Agricultural Economics Commons^™

Two Essays On Large Agricultural Producer Buying Behaviors, Jacqueline K. Holland

Open Access Theses

The trend of consolidation of large farms into high volume operations has continued over the past 30 years. Large farm management is a juggling act of a variety of biological processes, financial management, technology adaptation, and human resource development activities. This research looks to provide insights into the underlying management psychology of those large farmers to serve not only as a benchmark for other producers, but to provide customer information to agribusinesses so these firms can strengthen their relationships with their large farmer customers. The first part of this analysis will use Best-Worst modeling to examine five predetermined success factors …

Where Can Edible Non-Timber Forest Products Be Sold?

Working Trees (USDA-NAC)

Where can edible non-timber forest products be sold?

Increasingly, forest landowners are looking to non-timber forest products (NTFPs) as opportunities to create additional income from their woodlands. Harvesting NTFPs is can be appealing to landowners who are not interested in harvesting trees or landowners who want to grow a product that generates income in a shorter time-frame than timber harvesting. While there are a variety of types of non-timber forest products including medicinal plants, woody florals, and craft products, this info sheet focuses on forest-based food products, like mushrooms and berries.

Determining The Effectiveness Of Optimal Time-Varying Hedge Ratios For Cattle Feeders Under Multiproduct And Single Commodity Settings, Hernan A. Tejeda, Dillon M. Feuz

Applied Economics Faculty Publications

The purpose of this paper is to determine and contrast the risk mitigating effectiveness from optimal multiproduct time-varying hedge ratios, applied to the margin of a cattle feedlot operation, over single commodity time-varying and naive hedge ratios. Design/methodology/approach – A parsimonious regime-switching dynamic correlations (RSDC) model is estimated in two-stages, where the dynamic correlations among prices of numerous commodities vary proportionally between two different regimes/levels. This property simplifies estimation methods for a large number of parameters involved. Findings – There is significant evidence that resulting simultaneous correlations among the prices (spot and futures) for each commodity attain different levels along …

U.S. Drought Monitor, July 1, 2014, Anthony Artusa

United States Agricultural Commodities in Drought Archive

Drought map of U.S. for July 1, 2014 (7/1/14) plus: U.S. crop areas experiencing drought (map), Approximate percentage of crop located in drought, by state (bar graph), Percent of crop area located in drought, past 52 weeks (line graph) for: Corn, Soybeans, Hay, Cattle, Winter wheat.

An Analysis Of Marketing Margins In The Us Beef Industry, John A. Tobin

Open Access Theses

The US beef industry has undergone significant structural changes in the last 30 years at the wholesale and retail levels. Meanwhile producer prices have failed to keep pace with increases in the price of beef received by wholesalers and retailers, resulting in concerns being raised about market power being exercised in the beef industry by stakeholders. ^ This study uses marketing margins to determine what factors affect margins, test for differences among different procurement methods of purchasing cattle, and test for differences among different cuts of beef. This paper extends previous research providing more detail regarding the factors that may …

Field To Flight: A Techno-Economic Analysis Of Stover To Aviation Biofuels Supply Chain, Amanda C. Bittner

Open Access Theses

Greenhouse gas emissions have been a growing concern. The transportation sector contributes to one-third of GHG emissions in the United States from fossil fuel burning. The Renewable Fuel Standard set a requirement for 16 billion gallons (ethanol equivalent) of cellulosic biofuels to be used in the market. Aviation biofuels can help to meet both of these problems as well as improve U.S. energy security.

Investment in the biofuel industry carries a lot of risk. The biofuel industry is run by the private sector, but can be incentivized by government. Cellulosic biofuels carry even more risk than first generation biofuels, because …

Price Impacts Of Increased Peruvian Table Grape Supply, Jacob W. Iest

Open Access Theses

In the last decade, Peru has begun to structure its economy and complete infrastructure projects to promote agricultural export growth. Bolstered by the signing of the Peru Trade Promotion Agreement (PTPA) with the U.S., table grape production has increased significantly since 2006. Peru has a climatic advantage for a quality harvest from November to March, which overlaps the end of the U.S. growing season. With this supply increase expected to continue, U.S. producers and marketers question the effect Peru will have on "late-season" table grape prices in North America.

