Agricultural Economics Commons^™

Characterizing The Face Value Of The "Buy Local" Movement, Kynda Curtis

All Current Publications

This fact sheet offers a few insights into the "buy local" movement, specifically the type of people who purchase specialty or differentiated food products, the rationale behind their purchases and their pricing expectations.

Structural Change Of The Western United States Alfalfa Hay Market And Its Effect On The Western United States Dairy Industry, Joseph Patrick Cann

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Alfalfa is the fourth largest commodity grown in the Western U.S., representing 20% of the crop acreage over the past twenty years. In the last five years alfalfa hay price has doubled from what it was previously, indicating a possible structural change in the market. This research project was completed to test for this structural change using econometric analysis of the important demand components of alfalfa price. In addition to this, simulations of an average Utah dairy were completed to examine which ratio of forage crops provided the highest economic return to the operation.

To analyze the structural change of …

Grand County Crop Production Costs And Returns, 2013, Michael Johnson, Kynda Curtis

All Current Publications

This fact sheet is intended to be a guide used to make production decisions, determine potential returns and prepare business and marketing plans.

Assessment Of Consumer Motivations To Attend Farmers' Markets, Their Preferences, And Their Willingness To Pay For Differentiated Fresh Produce: Three Essays, Jean Dominique Gumirakiza

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The purpose of this public abstract is to present research objectives, societal benefits, and costs associated with this dissertation. This dissertation is one the outcomes of a three-year $155,450.86 project whose number is UTA01008. Kynda Curtis, Associate Professor, Department of Applied Economics proposed the project to assess consumer demand and purchase motivations for differentiated produce across direct marketing outlets. In general, this dissertation seeks to analyze consumer primary motivations for attending farmers’ markets, their preferences, and their willingness to pay for differentiated fresh produce. To accomplish this task, we develop three essays.

Specific objectives for the first essay are to …

Nutritional And Economic Analysis Of Small-Scale Agriculture In Imbabura, Ecuador, Jake Erickson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Intervention projects in the developing world normally aim to satisfy either the nutritional needs of a group, or advancing the economic stability, but not both. One of the many issues that may arise by narrowly focusing and creating an aid program is that although a group may be fed, they are not equipped to mitigate risks that will arise after project completion and thus continue or revert back to a malnourished state. A bridge is required to join the economic and nutritional programs to create aid interventions that are sustainable past the point of donor separation.

This paper proposes the …

Water Quality Trading In The Presence Of Abatement-Cost Sharing, Arthur J. Caplan

Applied Economics Faculty Publications

This paper examines how water quality trading interacts with nonpoint-source abatement-cost sharing (e.g., as currently practiced by the National Resource Conservation Service through its Environmental Quality Incentives Program [EQIP]) to promote the participation of nonpoint sources in a water quality market, participation that has thus far been noticeably lacking nationwide. As such, an idealized version of water quality trading is envisioned, where water quality trading and nonpoint cost sharing are treated as complementary policy instruments rather than substitutes. Toward this end, the subgame-perfect equilibrium concept is used to model a “multilateral contracting” relationship between the regulatory authority and nonpoint sources …

Adjusted Gross Revenue-Lite, United State Department Of Agriculture

All Current Publications

No abstract provided.

Duchesne County Agriculture Profile, Utah State University Extension

All Current Publications

No abstract provided.

Davis County Agriculture Profile, Utah State University Extension

All Current Publications

No abstract provided.

Tooele County Agriculture Profile, Utah State University Extension

All Current Publications

No abstract provided.

Wasatch County Agriculture Profile, Utah State University Extension

All Current Publications

No abstract provided.

Washington County Agriculture Profile, Utah State University Extension

All Current Publications

No abstract provided.

Weber County Agriculture Profile, Utah State University Extension

All Current Publications

No abstract provided.

Carbon County Agriculture Profile, Utah State University Extension

All Current Publications

No abstract provided.

Economic Strategies For White-Tailed Deer And Livestock Production On Central And South Texas Ranches, Will E. Cohen

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Recently, hunting and associated recreation have become an important business for Texas landowners. Most ranchers want to realize maximum net return from their investments. This study's objectives were to develop white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) and livestock enterprise budgets and to determine optimal economic combinations and levels of deer and livestock enterprises to maximize net returns. Questionnaires were mailed to landowners in the Edwards Plateau and South Texas Plains who purchased shooting preserve licenses in 1985. Five hundred and twenty-four ranchers responded (23.4%). Respondents were segregated by enterprises (deer, cattle, sheep, and Angora and Spanish goats) and a 5% …

Effects Of Exchange Rate Changes On Sugar And Rice Trade Of The Dominican Republic, Gertrudys Brito

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The present research measures the role of exchange rate changes in explaining variations of sugar and rice trade. As background for this research, monetary, fiscal, and exchange rate policies of the Dominican Republic since 1970 are reviewed.

