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Full-Text Articles in Agriculture

The Influence Of Framing And Recent Experience On Farmer Choices In Experimental Games Depicting Risk-Reducing Agricultural Technologies, Ana Maria Ospina Tobar Aug 2023

The Influence Of Framing And Recent Experience On Farmer Choices In Experimental Games Depicting Risk-Reducing Agricultural Technologies, Ana Maria Ospina Tobar

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Climate change is a major threat to food security, particularly in low and middle-income countries that are highly dependent on staple crops for subsistence. The vulnerability of staple crops, like maize, in the face of climate change, is increasing due to the increasing frequency of droughts. This thesis aims to evaluate two mechanisms through which farmers may be more willing to adopt new technologies that increase their resilience to climate change: First, I evaluate the effectiveness of a new virtual maize farming game as a learning tool to teach farmers about the outcomes they could obtain under different weather events …


Would Ai Stocks Estimate Be As Surprised To Usda Stocks Reports As Private Market Analysts?, Asif Mahmud Chowdhury Jan 2023

Would Ai Stocks Estimate Be As Surprised To Usda Stocks Reports As Private Market Analysts?, Asif Mahmud Chowdhury

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The USDA survey-based Quarterly Agriculture Stocks (QAS) reports are the primary source of information regarding the relative supply of U.S. corn, soybeans, and wheat for the last fifty years. Research has examined USDA stock reports and their relevancy to the market (e.g., Isengildina-Massa et al., 2021). In addition, private industry analysts estimate expected quarterly grain stock reports before USDA releases them. Market information firms such as Bloomberg and Reuters publish a subset of these estimates a few days before the USDA reports. Previous research has found that when industry analysts have significant differences in stock expectations compared to what the …


Effects Of Conservation Management Practices On Soil Health And Crop Yields In Eastern South Dakota, Alex Mclain Jan 2022

Effects Of Conservation Management Practices On Soil Health And Crop Yields In Eastern South Dakota, Alex Mclain

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Conservation management practice adoption on agricultural land has increased in recent years due to increasing public and private investment. The anticipated impact of increasing conservation management practice adoption are reduced greenhouse gas emissions and improved soil, water, and air quality. Understanding how these conservation management practices affect agricultural producers economically is vital to properly incentivize these practices. The existing literature on how conservation management practices affect soil health and crop yields is mixed and generally has been conducted on experimental research stations. These studies may not fully account for the on-farm effects of conservation management practices. The objectives of this …


Economic Analysis Of Sunflower (Helianthus Annuus) Spacing In East Texas, Carly Wright Jan 2022

Economic Analysis Of Sunflower (Helianthus Annuus) Spacing In East Texas, Carly Wright

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Two experiments were conducted on spacing of Helianthus annuus in East Texas to determine the spacing treatment that produces the greatest revenue per m2. The experiments had four spacing treatments of 8 × 15 cm, 15 × 15 cm, 23 × 23 cm, and 30 × 30 cm. Three different cultivars were used in each experiment to determine if there was an interaction between spacing and cultivars. In both experiments, the stem height, stem diameter, flower diameter, and disk diameter increased as spacing increased. Also, as spacing increased, the days-to-harvest decreased. The 8 × 15 cm spacing produced …


To Know The Land With Hands And Minds: Negotiating Agricultural Knowledge In Late-Nineteenth-Century New England And Westphalia, Justus Hillebrand Aug 2021

To Know The Land With Hands And Minds: Negotiating Agricultural Knowledge In Late-Nineteenth-Century New England And Westphalia, Justus Hillebrand

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Ever since the eighteenth century, experts have tried to tell farmers how to farm. The agricultural enlightenment in Europe marked the beginning of a long arc of new experts aiming to change agricultural knowledge and practice. This dissertation analyzes the pivotal period in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century in Germany and the United States when scientists, improvers, and market agents began to develop comprehensive ways to communicate agricultural innovation to farmers. In a functional approach to analyzing the negotiation of agricultural knowledge through its communication in things, words, and practices, this dissertation argues that the process of change …


Genetically Modified Corn Diffusion And Biofuel Usage: Impacts On Corn Belt Cropping Systems Changes, Kenneth Annan Jan 2021

