Agricultural Economics Commons^™

Annual And Seasonal Price Patterns For Cattle, Kathleen Brooks

Cornhusker Economics

Annual average prices over the last 35 years for feeder steers (500-600 lb and 700-800 lb) and fed steers for Nebraska are shown in Figure 1. The U.S. cattle history has well documented 10 to 12 year cycles of rising and falling production with inverse price cycles. Historical prices within the cattle industry cycles for Nebraska can be seen from the figure with similar low prices during the bottom of the cycles in 1986 and 1996. In 1996, higher than average feed grain prices resulted in the narrowing of the spread between lighter weight and heavier weight steers. Cattle prices …

U.S. Drought Monitor, August 18, 2015, Chris Fenimore

United States Agricultural Commodities in Drought Archive

Drought map of U.S. for August 18, 2015 (8/18/15) 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.

2015-2016 Land Management, Relations, And Alternative Cash Lease Provisions Participant Manual

Extension Farm and Ranch Management News

This publication was used as the participant manual for the 2015-2016 land management and flex lease meetings held across the state of Nebraska. This effort was supported by grant funding made available from the Nebraska Soybean Board and the North Central Risk Management Education Center.

Determining A Cooperative’S Least-Cost Equity Position, Jeffrey S. Royer

Cornhusker Economics

A simple measure of interest coverage can serve as the basis for a valuable equity management and planning tool for both agricultural cooperatives and rural electric cooperatives (RECs). The timesinterest- earned ratio (TIER) can be used by a cooperative to determine the least-cost mix of debt and equity capital that satisfies a particular interest coverage requirement given the cooperative's rate of return on equity and average interest rate. Identifying the least-cost mix of debt and equity is important because if the cooperative uses too much debt in its capitalization, it may be unable to cover its interest expenses; if it …

U.S. Drought Monitor, August 11, 2015, Brian Fuchs

United States Agricultural Commodities in Drought Archive

Drought map of U.S. for August 11, 2015 (8/11/15) 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.

Evaluation Of Two Non-Destructive Methods For Estimating Biomass In A Prairie, Arnoldas Pivorius, Laura Ploughe, Jeff Dukes

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

The estimation of above ground biomass is important in managing natural resources, like assessing habitat conditions. Direct, destructive measurements by clipping, drying, and weighing plant matter is time consuming and labor intensive. It is of interest to develop non-invasive methods to complement or replace direct vegetation harvest. Two non-invasive methods were evaluated, light penetration and visual obstruction, in the Purdue Wildlife Area prairie. Light penetration in the grassland plots were measured using a Decagon light stick (LP-80), 5 cm from the ground and above the plants. Estimation of visual obstruction was done using a Robel pole, which focuses on the …

Farm Program Payments And Protection Under Arc And Plc, Bradley D. Lubben

Cornhusker Economics

Earlier this year, Nebraska crop producers and local USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) offices worked through countless meetings, visits, and analyses to make farm program enrollment decisions regarding base acreage, payment yields, and the election between Agriculture Risk Coverage at the county level (ARC-CO), Agriculture Risk Coverage at the individual level (ARC-IC), or Price Loss Coverage (PLC). The decisions involved deciphering a complex set of farm programs and related crop insurance choices and relied at least in part on producer perceptions of yield and price directions and volatility through the 2018 crop year.

U.S. Drought Monitor, August 4, 2015, Mark D. Svoboda

United States Agricultural Commodities in Drought Archive

Drought map of U.S. for August 4, 2015 (8/4/15) 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.

Utah Urban Small-Scale Mixed Vegetable Production Costs And Returns - 5 Acres, 2015, Kynda Curtis, Shawn Olsen, Katie Wagner

All Current Publications

Sample costs and returns to produce mixed vegetables under drip irrigation and sold through direct markets in the Davis, Salt Lake, and Utah County of Utah are presented in this fact sheet. It is intended to be a guide used to make production decisions,determine potential returns and prepare business and marketing plans.

Utah Urban Small-Scale Mixed Vegetable Production Costs And Returns - 2 Acres, 2015, Shawn Olsen, Kynda Curtis, Katie Wagner

All Current Publications

Sample costs and returns to produce mixed vegetables under drip irrigation and sold through direct markets in the Davis, Salt Lake, and Utah County of Utah are presented in this fact sheet. It is intended to be a guide used to make production decisions,determine potential returns and prepare business and marketing plans.

Cash Rent Increases When Is The Right Time To Give Up A Lease?, Tina Barrett

Cornhusker Economics

There has been considerable talk for many years about the increases in cash rent. This chart shows the data collected by Nebraska Farm Business, Inc. for the average cash rent paid in the prior 10 years. The average cost has doubled from $127.71 in 2005 to $258.11 in 2014 (peak of $274.74 in 2013) . The cost now accounts for 31% of the total cost of growing irrigated corn. It's no wonder that in times of narrowing margins, producers are considering ways to reduce this major expense.

U.S. Drought Monitor, July 28, 2015, Richard R. Heim Jr.

United States Agricultural Commodities in Drought Archive

Drought map of the United States for July 28, 2015 (7/28/15) 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.

