Agricultural Economics Commons^™

Producer Willingness To Pay For Enhanced Packaging To Prevent Postharvest Decay Of Strawberries, Brian Coffey, Valentina Trinetta, Londa Nwadike, Umut Yucel

Journal of Applied Farm Economics

We surveyed specialty crop producers in Kansas and Missouri to determine producer willingness to pay for new active packaging technology that prevents postharvest loss and increases shelf life. The survey also asked demographic questions to determine the producer and operation traits for this growing segment of production agriculture. More than half of those surveyed were female, and 60% were under 50 years of age. Smaller operations tend to utilize direct marketing and social media activity more than larger operations. Parametric willingness to pay estimates are approximately $0.39 per cardboard flat to purchase the antifungal film that increases shelf life of …

Financial Implications From Contracting Avian Influenza In A U.S. Broiler Operation, Jordan M. Shockley, Tyler Mark, Kenneth H. Burdine, Levi Russell

Journal of Applied Farm Economics

This essay evaluates the on-farm financial impacts of an avian influenza outbreak on a U.S. commercial broiler operation. It investigates how the timing and length of the outbreak impacts farm financial performance for two different farmers, beginning and experienced. Results indicate that a beginning farmer is more susceptible to significant financial losses. Both farmers are financially impacted more when avian influenza is contracted early in the investment and when the contamination and eradication of the virus was prolonged. Furthermore, this essay highlights the problems of using standard financial measures for analyzing disease outbreaks under production contract arrangements and presents alternative …

On-Site And External Energy Harvesting In Underground Wireless, Usman Raza, Abdul Salam

Computer Information Technology Faculty Publications

Energy efficiency is vital for uninterrupted long-term operation of wireless underground communication nodes in the field of decision agriculture. In this paper, energy harvesting and wireless power transfer techniques are discussed with applications in underground wireless communications (UWC). Various external wireless power transfer techniques are explored. Moreover, key energy harvesting technologies are presented that utilize available energy sources in the field such as vibration, solar, and wind. In this regard, the Electromagnetic(EM)- and Magnetic Induction(MI)-based approaches are explained. Furthermore, the vibration-based energy harvesting models are reviewed as well. These energy harvesting approaches lead to design of an efficient wireless underground …

Familiarity And Use Of Veterinary Services By Us Resident Dog And Cat Owners, Courtney Bir, Mario Ortez, Nicole Olynk Widmar, Chris Wolf, Charlotte Hansen, Frederic B. Ouedraogo

Department of Agricultural Economics Faculty Publications

Pet ownership, veterinary use, and beliefs regarding veterinary care were elicited through the use of a nationally representative survey of 997 U.S. residents. Fifty-one percent of respondents have or had a dog in the past five years and 37% have or had a cat in the past five years. Over ninety percent of cat and dog owners had visited a veterinarian at any time, but only about 40% visited a veterinarian annually. With the rise of options in veterinary medicine, including low-cost options for vaccines and spay/neuter, further study and analysis of pet-owners use of veterinary care is warranted. Fifty-four …

Perceptions Of Prominent Animal Welfare And Veterinary Care Organizations In The United States, Mario Ortez, Courtney Bir, Nicole Olynk Widmar, Chris Wolf

Department of Agricultural Economics Faculty Publications

U.S. residents’ perceptions of the impact of prominent animal welfare and veterinary care organizations on pet animal well-being and health care may not be linked to the organization’s stated mission and effectiveness in advancing it, but to the level of recognition people have for the groups. An online survey of 1000 U.S. residents was used to understand the perceived impact of organizations with self-stated dedication to pet animal well-being. Using a Likert-scale, respondents ranked 13 prominent organizations as having a low to high impact on pet animal well-being and health care. The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to …

Short-Run Net Returns To A Cereal Rye Cover Crop Mix In A Midwest Corn–Soybean Rotation, Nathan Thompson, Shalamar Armstrong, Richard T. Roth, Michael D. Ruffatti, Carson Reeling

