Agricultural Economics Commons^™

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 …

2019 Nebraska Property Tax School Funding Issues, J. David Aiken

Cornhusker Economics

Nebraska agricultural property taxes are among the highest in the United States. Over the last three years, Nebraska farmers and ranchers have paid nearly 31 percent of their net farm income as property taxes (47 percent in 2017). When state and federal taxes are factored in, this represents an effective tax rate of more than 50 percent (over 60 percent in 2017). While no one particularly enjoys paying property taxes (or any other tax), property taxes are especially burdensome for Nebraska farmers and ranchers.

The proposed 2020 constitutional amendment to provide property tax relief would require dramatic state spending cuts, …

Three Key Factors To Balance When Choosing A Calving Season Based On Profitability, Matthew Stockton, Devin Broadhead

Cornhusker Economics

Cow producers base major decisions such as calving season on expected economic outcomes which include productivity, input costs, personal capability, individual preferences, markets, and so on. Calving systems are generally categorized into three seasons, spring, summer and fall. Many producers select the spring calving season to maximize the weaned calf weight at the end of the summer grass season. Unfortunately this increases feeding costs since extra nutrition is needed in the spring, prior to pastures being opened. Also due to the widespread adoption of this early spring calving, the mass marketing in late fall often results in depressed calf prices …

Negotiating Cash Rent: What It Takes To Negotiate Like A Pro, Austin Duerfeldt

Cornhusker Economics

The number one question I receive is about cash rent prices. Many landlords and tenants are working to find an equitable arrangement before February 28, 2019. Given the constraints on both sides, real estate taxes and the farm economy finding that arrangement is difficult. Becoming creative in how you analyze and value different cash rent options is necessary. Before sitting down face to face, here are some suggestions and preparations I recommend that can help maximize success.

Per-Ingredient Calorie Information Reduces Calories Ordered More In A Food-Away-From-Home Setting Than Information Provided Per, Christopher Gustafson, Eliana Zeballos

Cornhusker Economics

Obesity rates in the United States have risen dramatically over the past five decades, reaching what many public health officials have referred to as epidemic proportions. A common policy response to this obesity epidemic—which is often attributed to overconsumption of highly caloric, unhealthy foods—has been to increase consumers’ access to nutrition information to help them to make healthier choices. Recently, the increasing frequency of food consumption at restaurants led to the development of nutrition labeling requirements for restaurants with 20 or more locations. The rule, requiring food retailers to post calorie amounts and to make available information about other nutrients …

An Economic Feasibility Assessment Of Autonomous Field Machinery In Grain Crop Production, Jordan Murphy Shockley, Carl R. Dillon, Scott A. Shearer

Agricultural Economics Faculty Publications

A multi-faceted whole farm planning model is developed to compare conventional and autonomous machinery for grain crop production under various benefit, farm size, suitable field day risk aversion, and grain price scenarios. Results suggest that autonomous machinery can be an economically viable alternative to conventional manned machinery if the establishment of intelligent controls is cost effective. An increase in net returns of 24% over operating with conventional machinery is found when including both input savings and a yield increase due to reduced compaction. This study also identifies the break-even investment price for intelligent controls for the safe and reliable commercialization …

Tax Strategies For Farmers And Cooperatives Under The New Section 199a, Greg Mckee

Cornhusker Economics

This tax season will be the first time cooperatives and their patrons will consider the income tax consequences of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 (TCJA). A key element of the TCJA, Section 199A, affects farm income tax liability. Not only is the Section 199A deduction a good tax break for farmers, it changes incentives for farmer patrons to market through cooperatives. It also changes incentives for how cooperatives distribute their income. Cooperative members, their boards of directors, and management teams will have many tax strategy options to consider in 2019.

The good news about Section 199A is …

Trends In Nebraska Agricultural Land Ownership And Rental Patterns, Jim Jansen, Jay Parsons, Kate Brooks

Cornhusker Economics

In Nebraska, different types of rental arrangements are used on agricultural land. These arrangements commonly include crop share, cash lease, and cash lease with flexible provisions.