Export Taxes And Their Effects On Farmers' Profitability And Risk In Argentina, Ezequiel M. Villamil

Department of Agricultural Economics: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

This main objective of this thesis is to analyze the effects of export taxes on the risk faced by farmers in different regions of Argentina in their cropping operations for wheat, sunflower, soybeans and corn. In the first chapter we introduce the variables and explain the agricultural environment in Argentina. A set of three profit function models with different export tax policies were specified in a Monte Carlo simulation template using data from 1985 to the present. A set of risk measures for the upper and lower partial moments along with the overall probability distribution statistics are used to asses …

Buy Fresh Buy Local Nebraska Connecting Farmers To Consumers For 10 Years!, Jim Crandall

Cornhusker Economics

The local food “movement” has gained strength nationwide as well as right here in Nebraska. The production and consumption of nearly table ready food has gained popularity and has an important economic impact for those farmers and businesses involved in that segment of agriculture. The past decade has seen substantial and growing interest in the promotion of local food systems throughout the United States. The increasing consumer demands for fresh local produce and other farm products are driven by the beliefs that local food production systems are more sustainable, healthy, and supportive of local economies. As a testament to rising …

U.S. Drought Monitor, July 21, 2015, David Simeral

United States Agricultural Commodities in Drought Archive

Drought map of U.S. for July 21, 2015 (7/21/15) 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.

Ripple Effect Mapping: A Tool To Document Change, Cheryl A. Burkhart-Kriesel

Cornhusker Economics

Do educational programs focused on community development produce real community change? And if so, how can you document that change? This seems to be the ultimate question for professionals working in this field. A relatively new technique, Ripple Effect Mapping (Kollock, Flage, Chazdon, Paine & Higgins, 2012), may have real potential in gleaning both intended and unintended consequences of the educational experience, a first step in long-term change.

U.S. Drought Monitor, July 14, 2015, David Simeral

United States Agricultural Commodities in Drought Archive

Drought map of U.S. for July 14, 2015 (7/14/15) 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.

Trends In Satisfaction With Jobs And Finances Observations From Nineteen Years Of The Nebraska Rural Poll, Randolph L. Cantrell

Cornhusker Economics

The Nebraska Rural Poll has been conducted every year since 1996 and has dealt with many topics of concern to Non-Metropolitan Nebraskans. While important and sometimes controversial topics such as water resources, taxation and climate change draw the interest of the media, another set of questions often go largely unnoticed by readers. Those questions, many repeated in every Poll, inquire as to the respondents' level of "satisfaction"with an array of community amenities, such as infrastructure, environment, services and leadership. Other repeated Poll questions deal with the respondents?level of satisfaction with their current personal or household situation, including such items as …

U.S. Drought Monitor, July 7, 2015, Brian Fuchs

United States Agricultural Commodities in Drought Archive

Drought map of U.S. for July 7, 2015 (7/7/15) 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.

Growing South Dakota (Summer 2015), College Of Agriculture &. Biological Sciences

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

[Page] 2 Exciting New Era Underway: New Facilities & New Degree Offerings Coming To Fruition
[Page] 5 USDA Report Touts Agriculture Among Best Fields For College Grads
[Page] 6 Critical Need: Essential Services Of ADRDL Need Support For Modernized Facility
[Page] 8 Quarterly Colloquium: State's Ag Leaders Collaborate
[Page] 9 Profiles In Leadership: Developing A Museum To Enrich And Transform Lives
[Page] 10 Productive Partnerships: Collaboration Between Producers & Researchers Guides Research Farm Efforts
[Page] 12 Coordinated Effort: SDSU's John Ball Serves Dual Role To Benefit South Dakota's Trees
[Page] 14 Progressive Perspective: Dan Oedekoven Reflects On Extension's Evolution
[Page] …

Marketing Effects On Consumer Retention And Expenditures In Central Kentucky And North Central Tennessee Floral Industry, Danielle L. Berkshire

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Florists in today’s industry are competing against mass-markets that are able to buy and sell fresh-cut flowers at low prices in bulk. Mass-markets offer little or no design or other services. Consumers find it convenient to order flowers online through wire services, paying large fees to order flowers. Order gatherers pose as local floral shops taking consumers orders online or by phone then call the local florist to fill orders. Packaged flowers became popular in the early 2000’s ordering flowers directly from the farm to the consumer. Rural and metropolitan areas of Central Kentucky and North Central Tennessee were surveyed. …

Western Australian Sheep Producer Survey 2014, Anne Jones, Mandy Curnow

Animal production and livestock published reports

This report documents the results of the 2014 Western Australian producer survey that was part of a larger national survey conducted for the Sheep Cooperative Research Centre (CRC). It is essentially a repeat of a survey conducted in 2011 (Western Australian Farmer Survey 2011, Department of Agriculture and Food, Western Australia). Where it is useful, data from these other surveys has been included for comparison.