This thesis is a study of the effects of an increase …

Essays On Productivity Growth In Agriculture, Uris Lantz Caldo Baldos

Open Access Dissertations

This dissertation aims to explore the current trends in agricultural productivity and analyse its impact on the global farm and food system. Chapter 2 in this dissertation looks at the current trends in agricultural productivity in India—one most of the populous country in the world. In this chapter, productivity trends in Indian agriculture are examined by looking at changes in Total Factor Productivity—a measure which takes into account all farm outputs and inputs. Estimates in this chapter suggest that TFP growth for the 10-year period—between 1999-2000 and 2009-2010—steadily grew at the national level. Looking at the 5-year estimates, TFP growth …

The Ecological Impact Of Casitas On Caribbean Spiny Lobster (Panulirus Argus) Populations In The Florida Keys, Fl, (Usa), Benjamin C. Gutzler

Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations

Casitas are artificial structures placed on the seabed by fishermen to aggregate Caribbean spiny lobsters (Panulirus argus) for ease of capture. Some researchers suggest that they may also enhance lobster populations in shelter-limited environments. Conversely, aggregation of lobsters within casitas may be detrimental to the population if the nutritional condition or mortality of lobsters is poorer in casitas than in natural shelters. Small juvenile lobsters may be at particular risk because their foraging range is smaller and they are more readily preyed upon than larger lobsters. If so, then casitas placed in lobster nurseries may function as "ecological traps"; wherein …

Growing South Dakota (Summer 2014), College Of Agriculture &. Biological Sciences

Growing South Dakota (Publication of the College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences)

[Page] 2 Extending Knowledge, Changing Lives: SDSU Extension Marks 100-Year Milestone
[Page] 5 Preparing for SDSU Extension’s Future
[Page] 5 SDSU College of Agriculture & Biological Sciences Administrative Team [Page] 6 Summer College News
[Page] 7 Profiles In Leadership: Joseph Cassady; Local Leadership Important For Ag’s Future
[Page] 8 Advancing Agriculture: SDSU Precision Ag Program Evolves, Expands [Page] 9 On The Front Line: ADRDL Leads Important Effort For Animal Health Diagnostics
[Page] 10 4-H Philanthropy: Supporters Continue Campaign For New 4-H Exhibit Hall [Page] 11 Growing Global Citizens: AgBio Courses Offer International Learning Opportunities
[Page] 12 Guidance For Gardeners: Several …

U.S. Drought Monitor, June 24, 2014, Eric Luebehusen

United States Agricultural Commodities in Drought Archive

Drought map of U.S. for June 24, 2014 (6/24/14) plus: U.S. crop areas experiencing drought (map), Approximate percentage of crop located in drought, by state (bar graph), Percent of crop area located in drought, past 52 weeks (line graph) for: Corn, Soybeans, Hay, Cattle, Winter wheat.

U.S. Drought Monitor, June 17, 2014, Eric Luebehusen

United States Agricultural Commodities in Drought Archive

Drought map of U.S. for June 17, 2014 (6/17/14) plus: U.S. crop areas experiencing drought (map), Approximate percentage of crop located in drought, by state (bar graph), Percent of crop area located in drought, past 52 weeks (line graph) for: Corn, Soybeans, Hay, Cattle, Winter wheat.

U.S. Drought Monitor, June 10, 2014, Matthew Rosencrans

United States Agricultural Commodities in Drought Archive

Drought map of U.S. for June 10, 2014 (6/10/14) plus: U.S. crop areas experiencing drought (map), Approximate percentage of crop located in drought, by state (bar graph), Percent of crop area located in drought, past 52 weeks (line graph) for: Corn, Soybeans, Hay, Cattle, Winter wheat.

U.S. Drought Monitor, June 3, 2014, Richard Tinker

United States Agricultural Commodities in Drought Archive

Drought map of U.S. for June 3, 2014 (6/3/14) plus: U.S. crop areas experiencing drought (map), Approximate percentage of crop located in drought, by state (bar graph), Percent of crop area located in drought, past 52 weeks (line graph) for: Corn, Soybeans, Hay, Cattle, Winter wheat.