Crop Share: landowner receives a percentage of actual crop yield as payment for leasing the agricultural land to the tenant. The landowner may share input and production costs of raising the crop.

Cash Leases: landowner receives an agreed upon cash payment amount for leasing the agricultural land to the tenant.

Cash lease with Flexible Provisions: land owner and tenant set a base cash rental rate which can flex upon actual crop yields, prices, or …

Grazing Myths That Reduce Profitability, Gregory S. Halich

Forage Symposium at the Kentucky Cattlemen’s Convention

Many cattle farms have moved to rotational grazing in the past decade, and there are significant benefits associated with this grazing technique. However, one thing that I have noticed is that costs are not always accounted for when it comes to recommended rotational grazing practices. If you ignore costs, partially or fully, you will invariably do too much of whatever you are considering. In this light, I will highlight four grazing recommendations (myths) that many folks are often taking to extremes related to rotational grazing, and one additional myth (generic to grazing style) that is reducing the overall profitability of …

Profitability At Eldon Farms: Guiding Principles, John Genho

Forage Symposium at the Kentucky Cattlemen’s Convention

Eldon Farms is a 7,000-acre farm in the Northern Piedmont of Virginia. Over the past 15 years, we have adopted a grazing program based on three principles. While the specifics of each operation are different, I believe these principles can be applied across a host of situations.

Forages At Kca Foreword [2019], Christopher D. Teutsch, Christi L. Forsythe, Rehanon Pampell

Forage Symposium at the Kentucky Cattlemen’s Convention

No abstract provided.

Residues Of Thiamethoxam And Mefenoxam In Vegetative And Floral Tissue Of Soybean At The Early Reproductive Stage Resulting From Seed Treatments, Carolina Camargo, Daniel D. Snow, Sathaporn Onanong, Thomas Hunt, Blair Siegfried

Department of Entomology: Faculty Publications

Thiamethoxam with mefenoxam is the most widely used neonicotinoid insecticide/fungicide mixture applied to soybean (Glycine max [L]) as seed treatments. Based on the systemic nature of thiamethoxam and mefenoxam, residues of this insecticide/fungicide mixture may be present in soybean vegetative and floral tissue and negatively impact beneficial insects. Although neonicotinoids are often applied in combination with systemic fungicides, the research on ecological risks of neonicotinoids has been focused on the analysis of these compounds without considering their interaction with other agrochemicals. The objective of this study was to identify the concentration of thiamethoxam and mefenoxam in soybean flowers and …

Avoid Family Trouble When Planning Farm/Ranch Succession, Allan Vyhnalek

Cornhusker Economics

The story goes like this: The family has one brother who stayed on the farm to work with Mom and Dad. Mom and Dad are now gone. The other brothers and sisters are now wanting to meet to determine an equitable way to split the assets. The on-farm brother has been there over 50 years. He has contributed sweat, management, and value to the operation for decades.

Then the reality sets in. There is a family conversation about the farm now that the parents are gone. It is fairly common to have a difference in perception about the on-farm brother’s …

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 …

Examining Preferences For Rural Living And How To Save The Rural Economy, Rebecca J. Vogt

Cornhusker Economics

Recent articles in the New York Times and the Washington Post discuss preferences for rural living and if rural economies can be saved. Data from the Nebraska Rural Poll and other state surveys are used to further explore these topics.

The Phytoremediative Effects Of Cilantro (Coriandrum Sativum) In Lead Contaminated Soil, Sierra D. Garrett, Timothy D. Trott

Research in Biology

Environmental exposure to heavy metals such as lead pose a significant health threat. The goal of this project was to evaluate the effectiveness of Coriandrum sativum (Cilantro) as a potential lead (II), Pb²⁺, phytoremediator. C. sativumplants were allowed to grow for 43 days while exposed to with different amounts of lead nitrate, Pb(NO₃)₂. Lead exposure was accomplished by regular watering with a concentration series of lead nitrate solutions. The roots and shoots of these plants were separated and dried. Ground plant material was liquefied by nitric acid digestion. The amount of lead absorbed …