The theoretical framework describing the relationship between exchange rate changes and sugar and rice trade has been tested empirically using the Dominican Republic's annual data for the period of 1970-1987. Regression analyses on the import of rice and export of sugar are estimated.

The regression results conform with the expectation that exchange rate variance is most influential for rice import demand and less …

Benefit/Cost Variables And Comparative Recreation Use Patterns Of Wilderness And Non-Wilderness Areas, Kim S. Christy

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This paper examines formal wilderness designation and is presented in two parts. The first section offers a general classification and comprehensive review of the benefit and cost variables associated with wilderness designation and management. The second section investigates recreation use, which society has historically perceived to be the highest valued element in the network of wilderness benefits.

Variables associated with the benefits of wilderness designation are presented under three major categories: 1) naturalness preservation, 2) solitude or primitive and unconfined types of recreation, and 3) special features of scientific, educational, scenic, or historic value.

Costs attributed to wilderness designation are …

1987 Crop Enterprise Budgets, Selected Tillage Systems, Eastern Whitman County, Washington, Arthur J. Caplan, Herbert R. Hinman, Thomas Roy Hoffmann, Donald Mccool

Applied Economics Faculty Publications

This publication estimates 1987 costs, returns, and soil loss information for selected crops grown under alternative tillage systems in the 19- to 24-inch rainfall area (eastern region) of Whitman County, Washington (see map below). Production costs, returns, and profitability measures are calculated for winter wheat under conventional, minimum, and no-tillage schemes. The same three performance measures are calculated for dry peas, lentils, spring barley, and summer fallow-rapeseed under conventional tillage. Relative soil losses are also estimated for alternative tillage practices and crop rotations. The specific crop rotations evaluated are: (1) dry peas (CT) - winter wheat (CT); (2) dry peas …

The Effect Of Utah Population Growth On Conversion Of Agricultural Land To Residential Land, Suzanne Shoshana Dyner

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Land resources are essential to the production of many goods and services, including food, fiber, housing, and recreation. Often, these alternate uses are thought to be incompatible, and the conventional wisdom holds that in a place such as Utah, where rapid population growth is occurring near farming activities, at least some agricultural land must be converted to developed uses. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the strength of the relationship between population growth and change in farmland, especially cropland, in Utah.

Theoretically, population growth has been assumed to affect the amount of land in agricultural use. An empirical …

An Economic Analysis Of Food Policy In The Ivory Coast, Yao Prao Felix

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Ivory Coast covers an area of 124,000 square miles with reasonable rainfall for food crops production. But besides what has been called the economic "miracle," the country relies on increasing food imports (rice, wheat, meat, and milk products). At the same time, the country's earnings from the major export commodities are shrinking. So the primary objective was to identify the main causes and circumstances that have resulted in reductions in food production. The major hypothesis was that the present situation is simply the result of policies that have favored cash crops relative to good products. A formal treatment and an …

Alfalfa Production As Related To Irrigation Scheduling: An Economic Perspective, Craig L. Israelsen

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This study analyzed the economics of irrigation scheduling for alfalfa hay in the Cache Valley, Utah area. Yield, evapotranspiration (ET) and irrigation drainage loss, along with the costs and returns per acre attributable to irrigation scheduling, were simulated through the use of a computerized plant growth model. The model created yearly "irrigation schedules" for alfalfa hay based on actual climatic, soil and plant characteristic data from the Utah State University Greenville Experiment Station. The model calculated the irrigation schedules based on a soil-water balance equation which never allowed the available soil water to go below the crop stress point.

The …

Locoweed Poisoning In Cattle: An Overview Of The Economic Problems Associated With Grazing These Ranges, John E. Barnard

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Locoweed poisoning, caused by ingestion of certain species of Astragalous and Oxytropis, has had serious economic impacts through a loss of productivity in livestock. This study has attempted to evaluate losses suffered by livestockmen grazing their cattle on areas infested with locoweed species. The results indicate a serious economic impact on these individuals.