Department of Agricultural Economics Faculty Publications

Unsubstantiated economic returns are a major contributor to producers’ reluctance to adopt cover crops. The objective of this study is to evaluate the direct short-run net returns to the producer of implementing a predominantly cereal rye (Secale cereal L.) cover crop mix into a Midwest corn (Zea mays L.)–soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] rotation. Experimental agronomic data from field experiments in Lexington, IL, are used to calibrate economic simulations of the costs and benefits of cover crop adoption. Results indicate that net returns to cover crops, including current cost-share payments, were routinely negative. Returns to the soybean …

“Cracking” Into The Debate About Laying Hen Housing, Courtney Bir, N. M. Thompsen, Wallace Tyner, J. Hu, Nicole Olynk Widmar

Department of Agricultural Economics Faculty Publications

Livestock production systems have faced social pressures related to animal welfare; the laying hen industry also has faced changes in governing regulations/policies. This study employs experimental data to evaluate 3 confinement-housing systems: standard cages with no perches, cages with standard perches, and cages with cooled perches. Based on the cost-benefit analysis conducted of revenue less feed costs, operators are expected to have revenue, after covering feed costs, which could contribute to installation and maintenance of standard and/or cooled perches. Thus, egg producers may be able to use caged housing that incorporates perches profitably, depending on the final costs of such …

The Effect Of Chronic Wasting Disease On Resident Deer Hunting Permit Demand In Wisconsin, Dane Erickson, Carson Reeling, John G. Lee

Department of Agricultural Economics Faculty Publications

Chronic wasting disease (CWD) has had a negative impact on deer license demand in Wisconsin since it was first found in the state in 2002. Prior work evaluates the effect of CWD on hunting permit sales, but only in the period immediately after the disease was discovered. We use data on hunting permit sales, permit price, and other demand shifters to estimate a model of deer permit demand for the period 1966–2015. We use the estimated model to quantify the effect of CWD on (1) hunter demand for deer permits; (2) hunter surplus from hunting; and (3) lost hunting permit …

Impact Of Pesticide Regulation On Innovation In The United States And European Union, Brooke D. Schafer

The Journal of Purdue Undergraduate Research

No abstract provided.

Subsurface Mimo: A Beamforming Design In Internet Of Underground Things For Digital Agriculture Applications, Abdul Salam

Computer Information Technology Faculty Publications

In underground (UG) multiple-input and multiple-output (MIMO), the transmit beamforming is used to focus energy in the desired direction. There are three different paths in the underground soil medium through which the waves propagates to reach at the receiver. When the UG receiver receives a desired data stream only from the desired path, then the UG MIMO channel becomes three path (lateral, direct, and reflected) interference channel. Accordingly, the capacity region of the UG MIMO three path interference channel and degrees of freedom (multiplexing gain of this MIMO channel requires careful modeling). Therefore, expressions are required for the degree of …

Willingness To Pay Of Nigerian Poultry Producers And Feed Millers For Aflatoxin-Safe Maize, Andrew M. Johnson, Tahirou Abdoulaye, Bamikole Ayedun, Joan R. Fulton, Nicole Olynk Widmar, Akande Adebowale, Ranajit Bandyopadhyay, Victor Manyong

Department of Agricultural Economics Faculty Publications

Dietary aflatoxin exposure is a widespread problem in the developing world and causes severe negative health consequences to humans and livestock animals. A new biological control product, called Aflasafe, has been introduced in Nigeria to mitigate aflatoxin contamination of maize in the field and in storage. No known prior work has estimated how much African agribusinesses using maize for animal feed will pay for aflatoxin-safe maize. This study measured the levels of Aflasafe awareness, surveyed current aflatoxin management practices, and estimated, using choice experiments, willingness to pay (WTP) for aflatoxin-safe maize by Nigerian poultry producers and feed millers. Data was …

Assessment Of Household Food Security In Fish Farming Communities In Ghana, Akua S. Akuffo, Kwamena Quagrainie

Department of Agricultural Economics Faculty Publications

The Government of Ghana and international NGOs have been encouraging the adoption of fish farming to alleviate poverty and food insecurity through training workshops, financial contributions and creation of a fisheries ministry. Nevertheless, there is no study on how these efforts have influenced the household’s welfare, particularly their nutritional quality. Based on this, our objective is to identify the ways through which fish farming impacts the household’s nutritional quality. We hypothesize that engaging in fish farming will increase steady income flow and access to fish for the household’s direct consumption. We adopted the Propensity Score Matching (PSM) approach in a …

Improving Access To Clean Water Through Service Learning, Rachel E. Gehr, Tolu Odimayomi, Carolina Tornesi Mackinnon

Engagement & Service-Learning Summit

No abstract provided.