Consumer Considerations Of Local Value-Added Dairy Products In North Carolina's Triangle, Gabriel Adjei Agyekum

Theses

The global and domestic dairy markets promise exciting opportunities for companies willing to adapt to a continuously evolving consumer market. However, local dairy farmers face a myriad of challenges as they navigate low milk prices, shrinking margins, increasing production cost, and a rising demand for plant-based varieties of milk, yogurt, cheese and other dairy-based foods. The goal of this research was to investigate consumer behavior towards value-added local dairy products in North Carolina’s Triangle cities of Raleigh, Durham, and Chapel Hill. Data were used from an overarching project with collected data from food consumers in the triangle tri-city area using …

Impact Of Usmca On The U.S. Beef Industry, Theophilus Amoah

Theses

Policies implemented to govern trade between two or more countries have proved vital as it affects the economies of nations. Political inputs into trade certainly establish effects that impact the livelihood of people in the economy. Every sector in an economy faces its impacts when there are changes in trade agreements. The extent to which this impact is always significant to note as it helps to determine the sustainability of trade agreements, which in turn sets the path for sectorial and national developments. This study utilizes the Computable General Equilibrium modeling to predict the impact of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement …

Effects Of International Trade On Food Security Of Selected Low Income And Low-Middle Income Economies, Rose Anapoka Anaabah

Theses

Food security has been a challenge for most people all over the world, especially among people living in low income countries. Food security is considered a complex sustainable development issue and is linked to health through malnutrition due to poverty. Food security became a major challenge following the sharp increase in global food prices during the last decade. Several factors contribute to food security. One factor is international trade which plays a major role in shaping the economy in most countries of the world. Access to food which is supposed to be an entitlement, or a basic right can be …

Farm Financial Analysis For Small-Scale, Organic Mixed Vegetable Operation, Janet Ayobami Osawere

Theses

The small farmers in the United States face challenges from market uncertainties and climate variations. Many small farmers do not keep consistent financial records, thus making it difficult to analyze their profitability and make decisions in planning. This research is to use a real farm production stimulation from Goldsboro, North Carolina, to collect data from 2017 to 2018 for farm financial analysis that mimics a small-scale certified organic mixed vegetable production. The goal is to use the stimulating information from Goldsboro, North Carolina to help small-scale organic mixed vegetable farmers to identify the main strengths and weaknesses of farm operation; …

Evaluating Water Management Policy In Saudi Arabia Using A Bilevel, Multi-Objective, Multi-Follower Programming Approach, Jawad Alhashim

Theses and Dissertations--Agricultural Economics

Over the past five decades, the Saudi government has adopted many agricultural policies aimed to: achieve self-sufficiency of food, increase the participation of the agricultural sector in the economy, and reduce the consumption of irrigation water. Due to conflicts among government objectives and the incompatibility of farmers' objectives with those of some agricultural policies, the government has not been able to fully achieve its objectives.

To accomplish its goals the government, or decision maker needs to understand the farmer, or follower, reaction when s/he adopts a new decision. The dissertation aims to build a model that achieves government goals of …

Two Essays On Input Substitution And Optimal Decision Making In Crop And Livestock Production Systems, John T. Allison Jr.

Theses and Dissertations--Agricultural Economics

The thesis presented consists of two essays that analyze input substitution and decision making in crop and livestock production systems. The first essay consists of a whole-farm analysis that sought to optimize feed mixes and enterprise combinations for an organic dairy operation in the Southeastern United States. This was accomplished through mathematical programming where whole-farm net returns were maximized, and total feed costs were minimized simultaneously for four milk production level cases. Additionally, the sensitivity of the system and break-even milk price were explored. Results suggest substitutability in ration components where an increase in supplemental feeds is justified by additional …

In The Round: The Future Of Food, Teddy Bekele, Jane Black, Mitchell Davis, Jon De La Para Harper, Natalie Dinicola, Virginia Dunleavy, Sam Fiorello, Kimberly Flowers, Raj Gollamudi, Daniel Hewett, Jak Knowles, Tom Laurita, Robert Lawrence, Maureen Mazurek, Robyn Metcalfe, Mike Miille, Hari Pulapaka, Jenneffer Pulapaka, Patricia Risica, Simone Sala, Chase Sova, Karen Washingon, Tom Weis, Center For Complexity

Future of Food

In collaboration with PopTech, the Center for Complexity (CfC) hosted a two day convening in March 2019 to discuss the future of food, conducted in-the-round. Conversations-in-the-round offer an experimental and collaborative forum where a variety of perspectives collide to reimagine how we should approach navigating complex challenges.