Genetically Modified Corn Diffusion And Biofuel Usage: Impacts On Corn Belt Cropping Systems Changes, Kenneth Annan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The adoption of genetically modified (GM) crops, the rise of ethanol production that produced an additional derived demand for corn, and the increasingly prominent position of corn and soybeans in crop rotations embody major changes in U.S. agriculture during the past decades. This study investigates the linkages among these developments in two ways. First, we look at how biotechnology and biofuels have influenced cropping system changes in the Corn Belt region of the United States, using state-level data from 2000 to 2019. Second, we investigate the determinants of corn acreage intensification levels and heterogeneity at the state level using data …


Exploring The Determinants Of Aspects Of Rotational Grazing In The U.S. Great Plains, Iftekhar Uddin Ahmed Chowdhury Jan 2021

Exploring The Determinants Of Aspects Of Rotational Grazing In The U.S. Great Plains, Iftekhar Uddin Ahmed Chowdhury

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Pasture and rangeland make up about 45 percent of the agricultural land in the U.S. Great Plains and one of the most common form of mismanagement of this pasture is overgrazing. Which results in many detrimental effects on environment. Many practitioners endorsed Rotational grazing (RG) as an improved grazing management practice over season-long continuous grazing. The overall goal of the current study is to assess the certain aspects of using RG in the U.S. Great Plains. Using mail survey data of the of 874 beef cattle producers of North Dakota, South Dakota, and Texas, the study found that neighborhood practice, …


Factors Influencing Adoption And Adoption Intensity Of Precision Agriculture Technologies In South Dakota, Md Mahi Uddin Jan 2020

Factors Influencing Adoption And Adoption Intensity Of Precision Agriculture Technologies In South Dakota, Md Mahi Uddin

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Precision agriculture can play an important role in preserving the environment and improving the economic conditions of agricultural producers. This thesis analyzes the determinants of adoption and adoption intensity of precision agriculture technologies in South Dakota. This analysis uses survey data collected from 199 farms distributed over 28 different counties in South Dakota, accounting for approximately 500,000 acres of tillable agricultural land, to (1) discover the factors impacting precision technology adoption; (2) compare and contrast several characteristics among adopters and non-adopters; and (3) develop probit, count, and negative binomial models to determine the significance of explanatory variables impacting precision technology …


Eyes In The Field, A Seat At The Table, A Voice At The Ranch : A Study On Optimal Farm Labor Conditions., Christine Wiggins-Romesburg May 2019

Eyes In The Field, A Seat At The Table, A Voice At The Ranch : A Study On Optimal Farm Labor Conditions., Christine Wiggins-Romesburg

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The field of human resource development has twin obligations to promote the performance of organizations and the satisfaction and welfare of all workers. Nevertheless, agriculture appears to be an understudied industry in the field, despite this obligation and the potential for suffering experienced by workers performing crop work. This case study sought to understand the process through which a single agricultural operation fosters optimal conditions for workers engaged in labor-intensive crop production. This study found employees experienced better treatment compared to other agricultural operations, and that conditions were rich in both intrinsic and extrinsic factors. Intrinsic factors were marked by …


Adoption Of Conservation Practices And Precision Technologies In South Dakota: An Empirical Analysis, Allen P. Deutz Jan 2018

Adoption Of Conservation Practices And Precision Technologies In South Dakota: An Empirical Analysis, Allen P. Deutz

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Advances in conservation agriculture and precision agriculture technology practices have contributed to the adoption of conservation practices that reduce externalities from agricultural production, but this conversion was usually coupled with economic incentive, whether from increases in fertility and yield, or payments for on farm retirement or restoration practices. This study expands on this theme, evaluating the connection between conservation and the increased use of various precision agriculture technologies. The study uses survey data collected from South Dakota farmers and ranchers, with responses from 28 counties and over 500,000 acres of crop, pasture, and range land to address the following three …


Performance Of The Producer Accumulator In Corn And Soybean Commodity Markets, Chad Te Slaa Jan 2017

Performance Of The Producer Accumulator In Corn And Soybean Commodity Markets, Chad Te Slaa

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This research quantifies risk reduction and performance of the producer accumulator contract in corn and soybean markets. To quantify performance, we use three alternative theoretical pricing models to estimate historical producer accumulator contract specifications in corn and soybean markets. We then compare the performance of the producer accumulator to eight alternative agricultural marketing strategy portfolios that are also used in new generation grain contracts. The performance measures we compare are: average bushel price that would be received by the producer, daily portfolio risk, and the Sharpe ratio. The period we examine performance was between 2008 and 2017. We investigate performance …


Factors Affecting Feedlots' Decisions On Cattle Marketing Options: A National Study, Charlotte Owusu-Smart Jan 2017

Factors Affecting Feedlots' Decisions On Cattle Marketing Options: A National Study, Charlotte Owusu-Smart

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis investigates the economic implication of changing slaughter volume patterns across the cash and contract markets in the US cattle industry. Weekly time series data that spans from November 2002 to December 2015 was used in the analysis. Empirical evidence suggests that Mandatory Price Reporting (MPR) played an important role in changing slaughter volumes across the cash and contract markets. Additionally, price of feeder cattle, cattle quality characteristics (Choice-Select spread and the percentage of animals grading choice or better) among others influence feedlots’ decision to use a particular marketing arrangement.