A Theoretical Model Of Underground Dipole Antennas For Communications In Internet Of Underground Things, Abdul Salam, Mehmet C. Vuran, Xin Dong, Christos Argyropoulos, Suat Irmak

Computer Information Technology Faculty Publications

The realization of Internet of Underground Things (IOUT) relies on the establishment of reliable communication links, where the antenna becomes a major design component due to the significant impacts of soil. In this paper, a theoretical model is developed to capture the impacts of change of soil moisture on the return loss, resonant frequency, and bandwidth of a buried dipole antenna. Experiments are conducted in silty clay loam, sandy, and silt loam soil, to characterize the effects of soil, in an indoor testbed and field testbeds. It is shown that at subsurface burial depths (0.1-0.4m), change in soil moisture impacts …

Determinants Of Catch Sales In Ghanaian Artisanal Fisheries, Kwamena Quagrainie, Jingjie Chu

Department of Agricultural Economics Faculty Publications

The study examined the determinants of catch sales of artisanal fishers through wealthy middle women in fishing communities of Ghana, often known as fish mothers or “fish mongers”. The effects of selected variables were examined with a double hurdle model. Self-financing was found to negatively affect the fishers’ sale of fish catch through fish mothers. The fishers were 19% less likely to sell to fish mothers if they self-finance, and that self-financing will result in a 10% downward unconditional change on the percentage of fish sold to the fish mothers. Factors that positively influenced the sale of fish catch through …

Profitability Of Developing Beef Heifers On Stockpiled Winter Forages, Zachary David Mcfarlane, Chris Boyer, J. Travis Mulliniks

Journal of Applied Farm Economics

We estimate the profitability of developing heifers on one stockpiled cool-season grass and two stockpiled warm-season grasses during the winter months by comparing distributions of net present value (NPV) over an 11-year useful life. Furthermore, distributions of payback period and the break-even price for each calf over the heifer’s production life were generated for each forage species. These results are compared across forages as well as to a simulated drylot system for heifer development. Data comes from a grazing experiment in Tennessee, where heifers grazed big bluestem and Indian grass combination (BBIG), switchgrass (SW), or endophyte-infected tall fescue (TF) pastures. …

Consumer Perceptions Of Egg-Laying Hen Housing Systems, Daniel S. Ochs, Christopher A. Wolf, Nicole Olynk Widmar, Courtney Bir

Department of Agricultural Economics Faculty Publications

The egg industry has transitioned, or is in the process of transitioning, from conventional cages to alternative hen housing systems in response to legal changes in many states across the United States (US). However, consumers find it is increasingly difficult to understand the details behind those labels and specific attributes conveyed. There are multiple hen housing options with a wide range of costs and impacts on hens, workers, and the environment. This research furthers the understanding of US public perceptions and attitudes related to hen housing systems and corresponding animal welfare, worker, economic, and environmental effects. Results reveal that the …

Exploring Social Desirability Bias In Perceptions Of Dog Adoption: All’S Well That Ends Well? Or Does The Method Of Adoption Matter?, Courtney Bir, Nicole Olynk Widmar, Candace Croney

Department of Agricultural Economics Faculty Publications

Dogs are a popular companion animal in the United States; however, dog acquisition is often a contentious subject. Adoption is often cited as an ethical and popular method of acquisition but interpretation of the term ‘adoption’ may vary. In a nationally representative survey of the U.S., 767 respondents were asked questions regarding their opinions of dog acquisition and adoption. Within the sample, 45% had a dog; of those, 40% had adopted a dog, and 47% visited a veterinarian once a year. A best-worst choice experiment, where respondents were asked to choose the most ethical and least ethical method of acquiring …

Self-Reported Healthcare Provider Utilization Across United States Midwestern Households, S. R. Dominick, Nicole Olynk Widmar, Laura E. D'Acunto, Lalatendu Acharya