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.

Bee Colony Startup And Cost Analysis, Marisela Herrera

BioResource and Agricultural Engineering

The increase in demand for European Honey bee pollination along with colony collapse disorder has caused bee pollination rental fees to greatly increase. This project intended to determine how effective and economically feasible it would be for almond growers to begin raising their own hives for pollination. It was determined the biggest challenges were organizing and finding employees who were knowledgeable about bee keeping. When looking at the cost it was clear that even with the current cost per hive the startup costs were still less than the total rental fees for a single pollination season.

Once the hives have …

U.S. Drought Monitor, May 27, 2014, Michael J. Brewer

United States Agricultural Commodities in Drought Archive

Drought map of U.S. for May 27, 2014 (5/27/14) plus: U.S. crop areas experiencing drought (map), Approximate percentage of crop located in drought, by state (bar graph), Percent of crop area located in drought, past 52 weeks (line graph) for: Corn, Soybeans, Hay, Cattle, Winter wheat.

U.S. Drought Monitor, May 20, 2014, Michael J. Brewer

United States Agricultural Commodities in Drought Archive

Drought map of U.S. for May 20, 2014 (5/20/14) plus: U.S. crop areas experiencing drought (map), Approximate percentage of crop located in drought, by state (bar graph), Percent of crop area located in drought, past 52 weeks (line graph) for: Corn, Soybeans, Hay, Cattle, Winter wheat.

Urban Farm And Community Garden Hybrid Models: A Case Study Of The Huerta Del Valle Community Garden, Leah Hochberg

Scripps Senior Theses

This study examines models of community gardens and urban farms and determined a successful hybrid model for future implementation at the Huerta del Valle Community Garden. This was accomplished through analyzing the unique benefits and drawbacks of community gardens and urban farms as defined by the author, and then determining the components of each model that would maximize Huerta del Valle’s social and economic potential. Community gardens are defined in this thesis as places where community members can grow their own food in individual plots, and these spaces often contribute to community building, hands-on gardening education, and improved food access. …

U.S. Drought Monitor, May 13, 2014, Mark D. Svoboda

United States Agricultural Commodities in Drought Archive

Drought map of U.S. for May 13, 2014 (5/13/14) plus: U.S. crop areas experiencing drought (map), Approximate percentage of crop located in drought, by state (bar graph), Percent of crop area located in drought, past 52 weeks (line graph) for: Corn, Soybeans, Hay, Cattle, Winter wheat.

U.S. Drought Monitor, May 6, 2014, Mark D. Svoboda

United States Agricultural Commodities in Drought Archive

Drought map of U.S. for May 6, 2014 (5/6/14) plus: U.S. crop areas experiencing drought (map), Approximate percentage of crop located in drought, by state (bar graph), Percent of crop area located in drought, past 52 weeks (line graph) for: Corn, Soybeans, Hay, Cattle, Winter wheat.

Economic Contribution Of Agriculture And Food To Arkansas' Gross Domestic Product 1997-2011, Jacob Manlove, Leah English, Jennie Popp, Wayne Miller

AAES Research Reports and Research Bulletins

Agricultural production, processing, and retail industries are major contributors to the Arkansas economy in terms of GDP. Agriculture contributes to the economy through direct agricultural production, value-added processing, and agricultural retail activities, and it also plays an important role through its interactions with other sectors. The use of non-agricultural goods and services as inputs into the agricultural sector promotes diversified growth in Arkansas’ economy; thus agriculture remains a vital part of Arkansas’ economy. Part 1 of the report compares the relative size of the Agriculture and Food Sector in Arkansas with those of neighboring states, the Southeastern region of the …

An Examination Of The Feasiblity Of A Food Hub For The Pee Dee Region, Emily Purcell

All Theses

Horry County, the home of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, attracts a large level of spending by visitors who are helping to fuel growing demand for locally produced food. Regional growers are interested in meeting this demand but are limited by retail requirements with respect to lot size, timing, and quality (including food safety aspects such as Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) certification). A number of communities have turned to food hubs as a means of aggregating production by local growers and providing appropriate marketing functions, such as storage and meeting standards. Hence, food hubs can fill a gap between producers and …