Encouraging Organic Agriculture: The Effects Of Conversion Subsidies, Sarah Adams Inkoom Jan 2017

Encouraging Organic Agriculture: The Effects Of Conversion Subsidies, Sarah Adams Inkoom

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis examines the importance of conversional subsidies in accounting for an increase in organic acreage in the 12 North-Central States in the United States. Monthly time series data that spans from January 2002 to December 2014 was used in the analysis. Empirical evidence suggests that increase in organic acreage is due in part to the availability of conversion subsidies. Without government assistance, most small-scale farmers are not sufficiently motivated to switch to organic production due to the high initial costs involved in transitioning. Further, increased institutional support could facilitate organic adoption and its absence is detrimental to increasing the …


Heterogeneous Nitrogen Losses: Cost-Effectiveness Analysis Of Changes In Management Across South Dakota, Archibold Quaye Jan 2017

Heterogeneous Nitrogen Losses: Cost-Effectiveness Analysis Of Changes In Management Across South Dakota, Archibold Quaye

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The loss of nitrogen fertilizer into the atmosphere and waterways is of increasing concern for citizens and policy makers. This is particularly relevant for hypoxia in rivers, lakes, and oceans, but also relevant for policy makers in reducing the increasing concentration of greenhouse gases (GHG) in the atmosphere. GHGs trap heat in the atmosphere and include: carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide and fluorinated gases. Overall, the estimated contribution from the agricultural sector to GHG emissions was 9% in 2013 (EPA, 2013). Further, the addition of nitrogen to the soil through the use of synthetic fertilizers is a main contributor to …


An Analysis Of The Demand For Rail Transportation Of Corn, Soybeans, And Wheat In South Dakota, Melinda Sommer Jan 2016

An Analysis Of The Demand For Rail Transportation Of Corn, Soybeans, And Wheat In South Dakota, Melinda Sommer

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The cropping patterns, grain marketing flows, and transportation needs have changed in South Dakota as increased ethanol production has led to a significant increase in corn production and the production of distiller’s dried grains with solubles (DDGS) as a co-product. Previous studies have not focused specifically on the grain and oilseed transportation needs in South Dakota over an extended period of time that covers the influence of ethanol production. Quarterly rail data from the Surface Transportation Board Public Use Waybill Sample for 1991 to 2013 were used in a regression analysis of the demand for rail transportation of corn, soybeans, …


Temporal And Spatial Influences On South Dakota Farm Economies Of Size, Henry Brown Jan 2016

Temporal And Spatial Influences On South Dakota Farm Economies Of Size, Henry Brown

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Census of Agriculture data are evaluated to test for economies of size of South Dakota farms. Economies of size occur when per-unit costs decrease as the size of a firm increases. This research measures technical economies of size, which assume that all firms pay identical input prices and receive identical output prices. The dependent variable of the model is expenses per dollar of sales. This is a typical measure of efficiency in agricultural statistics. The data come from the four prior Census of Agriculture years, 1997, 2002, 2007, and 2012. A state-wide model and a county-wide model were developed to …


Attitude Comparison Among South Dakota Family Members Regarding Estate Planning And Farm Transitions, Heather Gessner Jan 2016

Attitude Comparison Among South Dakota Family Members Regarding Estate Planning And Farm Transitions, Heather Gessner

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Estate planning and intergenerational farm transitions are the focus of research and extension programs across the nation due to the potential tax consequences faced by farm operations, retirement funding options available and utilized by farmers, changes in asset transition tools available, and communication (or lack of communication) issues related to bringing an heir back to the family operation.
Past plans for research projects and extension programming developed across the nation and in South Dakota (SD), were created with many assumptions regarding the attitudes of farm family members towards the transition of ownership of the operational assets and personal assets of …


Investigating Grassland And Cropland Conversion Decisions In The Dakotas, 2015 Producers Survey And Analysis, Md Niaz Murshed Chowdhury Jan 2016