Personal interviews were carried out with five cattle ranchers faced with typical locoweed problems. These beef cattle operations were located in Utah, Wyoming, and New Mexico. All of these producers described similar problems and losses due to locoweed poisoning. Information obtained from these interviews was used …

A Linear Programming Analysis Of Several Determinants Of Profit On A Simulated Northern Utah Dairy Farm, Jay Dee Atwood

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The purpose of the study was to analyze several determinants of profit on a simulated northern Utah dairy farm. A linear programming model was developed to accomplish this. Optimal conditions on the farm were estimated and then other model applications were made to evaluate the importance of milk price, cropland ownership, and corn silage production and feeding. The significance of cow quality also was estimated.

Optimal conditions on the farm gave rates of return to capital between savings rates and loan rates obtainable at a financial institution. Marginal values derived for land did not support the current asking price of …

An Approach To Selection Of Variety And Planting Date In Corn Silage Production, Carlos A. Luna-Gonzalez

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

The major purpose of this study is to make additional information available to the farm manager to improve the decision-making process relating to corn silage production. This study is primarily concerned with factors that influence planting date and variety selection. With-in the framework of decision theory analysis, a Bayesian approach is employed to calculate the best time to plant and the best variety to plant. The approach is used both with and without the possible occurrence of harmful spring frosts. The "seventy growing degree day" method is employed as a criterion for planting date selection. The planting dates are matched …

The Economic Impact Of Potential Changes In Federal Grazing Policies On Ranchers In Wayne County, Utah, Kib Elden Jacobson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The purpose of this study was to select an area in Utah that was predominantly livestock oriented which used federal lands for livestock grazing, and to develop model ranches exemplifying the typical live-stock operation in the area. These model ranches were then used in a Budget Generator Program (BG) and a Linear Programming framework (LP) to simulate reductions of 25%, 50%, 75% and 100% reductions of BLM land usage. The results were then used to determine income changes, herd size changes, and resource usage in the models as the reductions took place.

The area chosen was Wayne County, Utah because …

An Interregional Study Of Kenya's Livestock Sector Using Linear Programming, Zakayo Joseph Mwangi

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The major purpose of this study was to determine the least-cost method of producing red meat in Kenya. Linear programming was used in the study. A simulated reduction of grazing land available in one of the settlement areas was carried out to indicate what effect this had on the overall regional production pattern of meat in the country.

Kenya was divided into eleven livestock producing and consuming regions. 1979 was used as the base year, and the demand projection was based on the 1979 population. Input and output coefficients, livestock unit requirements, and market prices were developed. A linear programming …

Location Value Of Milk, Martin K. Beutler

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Due to the growth of milk marketing areas in the Intermountain West, a study was made to determine the most advantageous allocation of producer milk to twelve selected processing demand areas and to calculate location differentials between these same markets. A theoretical determination of location differentials and of the allocation of milk supply areas to processing centers were made using supply-push and demand-pull price alignment models developed by Associated Milk Producers, Inc., for the months of November 1979 and June 1980. Grade A producer mil k from the six member cooperatives of Western Dairymen' s Cooperative, Inc., was used in …

An Economic Analysis Of Farm Flock Sheep Production In Utah, Ken Beck

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the economic aspects of farm flock sheep production in Utah. Using 1979 as a base year, costs and returns were calculated from data obtained from twenty- six Utah farms. Characteristics that typify the states· farm flock sheep production, at this writing, with regard to: 1) the farm flock producers and 2) the farm flock enterprise, were presented.

Various models were dev eloped and examined using Multiple Regression and Linear Programming analytical techniques. Multiple Regression was us ed to estimate the effects that different variables had on the profitability of the sheep enterprise. …

An Economic Analysis Of The Akkar Plain Project, E. Douglas Chard

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The purpose of this paper is to determine the economic feasibility of the Akkar Plain Agricultural Development Project. Data were collected at representative villages throughout the Akkar Plain in Syria. The data were used to establish the economic setting at the present time on the Akkar Plain and to establish a basis for determining the economic justification for the future planned developments. Methodology used was a farm budget analysis of a before development and after development situation. Internal rate of return and benefit/cost ratio were the measures used to determine economic feasibility. The paper discusses previous work completed, the development …

Job Competencies, Employment Demands, And Perceived Training Needs In Production Agriculture In Utah, James O. Summers

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This study was limited to 165 farmers involved in various segments of production agriculture in the state of Utah. County agents and vocational agriculture teachers in each county nominated these farmers as candidates according to their respective farming operations.

The following six defined areas of production agriculture were used as selection criteria to insure equal input in the study: Beef, Dairy, Swine, Sheep, Poultry, and Crops. All farmers were surveyed by means of persona l interviews conducted by either county agents or vocational agriculture instructors in their respective counties. The surveying instrument used was developed through a thorough review of …