A Content And Visual Analysis Of Promotional Pieces Used To Promote The Arkansas Soybean Promotion Board, Amy Hughes

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

A communications campaign was developed for a commodity promotion board in the southern region of the United States with promotional pieces produced and disseminated by a third-party communications group to reach the general public, soybean producers, and animal agriculture producers target audiences through key themes and messages. A systematic, content-driven approach assessed the potential impact on perceptions of individuals. This study utilized a content and visual analysis based on semiotic theory to analyze creative pieces and focus groups to assess content quality and impact.

Many of the creative pieces displayed too many themes, and the themes did not accurately represent …

Spreading The Char: The Importance Of Local Compatibility In The Diffusion Of Biochar Systems To The Smallholder Agriculture Community Context, Laura C. V. Munoz

Pomona Senior Theses

This thesis enters the context of smallholder agriculture communities in the developing world. It explores the potentials of biochar and what biochar systems could bring to the smallholder communities while simultaneously bringing environmental benefits. It then acknowledges the challenges of diffusion –the spreading of an unfamiliar innovation. It seeks to answer the question of what will make diffusion of biochar systems more successful in the smallholder context, fixating on the characteristic of compatibility as well as the role local community members can play in making a new biochar system more visible to the rest of the communities.

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 …

U.S. Drought Monitor, April 29, 2014, Richard R. Heim Jr.

United States Agricultural Commodities in Drought Archive

Drought map of the United States for April 29, 2014 (4/29/14) plus: United States crop areas experiencing drought (map), an approximate percentage of crop located in drought by state (bar graph), and the percentage of crop area located in drought during the past 52 weeks (line graph) for corn, soybeans, hay, cattle, and winter wheat.

U.S. Drought Monitor, April 22, 2014, Richard R. Heim Jr.

United States Agricultural Commodities in Drought Archive

Drought map of the United States for April 22, 2014 (4/22/14) plus: United States crop areas experiencing drought (map), an approximate percentage of crop located in drought by state (bar graph), and the percentage of crop area located in drought during the past 52 weeks (line graph) for corn, soybeans, hay, cattle, and winter wheat.

Alabama's Women In Agriculture: The Road To Gaps Harmonization And Global Addendum - Tuskegee's Walmart Initiative, Gertrude D. Wall, Walter A. Hill, Barrett Vaughan, Barbara Shipman, Assata Maat, Rose Hill, Shirley Tyson

Professional Agricultural Workers Journal

This paper shares challenges faced and overcome by four African American women on their 2013 journey to secure USDA’s Produce Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs) Harmonized Food Safety Standards with the Global Addendum (Global Markets Primary Production Assessments: GMPPA). Collaboration, consistent training, and technical support from the Tuskegee University Extension and Research staff, and the Small Farmers Agricultural Cooperative undergirded the preparation of the farms for GAPs Certification. The timely sharing of staff expertise and experience from commercial partners (Walmart, Purivida, C.H. Robinson, W.P. Rawls), and support from the USDA (Strike Force Initiative) were important contributors to the positive outcomes described. …

A Case Study Analysis Of A Regional Food System: The Sustainable Agriculture Consortium For Historically Disadvantaged Farmers Program, Tasha M. Hargrove, Walter A. Hill, John Brown, Miles Robinson, Iris Cole-Crosby, Elizabeth Myles, Billy Lawton, Karla Martin

Professional Agricultural Workers Journal

The Sustainable Agriculture Consortium for Historically Disadvantaged Farmers Program (SACH) was designed to carry out an experiment by five 1890 Land-Grant Universities in partnership with five farmer based cooperatives in five states to assess marketing fruits and vegetables to Walmart from a regional perspective. Using the Consortium as a case study, this study assessed the Consortium within the framework of implementation evaluation; data were collected using semi-structured interviews and document analysis. The study answered questions such as, what did the Consortium do, and what were some of the accomplishments of the Consortium? The farmers were able to: negotiate price points; …