Identifying Leadership Perceptions Of Desired Competencies Of Agricultural Sales Students And Agricultural Sales Industry Professionals, Sarah Beann Wright

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The two articles presented in this thesis used both quantitative and qualitative research methods to evaluate competencies among agricultural business students and agricultural sales professionals respectively. In the first study, students enrolled in the Fall 2014 agribusiness sales course at [State] University (n = 97), participated in a pre and post evaluation comprised of leadership assessments to determine the change in introversion and extroversion, task-oriented and relationship-oriented, and finally strength characteristics over the time period of an academic semester. Students presented to be from a variety of leadership backgrounds. Posttest results reported students being both high task (62.89%) and high …

Cost-Benefit Analysis And Potential Spillover Effects Of Farmer Field Schools In Sub-Saharan Africa: The Case Of Cocoa, Francis Tsiboe

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This thesis consists of two studies analyzing the first phase of the Cocoa Livelihood Program (CLP-I), a current World Cocoa Foundation (WCF) development project, sponsored by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and aimed at improving the livelihood of small scale cocoa producers in Sub-Saharan Africa. The first study uses a difference-in-differences econometric model to estimate yield enhancements attributable to farmer field schools which CLP implements. The results show a 32%, 34%, 50% and 62% increase in cocoa yield for Ghana, Côte d’Ivoire, Nigeria and Cameroon, respectively. These yield enhancements have the potential to increase income by 26%, 29%, 48%, …

Dzuds, Droughts, And Livestock Mortality In Mongolia, Mukund Palat Rao, Nicole K. Davi, Rosanne D. D'Arrigo, Jerry Skees, Baatarbileg Nachin, Caroline Leland, Bradfield Lyon, Shih-Yu Wang, Oyunsanaa Byambasuren

Agricultural Economics Faculty Publications

Recent incidences of mass livestock mortality, known as dzud, have called into question the sustainability of pastoral nomadic herding, the cornerstone of Mongolian culture. A total of 20 million head of livestock perished in the mortality events of 2000–2002, and 2009–2010. To mitigate the effects of such events on the lives of herders, international agencies such as the World Bank are taking increasing interest in developing tailored market-based solutions like index-insurance. Their ultimate success depends on understanding the historical context and underlying causes of mortality. In this paper we examine mortality in 21 Mongolian aimags (provinces) between 1955 and 2013 …

Economic Analysis Of Eradication And Alternative Crop Policies For Controlling Coca Supply In Colombia, Jilmar David Robledo Caicedo

Department of Agricultural Economics: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Coca leaf is the primary input in cocaine production. Colombia is among the three largest coca producers and is the world’s main supplier of cocaine. This thesis examines the interplay between the policies for controlling coca supply in Colombia: eradication (aerial spraying of coca) and a price support for alternative crops (coffee and cocoa) that compete for land allocation with coca. The study calibrates a multi-market partial equilibrium model to simulate different eradication and price support scenarios in order to assess farmers’ response to policy changes.

The results suggest that an alternative crops policy alone holds little promise to significantly …

Food Waste At Retail, Erin G. Killeen Davis

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Food waste at retail represents forgone sales and embodies store management and disposal costs. Fresh produce is the largest contributing sector to food waste at retail and bulky, seasonal products are an added challenge when stores experience a high waste event. In order to improve, retailers need to better understand the costs of food waste, as well as how management strategies can impact these costs.

Using pumpkins as an example of bulky, seasonal products, a twofold research project was conducted to better understand contributors to, and costs of food waste at the retail level. In part one, using data from …

Life Cycle Assessment Of Alternative Swine Management Practices, Prathamesh Avadhut Bandekar

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Life Cycle Assessments (LCAs) are quantitative analyses of complex systems for evaluation of impacts and risk associated with management decisions. LCAs can be effective tools for determining comparative advantages of management strategies across specific impact concern. In this study, life cycle assessments of pork production management alternatives was performed. The alternative management practices included in this study were production of entire males (boars), use of pens for gestation housing, immunocastration, production without growth promoting antimicrobials, production without growth promoting and preventive antimicrobials, and production without ractopamine. These LCAs evaluated the impact of each management strategy on greenhouse gas emission (GHG), …

The Roles Of Cost Sharing Rules And Well Sharing In Irrigation Inefficiency: A Case Study In Groundwater Pumping In Mexico, Karina A. Schoengold, Shanxia Sun, Juan Pablo Sesmero

Cornhusker Economics

Concerns about groundwater depletion in the High Plains Aquifer and other aquifers throughout the world have been well documented in the media and the scientific literature. A recent study found that groundwater use exceeds recharge in about one-third of the world's largest aquifers (Barringer, 2015). Thus, developing appropriate groundwater management policies that encourage conservation and preserve the long-run viability of aquifers is of paramount importance in many regions. However, policies and institutional arrangements in many areas may exacerbate aquifer depletion by encouraging groundwater consumption. Policies that subsidize the cost of energy inputs may increase groundwater extraction. Subsidized electricity or diesel …

U.S. Drought Monitor, June 30, 2015, Brian Fuchs

United States Agricultural Commodities in Drought Archive

Drought map of U.S. for June 30, 2015 (6/30/15) 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.