agribusiness

Neil Collins, the award winning wine maker at Tablas Creek and Lone Madrone wineries, is originally from Bristol, England, where he grew up enjoying apple ciders. This case follows his transition from the culinary to wine industry, and how he learned wine making from some the best wine makers in the Central Coast of California to become the head wine maker at an established winery and part owner of his own smaller winery. The case also explores how his cider making hobby became a commercial business, and the growth of the fledgling US cider industry.

Saint Archer Brewing Company: A New Way Of Marketing Craft Beer, Conor Lowery, Dillon Irving, Zac Shippey, Jackson Egan

Case Studies in Agribusiness

Josh Landan and friends Mikey Taylor and Paul Rodriguez were well know stars in the skate and surf worlds. They were frequently asked to endorse new craft beers in the rapidly growing San Diego market. Rather than endorsing an existing company, they decided to start their own enterprise, which led to St. Archer Beer.

Vegetable Production Concentration In Northwest Mexico, Desiree Michelle Danel

Master's Theses

An American company that supplies premium quality hybrid vegetable seed to commercial growers in the southern part of the US, Mexico, and Central America sought an assessment of the market potential in the Northwest region of Mexico by identifying land area and production concentrations of vegetables by location, crop, and cultivation method, whether open-field, greenhouse, or shade house.

Data on the cultivated area of four states in the Northwest region of Mexico was collected for 12 crops of interest for the period of 2003-2012 from secondary sources. Data was entered into a statistical software program to complete frequency distribution charts …

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 …

Sustainability: An Examination Of Trends In The Floral Industry, Emily Gaul

Recreation, Parks, and Tourism Administration

Sustainability in the floral industry is a constantly changing subject. As more products are created for florists to use in their designs, sustainability will evolve and be redefined. The purpose of this study was to examine the sustainable trends in growing, designing, and marketing within the floral industry. As seen in the companies analyzed, each business plan constitutes a different set of practices that are utilized for the benefit of that company. An applied best practices analysis was conducted on the floral industry’s trends in sustainability. In the floral industry, businesses are shifting away from importing and focusing on local …

Beef Export Price Response To Sanitary Status And Traceability Systems: Implications For Paraguay, Silvana Careaga

Master's Theses

Global beef markets are highly influenced by sanitary issues, mainly related to animal health and food safety, which have been determining levels and trends in global beef trade. Food safety issues affecting human health such as bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) associated with Creutzfeldt-Jacob Disease (vCJD) in humans, and other diseases affecting production such as foot and mouth disease (FMD) has encouraged putting these issues to beef trade attention. A way to address these concerns and comply with international standards is the use of traceability systems in order to quickly identify hazard sources and assure beef quality and safety. The goal …

Design & Evaluation Of An Rfid Harvest Labor Tracking System, Sam Parnagian

BioResource and Agricultural Engineering

This project was the design and evaluation of a harvest labor tracking system through the use of RFID technology. This test will be performed for Fowler Packing Company with one citrus harvest crew. This system will allow each employee to be paid on an individual basis while also developing payroll in real-time. This project will save Fowler Packing money on a yearly basis by paying each employee for the actual work they do and increase the number of bins harvested per day by incentivizing harvest practices.

The Effects Of Implementing Cow Cooling For Oostdam Dairy: Benefits From Milk Production, Feed Intake, And Reproduction, Mark Oostdam

Dairy Science

Heat stress has a major effect on management decisions for a dairy operation because of the decrease in the cows productivity. Dairy cattle loose efficiency of economic production due to lower milk yields and decreased pregnancy rates. Milk loss due to heat stressed cows in California averages a loss of 293 kg of milk/cow/year(St.-Pierre et al., 2003), and with milk prices reaching record highs, dairies are losing out on increased revenue opportunity. Increases in reproductive infertility from heat stress also affect revenue for a dairy operation by reducing conception rates (Hansen 1997) and pregnancy rates, which causes the average days …

The Analysis Of The Hcs Department's Injury And Illness Prevention Program, Matthew Evers

BioResource and Agricultural Engineering

The Horticulture and Crop Science department had created their own Injury and Illness Prevention Program (IIPP) which was placed online using Cal Poly’s “PolyLearn” module. The program had just been created and generally covered some of the basic IIPP elements required by CalOSHA law, however it had various points of improvement to fulfill all IIPP regulations. It was found that the program content was not in compliance with CalOSHA laws regarding hazard inspection, training, and record keeping, but through meetings with the various department staff, these areas were brought into compliance with CalOSHA requirements, or are expected to be …

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 …

Pacific Coast Producers: Picked And Canned At The Peak Of Ripeness, Alondra Bains, Brandon Hunt, Amanda Nichols, Xavier Rodriquez

Case Studies in Agribusiness

Pacific Coast Producers is a cooperative which processes, packs and ships tomatoes, peaches, pears and grapes. It started in 1971, when the bankruptcy of U.S. Products forced ten ranchers to look for a new outlet for their produce. They have since grown into a major co-packer, supplying over 5,000 labels for retailers across the U.S. As a California based packer, they face a number of issues, including environmental concerns, labor shortages and water supply reliability. However, their long-term outlook is positive

Future Fruits Mandred Acreage Projection, Kirstin Hodges, Joey Roedl, Tom Nichols, Matt Hyre

Case Studies in Agribusiness

Future Fruits, an agribusiness that leases fruits such as Lemora, Red Star Navel, Red Nules and the Mandared, is outlined, along with the career of Peter Alvitre, a serial entrepreneur. A key issue is how to promote and license the Mandared; in particular, how to control the supply of Mandared in order to maximize returns.

Sierra Nevada Brewing Company: Pioneering Craft Beer In America, Connor Deck, Josh Heinicke, Michael Hoo, Bianca Ramirez

Case Studies in Agribusiness

No abstract provided.