Department of Agricultural Economics Faculty Publications

Understanding the relationships between health care provider usage and demographics of patients is necessary for the development of educational materials, outreach information, and programs targeting individuals who may benefit from services. This analysis identified relationships between health care provider usage and individual's demographics. A sample of Midwestern U.S. respondents (n = 1265) was obtained through the use of an online survey distributed February 12–26, 2016 and was targeted to be representative of the population of the Midwestern states sampled in terms of sex, age, income, and state of residence. Specific factors identified as significant in contributing to provider usage …

Conditional Cash Transfers For Primary Education: Which Children Are Left Out?, Jonathan Bauchet, Eduardo A. Undurraga, Victoria Reyes-García, Jere R. Behrman, Ricardo A. Godoy

Department of Agricultural Economics Faculty Publications

Conditional cash transfer (CCT) programs to increase primary-school enrollment and attendance among low-income households have been shown to benefit children and households, but to date little is known about who joins such programs. We test three hypotheses about predictors of CCT program participation in indigenous societies in Bolivia, focusing on attributes of the household (ethnicity), parents (modern human capital), and children (age, sex). We model whether children receive a transfer from Bolivia’s CCT program (Bono Juancito Pinto), using data from 811 school-age children and nine ethnic groups. Children from the group least exposed to Westerners (Tsimane’) are 18–22 …

Impact Of Automated Guidance For Mechanical Control Of Herbicide-Resistant Weeds In Corn, Terry Griffin, James M. Lowenberg-Deboer

Journal of Applied Farm Economics

This study evaluated the feasibility of reintroducing mechanical weed control as an alternative for herbicide-resistance weed infestations. The production practice tested included row cultivation with a separate banded spray application using high-accuracy automated guidance systems. A range of ground speeds were tested for the row cultivation operation, each with a different per acre cost and timeliness penalty. A typical eastern Corn Belt farm with a rotation of corn and soybean served as the base for the linear programming model. It was found that if the farmer was willing to reintroduce tillage, row cultivation conducted at higher operating speeds in conjunction …

Do Profitable Farms Remain Profitable? Transition Probabilities Using Markov Switching Models Applied To Kansas Farm Data, Jayce S. Stabel, Terry Griffin, Greg Ibendahl

Journal of Applied Farm Economics

Financial vulnerability has been observed across agricultural production regions; however, uncertainty regarding farms’ persistence within specific profitability categories exists. This study compared farm characteristics that persist in most and least profitable categories and then evaluated the probability that farms transitioned among profitability categories. Using 425 Kansas Farm Management Association (KFMA) farms that were present for the 20-year period 1994–2013, the persistence of remaining or transitioning to another profitability category was tested. Specifically, Markov transition probabilities were estimated for Kansas and the six regional KFMA regions. Comparisons of farms that persist in the highest and lowest profitability categories revealed no dramatic …

Application Of The Adjusted Weak Axiom Of Profit Maximization To New Zealand Dairy Farming, Anne E. Dooley, Nicola M. Shadbolt, Koohyar Khatami, Loren W. Tauer

Journal of Applied Farm Economics

The weak axiom of profit maximization is a nonparametric, empirical approach that has been used in the United States to analyze dairy farmers’ production and profit behavior under input and output price changes to determine whether farmers effectively respond to these changes. The expectation is that profit calculated using the current year’s input and output combination will be greater than that calculated from the previous year’s combination with current prices more often than due to chance. This approach was replicated using New Zealand dairy farm data (1,785 pairs of records over five years). Current year’s profits were significantly greater in …

Succession Planning And Perceived Obstacles And Attractions For Future Generations Entering Beef Cattle Production, Lee L. Schulz, Georgeanne M. Artz, Patrick J. Gunn

Journal of Applied Farm Economics

This study provides valuable insights into cow-calf producer and feedlot operator succession plans for transferring cattle operations upon exiting the industry. Across both cow-calf producers and feedlot operators, about 50% expect to be raising cattle for 10 more years or less; however, about 39% of these producers do not have a succession plan in place. Cow-calf producers view a rural lifestyle, self-employment, working with livestock, and working with family as the biggest attractions to future generations entering beef cattle production. Cow-calf producers view environmental regulations, land tax policy, and expansion of corn and soybean acres as the biggest obstacles. Feedlot …