Investigating Grassland And Cropland Conversion Decisions In The Dakotas, 2015 Producers Survey And Analysis, Md Niaz Murshed Chowdhury

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study investigates grassland and cropland conversion decisions in the Dakotas. Data from a 2015 survey completed by 1,026 producers located in 57 counties of the Prairie Pothole Region (PPR) were used to evaluate land conversions. This thesis attempts to identify the land use conversion incidence and rate (grass to crop and crop to grass); the link between past and projected land use conversion decisions in the Dakotas, and determinants of land use conversion using different statistical tools, including logistic regression methods. A regional analysis of converted acres reveals that the grass to crop conversion rates (as percent of 2014 …


Relationship Of Grain Stocks And Farmer Marketings, Tyler Holmquist Jan 2016

Relationship Of Grain Stocks And Farmer Marketings, Tyler Holmquist

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This research explores the relationship between quarterly grain stocks and monthly grain marketings. Reviewing when, how, and why stocks move from on-farm and off-farm inventories, an interpretation of quarterly commodity disappearance and crop marketings is formed. An explanatory model is first developed for farmer marketings, where price expectations are used to assess market signals to change ownership of crops. The model is applied to South Dakota corn, soybeans, and wheat from 1985 through 2015. The subsequent analysis contributes to a model that explains quarterly changes in stocks in terms of supply levels and the expected effect from marketings on disappearance. …


The Enhancement Of Wild Bees (Hymenoptera: Apoidea) For Pollination Security, Eric M. Venturini Aug 2015

The Enhancement Of Wild Bees (Hymenoptera: Apoidea) For Pollination Security, Eric M. Venturini

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The acreage of pollinator-dependent crops continues to expand across the globe. Simultaneously, honey bee hives – an annually rented commodity that growers rely on – are more expensive every year and in some cases, scarce. In response, pollinator-dependent growers seek alternative pollinators. One approach is installing bee pasture on farms, a strategy that enables systems-based farmers to become in-situ farm-scale habitat managers. This thesis first presents a review of the literature on bee pasture plantings and provides a brief overview of some methods for assessing their impacts on the pollinator community. There are three major gaps in current bee pasture …


U.S. Competition Of Hard Spring Wheat Characteristics, Jacquiline Danso Jan 2015

U.S. Competition Of Hard Spring Wheat Characteristics, Jacquiline Danso

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

There is a changing landscape in the wheat market from the emergence of foreign ownership of local elevators, increased consolidation in the milling sector, technology advancement, and changes in transportation. The changing landscape of the wheat market has been associated with greater degrees of vertical coordination through integration, strategic alliances, and contractual relationships. Particularly greater vertical integration has occurred between the millers, county elevators, and export and country terminal elevators. The greater integration of the milling sector has raised concerns by the Department of Justice Anti-trust division to the competitiveness of the flour market, and has only conditionally approved recent …


Drivers Of Agricultural Land Use Change And Management Decisions In The Dakotas: The Influence Of Climate Change And Other Factors, Moses Luri Jan 2015

Drivers Of Agricultural Land Use Change And Management Decisions In The Dakotas: The Influence Of Climate Change And Other Factors, Moses Luri

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis conducts a general assessment of the: main drivers of land use change; recent and projected land use patterns; and the evolution of agriculture in the Dakotas. Specifically, it determines the main motives of land use change in the Dakotas by investigating individual and joint effects of external drivers of land use change on farm operators’ decisions and also examines recent and projected agricultural land use patterns in the Dakotas. Farm operators’ perceptions about the evolution of agriculture in the Dakotas based on observed changes in their local area were also analyzed. The study region consists of 37 counties …


A Comparison Of Corn Yield Forecasting Models, Nicholas Jorgensen Jan 2014

A Comparison Of Corn Yield Forecasting Models, Nicholas Jorgensen

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this research is to compare and analyze several different yield forecasting methods. The study analyzes corn yields in Ohio and South Dakota for the years 1986 through 2012. A base model, with a trend and state dummy variable is developed. Two competing models, one with objective variables and one with subjective variables, are then developed as additions to the base model. The competing objective model is developed by adding accumulated growing degree days (GDD) and accumulated rainfall variables. The competing subjective model is developed by adding a USDA crop conditions index (CCI) variable. The models are estimated …


Hedging To Safety: A Political Economy Of Derivatives, Risk And Agriculture In The Developing World, Sasha Coler Breger Bush Jan 2009

