Agribusiness Commons^™

Impacts Of The Covid-19 Pandemic On Food Prices: Evidence From Storable And Perishable Commodities In India, Subir Bairagi, Ashok K. Mishra, Khondoker A. Mottaleb

Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness Faculty Publications and Presentations

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The supply chain disruptions caused by the COVID-19 outbreak have led to changes in food prices globally. The impact of COVID-19 on the price of essential and perishable food items in developing and emerging economies has been lacking. Using a recent phone survey by the World Bank, this study examines the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the prices of the three essential food items in India. The results indicate that price of basic food items such as atta (wheat flour) and rice increased significantly during the pandemic compared to the pre-pandemic period. In contrast, during the same period, the …

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School Breakfast And Student Behavior, Andres Cuadros-Menaca, Michael R. Thomsen, Rodolfo M. Nayga Jr.

Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness Faculty Publications and Presentations

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The School Breakfast Program (SBP) is one of the largest nutrition assistance programs serving school-aged children in the US. It provides reimbursement to states for the operation of breakfast programs in schools. Student participation in the SBP is, however, much lower than the National School Lunch Program (NSLP). Because missing breakfast could result in hunger that could then influence children's interpersonal relations and classroom behavior (i.e., disciplinary infractions), some schools have implemented breakfast after the bell (BAB), which encompasses alternative breakfast delivery methods that make breakfast available to children after the school day commences. We use a difference-in-differences design with …

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Structural Shifts In Food Basket Composition Of Rural And Urban Philippines: Implications For The Food Supply System, Subir Bairagi, Yacob Zereyesus, Sampriti Baruah, Samarendu Mohanty

Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness Faculty Publications and Presentations

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Empirical evidence on the responsiveness and sensitivities of food consumption to its drivers is vital for conducting economic studies. Despite recent attempts to provide such estimates, much empirical work remains to be done considering the prevailing shifts in consumption trends in the Philippines. Price and expenditure elasticities are estimated for seven food categories for rural and urban Filipino households, using Stone–Lewbel (SL) price indices and the quadratic almost-ideal demand system (QUAIDS) model. We used multiple years (2006, 2009, 2012, 2015, and 2018) of the Philippines Family Income and Expenditure Survey (FIES) to estimate the food demand system. The results show …

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Consumers' Willingness To Pay For Second-Generation Ethanol In Brazil, Teresa Cristina Garcia, Alvaro Durand-Morat, Wei Yang, Michael Popp, William Schreckhise

Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness Faculty Publications and Presentations

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The objective of the study was to evaluate the effect of a low-cost solar collector to pre-heat ventilation air in commercial broiler buildings on supplemental heating demand and air quality during the cold season. Six black fabric-based solar collectors of 36 m(2) each were installed on the south-facing rooftop of a broiler house. The solar collectors provided fresh warm air into the house during the ON cycle of minimum ventilation and during the OFF cycle of minimum ventilation when the temperature under the collectors met certain criteria. The daily cumulative duration of solar collectors in operation averaged 125 and 133 …

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Characterizing Implied Volatility Functions From Agricultural Options Markets, Andrew M. Mckenzie, Michael R. Thomsen, Michael K. Adjemian

Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness Faculty Publications and Presentations

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We provide the first comprehensive characterization and comparison of implied volatility functions for five major agricultural options markets—corn, soybeans, soft red winter wheat, live cattle, and feeder cattle—using intraday tick data. Our results show that cattle markets exhibit a distinct leftward skew, which is puzzling and indicates that out-of-the-money traded put options are theoretically overpriced. In contrast, we find that grain market implied volatility functions display a flatter, less pronounced smile pattern. We examine market sentiment induced short-term hedging pressures using Commodity Futures Trading Commission reports, and market uncertainty around Cattle on Feed reports, as potential causes of the cattle …

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Rice Quality And Its Impacts On Food Security And Sustainability In Bangladesh, Indrani Saha, Alvaro Durand-Morat, Lawton Lanier Nalley, Mohammad Jahangir Alam, Rodolfo M. Nayga Jr.

Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness Faculty Publications and Presentations

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Rice market efficiency is important for food security in countries where rice is a staple. We assess the impact of rice quality on rice prices, food security, and environmental sustainability in Bangladesh. We find that while price varies as expected for most quality attributes, it is unaffected by a broken percentage below 24.9 percent. This reveals a potential inefficiency, considering the average 5 percent broken rate observed in the market. An increase in the broken rate of milled rice within the limits supported by our findings can, ceteris paribus, increase rice rations by 4.66 million a year, or conversely, …

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Peer Irrigators And The Choice Of Field Management And Water Control Practices For Irrigation In Arkansas, Victoria Bailey, Kent Kovacs, Christopher Henry, Qiuqiong Huang, Larry J. Krutz

Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness Faculty Publications and Presentations

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We examined how irrigation techniques in use by family and friends influence the use and share of land utilizing different irrigation techniques by Arkansas producers. A bivariate sample selection model simultaneously estimated how farm characteristics determine the use and explain the share of a farm that utilizes an irrigation technique. We found that the irrigation techniques in use by family and friends do affect the irrigation techniques a producer uses and the share of acres utilizing different irrigation techniques. A producer with a family or friend that uses end-blocking irrigation is 41% more likely to use end-blocking themselves. Having a …

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Invited Review: Lessons From The Covid-19 Pandemic For Food Supply Chains, John D. Anderson, James L. Mitchell, Joshua G. Maples

Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness Faculty Publications and Presentations

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Purpose

Some of the biggest economic disruptions from the COVID-19 pandemic were experienced in food supply chains, particularly in the protein sector. This article examines these protein-sector supply-chain shocks, exploring the nature and causes of the market disruptions during the pandemic, evaluating the effects of these shocks from an economic perspective, and discussing potential market and policy responses that could mitigate the adverse effects of similar events in the future.