The Influence Of Health Concern On Travel Plans With Focus On The Zika Virus In 2016, Nicole Olynk Widmar, S. R. Dominick, Audrey Ruple, Wallace Tyner

Department of Agricultural Economics Faculty Publications

Tourists consider many factors, including health, when choosing travel destinations. The potential for exposure to novel or foreign diseases alone can deter travelers from selecting high-risk locations for disease transmission. The 2015–2016 Zika Virus (ZIKV) outbreak in the Americas and Caribbean prompted the World Health Organization (WHO) to declare a Public Health Emergency of International Concern. This study investigated factors that may contribute to travel avoidance to areas experiencing ZIKV transmission while also considering different levels of health concern and awareness among groups with varying demographics. An online survey was administered February 10–12, 2016 to a sample of U.S. residents …

Measuring The Effect Of Cold Storage, Captive Supply, And Concentration On The Marketing Margin In The U.S. Pork Industry, Yuhang Liu

Open Access Theses

This study investigates the implication of key decision variables at the control of processing firms in a concentrated industry. Succinctly, the decisions examined affect the firm's ability to buffer short run supply and demand fluctuations through storage and access to an alternative source of specialized inputs essential to production. What makes them different in the context of this research is a focus on high-throughput processing plants where capacity utilization can result in cost efficiencies and a high degree of market concentration where adjustments in quantity demanded of the specialized input can affect its price and where adjustments in the quantity …

Subsidies, Aquaculture Technology Adoption, And Welfare Impacts In Ghana And Kenya, Akuffo Amankwah

Open Access Dissertations

This dissertation empirically examines subsidies, aquaculture technology adoption, and welfare implications of fish farming households in Ghana and Kenya. It is divided into three separate chapters, each addressing a specific empirical issue related to aquaculture in the countries.

The second chapter of this dissertation applies the lognormal double hurdle model to a cross-section of fish farms to analyze commercial demand for improved feed, and whether the government feed subsidy program influences private demand for the feed. The results indicate that households’ decisions to participate in improved feed market are affected by the quantity of the subsidized feed received. Once the …

A Unique Perspective On The Demand For Livestock Product Attributes, Elizabeth S. Byrd

Open Access Dissertations

Consumers are increasingly concerned about the social and environmental impacts of the foods they purchase. Both choice experiments and best-worst scaling (BWS) methodology have been used to elicit consumer willingness to pay (WTP) for food attributes and the relative importance of food attributes to consumers. The dissertation consists of four essays. Chapter 2 presents a formal law review article exploring the laws associated with wild game harvest, consumption, and inspections. The remaining three essays (Chapters 3-5) each address an extension or application of choice experiment and/or BWS methodology focused on credence attributes of meat products. Two online surveys were used …

The Role Of African Leafy Vegetables In Food Security, Marcia M. Croft

Open Access Dissertations

African leafy vegetables (ALVs) are a diverse set of crops grown across sub-Saharan Africa. They have been a staple of traditional diets and contain many critical micronutrients but their importance has been largely ignored by researchers and policymakers at the expense of imported crops. Availability, accessibility, and utilization of ALVs are limited by factors across the supply chain. This research investigated seed systems, drought tolerance, hydroponic production, market barriers, consumer preference, and the impact of gender as related to ALVs. We found that ALVs play an important role in food security and that critical differences exist between formal and informal …

Essays On Malawian Agriculture: Micro-Level Welfare Impacts Of Agricultural Productivity; Profitability Of Fertilizer Use; And Targeting Of Fertilizer Subsidy Programs, Francis Addeah Darko

Open Access Dissertations

This dissertation comprises of three essays that address different aspects of agriculture in Malawi using a two-wave panel data collected by the National Statistical Office of Malawi with support from the World Bank Living Standards Measurement Study – Integrated Surveys on Agriculture (LSMS-ISA) program. Each essay stands alone as an independent study because of differences in research questions and the methodologies used in addressing the questions.

The first essay analyzes the micro-level welfare impacts of agricultural productivity. Welfare is measured by various dimensions of poverty and food insecurity; and agricultural productivity is measured by maize yield and value of crop …