Hedging To Safety: A Political Economy Of Derivatives, Risk And Agriculture In The Developing World, Sasha Coler Breger Bush

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

It has become common for researchers and international development institutions to recommend the use of derivative instruments to developing country farmers and policymakers as a means of insuring agricultural incomes against the threats posed by volatile global commodity prices. Despite such enthusiasm, very little research to date examines whether or not derivative instruments actually can deliver income support to agricultural producers who face commodity price risk. This dissertation evaluates these recommendations, focusing upon the potential income security benefits of hedging with futures instruments for coffee farmers in Mexico, Brazil and Uganda during the 1998-2002 coffee crisis. The three-part quantitative and …


A Computerized Planning Model For Small Farms In Southeastern South Dakota, Rodney Gene De Smet Jan 1980

A Computerized Planning Model For Small Farms In Southeastern South Dakota, Rodney Gene De Smet

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Structural changes in agriculture resulting in fewer and larger farms carries strong implications for smaller farms. Included in the small farm group are small, low-resource, and part-time farmers, some of which are unable to generate an adequate income due to limited resources. This research study has developed a managerial tool for assisting low-resource farmers in developing optimal farm plans. The planning model is an interaction of familiar components (budgets) with a complex mathematical model (linear progra111T1ing) to provide an efficient analytical tool for use by farmers to aid in their managerial process. This study has placed emphasis upon the development …


An Econometric Analysis Of The Cash Receipts From Crops In South Dakota, Dennis James Senger Jan 1979

An Econometric Analysis Of The Cash Receipts From Crops In South Dakota, Dennis James Senger

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

It is the intent of this research effort to fill a void left in the previous research efforts. This study will not be concerned with how farmers adjust production in response to price or government policies. The attempt will be made to adept single equation regression models to the examination of how the level of prices and supplies affect a major portion of the income farming sector receives, specifically the cash crop receipts. The specific objectives of this study are as follows: 1. To construct an economet5ric model of South Dakota crop receipts. 2. To demonstrate the model’s use as …


An Analysis Of Crop Production In South Dakota By Types Of Farming Areas, Warren Richards Bailey Jan 1936

An Analysis Of Crop Production In South Dakota By Types Of Farming Areas, Warren Richards Bailey

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Farmers choose the crops they grow for two principal users; namely, for feed production or for cash income, or for both feed and cash income. It is true that some crops are grown for cover-crops, soil building, weed competition and a multitude of other miscellaneous purposes, many of them of equal or greater importance in the individual case than the two uses of crops which are the basis for this analysis. Crop production in South Dakota has been discussed since the first records of yields were available. the usual unit for production was the legal bushel of a specified weight.


Index Numbers Of South Dakota Farm Prices, Leslie Max Brown Jan 1936

Index Numbers Of South Dakota Farm Prices, Leslie Max Brown

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

During the last generation, index numbers have gradually gone into general use among economists, statisticians, and business men. Because a farmer is a business man, it is important that he know what the trend of farm prices have been in the past and what the current trend is, so that he may anticipate changes which statistical analysis show are taking place in his particular phase of business.The Main objective of this study is to revise the existing South Dakota Farm Price Index. In order to furnish a comparable background for the presentation of these results it was found desirable (1) …


An Analysis Of The Expenditures Of South Dakota Counties From 1919 To 1935, George H. Phillips Jan 1935

An Analysis Of The Expenditures Of South Dakota Counties From 1919 To 1935, George H. Phillips

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Three important studies are involved in an investigation of the cost of a governmental unit. These are expenditures, receipts, and indebtedness. The result of the three studies, properly coordinated, will yield what is known in public finance as "net expenditures" or, if the government under scrutiny should meet with favorable financial conditions, the final study might result in "net receipts". This study will consider only that phase of the cost of government which can be arrived at through an analysis of the gross expenditures of the counties of South Dakota. The term "expenditures" as used herein will, therefore, be taken …


Reaction To Price Change By South Dakota Farmers, John Gordon Mcneely Jan 1934

Reaction To Price Change By South Dakota Farmers, John Gordon Mcneely

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

South Dakota is one of the newest of the important agricultural states. In 1900, many parts of South Dakota were still in the process of being settled. The increase in the amount of land in crops continued without interruption until the time of the World War. We then find a greater demand for farm products than ever before. Inspired by the double incentive of high prices and helping to win the war, South Dakota and United States agriculture had expanded to unprecedented levels by 1920.