Sources

A variety of sources contemporary to the pandemic were surveyed to document pandemic effects on meat and poultry supply chains. The implications of pandemic effects for supply chain participants …

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Economic And Ghg Emissions Changes Of Aeration And Gypsum Application, Michael Popp, Karen Renee Lindsay, Amanda Ashworth, Philip Moore, Phillip R. Owens, Taylor Adams, Melissa Mccarver, Becky Roark, Dan Pote, John Pennington

Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness Faculty Publications and Presentations

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Alternative pasture management strategies are needed to ensure long-term ecological and economical use of abundantly available poultry litter as a source of valuable nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and potassium (K). In combination with the common practice of broadcasting poultry litter and soil compaction from equipment and livestock traffic, pasture aeration offers the potential for added soil water penetration and reduced nutrient runoff by creating soil perforations ranging length from 5 to 15 cm using metal spikes that penetrate the soil to 15 cm depth. Also, the addition of gypsum can further reduce P runoff. We evaluate different pasture management scenarios …

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Simulating The Feasibility Of Dual Use Switchgrass On Cow-Calf Operations, Michael P. Popp, Amanda J. Ashworth, Charles P. West

Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness Faculty Publications and Presentations

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Meeting biorefineries' demands for lignocellulosic biomass will require sourcing feedstock without affecting the food or animal-feed supply. A decision-aid model can assess the dual use of switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.) to maintain animal production while providing biomass. We simulated a mixed-farm operation with 156 ha of hay+pasture, 96 beef cows (Bos spp.), and poultry (Gallus gallus L.) production wherein the hay land was converted to switchgrass for dual use as biomass and forage. The cow-calf simulator tracked changes in forage and cattle production, economic returns, and net greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Dual use of switchgrass consisted of …

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The Association Between Food Insecurity And Mental Health During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Di Fang, Michael R. Thomsen, Rodolfo M. Nayga Jr.

Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness Faculty Publications and Presentations

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Objective

To explore the association between food insecurity and mental health outcomes among low-income Americans during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods

We conducted a survey of 2714 low-income respondents nationwide from June 29, 2020 to July 21, 2020. A proportional odds logit model was employed to estimate the associations between food insecurity and anxiety and between food insecurity and depression.

Results

Food insecurity is associated with a 257% higher risk of anxiety and a 253% higher risk of depression. Losing a job during the pandemic is associated with a 32% increase in risk for anxiety and a 27% increase in risk …

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On The Use Of Virtual Reality In Mitigating Hypothetical Bias In Choice Experiments, Di Fang, Rodolfo M. Nayga Jr., Grant H. West, Claudia Bazzani, Wei Yang, Benjamin C. Lok, Charles E. Levy, Heather A. Snell

Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness Faculty Publications and Presentations

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Choice experiments have been extensively used in many stated preference studies and disciplines. In order to give external validity to stated preferences, participants must behave the same in an experiment setting as they do in reality. The difference between a decision made in a real experiment and a hypothetical experiment is commonly attributed to "hypothetical bias." In this paper, we investigate whether virtual reality can reduce hypothetical bias in choice experiments. We conducted a set of experiments using the Food and Drug Administration's new Nutrition Facts Label for yogurts. Participants were randomly assigned to non-hypothetical and hypothetical experiments, which differed …

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Comparison Of Yield Responses To Climate Variations, Organic Versus Conventional Crops, Qiuqiong Huang, Joost Wilken Meyer, Eva Stephani Caroline, Song Feng

Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness Faculty Publications and Presentations

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The objective of this study to compare the yield responses to climate variations and extreme weather events under organic and conventional agriculture.

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Preserving Cultural Heritage Through The Valorization Of Cordillera Heirloom Rice In The Philippines, Subir Bairagi, Marie Claire Custodio, Alvaro Durand-Morat, Matty Demont

Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness Faculty Publications and Presentations

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For centuries, heirloom rice varieties have been grown on the terraces of the Cordillera Mountains of Luzon, Philippines, terroirs known for their significant historical, cultural, and aesthetic values. However, heritage heirloom rice farming is gradually being abandoned, mainly because of its lower productivity and the struggle of the sector to create a sustainable niche market for heirloom rice by branding its cultural, social, and nutritional values. We propose several demand-side intervention strategies for the valorization of heirloom rice. To support the development of a segmented marketing strategy for heritage farming, we provide evidence on urban consumers’ willingness to purchase heirloom …

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