30 professionals, community leaders, ag-tech startups, policymakers, local activists, global aid administrators, and many other important voices in the food industry were in attendance. We did not set out to create solutions, rather we devoted our time to exploration — a process that allowed us to assess, discover, reality-check, and strategically plan the …

Nebraska Grazing Conference Proceedings, 2019, Center For Grassland Studies, University Of Nebraska-Lincoln

Nebraska Grazing Conference Proceedings

Rangeland Health Session

Managing Sand Deposits after the Flood by Daren Redfearn

Rangeland Health: What Is It and Why Do I Care?” by Patrick Shaver

Managing a Sandhills Ranch with an Eye to Soil Health by Dana Larsen

Grazinglands Management Session

Soil Health: Expectations and Evidence by Virginia Jin

Mob Grazing on Nebraska Sandhills Meadow by Walt Schacht

Effect of Length of Grazing Period on Upland Sandhills Range by Jerry Volesky

Carbon Input and Loss in Semi-arid Sandy Rangeland by Martha Mamo

Graze 365 by Jacob Miller

Soil Health and Grazing Strategies: Opportunities for Increasing Soil Water by Andrea Basche …

Three Essays On Saudi Arabia Agricultural Markets, Yosef Abdulrahman Alamri

Theses and Dissertations--Agricultural Economics

The first essay compares six common models, linear, quadratic, Cobb-Douglas, translog, logarithmic, and transcendental, to estimate wheat yield and area functions for Saudi Arabia. Data cover 1990-2016 for all the variables that affect wheat supply. After testing the models using Box-Cox, multicollinearity, and autocorrelation tests, we decide that the Cobb-Douglas models provide the best fit for both yield and area. We find the price elasticity of wheat is inelastic. Yield price elasticities are more inelastic than area elasticities. The impact of government policy number 335 has a larger effect on area than yield. The cultivated area of wheat, the one-year …

Nebraska Farm Real Estate Market Highlights 2018-2019, Jim Jansen, Jeffrey Stokes

Extension Farm and Ranch Management News

Introduction

The Nebraska Farm Real Estate Market Highlights 2018-2019 report represents the 41st edition to the annual series. These reports provide an important insight on agricultural land market dynamics for stakeholders across Nebraska. In today’s market, where market transactions exceeding a million dollars are the norm, objective market information and analysis is more critical than ever. The focus of the report continues to provide unbiased information on agricultural land values and rental rates so industry participants can make educated and informed decisions.

This year, the February 2019 survey of nearly 125 expert-panel members from across the state provided current information …

Letter From The Dean, Deacue Fields

Discovery, The Student Journal of Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences

No abstract provided.

A Message From The Associate Dean Of The Honors College And Co-Chair Of The Service Learning Initiative, Jennie Popp

Discovery, The Student Journal of Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences

No abstract provided.

Discovery: The Student Journal Of Dale Bumpers College Of Agricultural, Food And Life Sciences - Volume 20 2019, Several Authors

Discovery, The Student Journal of Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences

No abstract provided.

Greenhouse Aquaponics: Custom Aquaponic Systems At Home, Jesse L. Blanchard, David G. Hyatt, Jennie Popp, Leah English

Discovery, The Student Journal of Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences

Taking advantage of inherent natural systems, aquaponic practices hold the potential to serve as an educational, sustainable, and profitable hobby for home gardeners facing common constraints such as temperature, space, and pests. The goal of this research was to assess the feasibility of implementing a small scale (4,542-liter) home -based aquaponic system in a small (48.768 square meter) greenhouse to produce fresh produce and fish protein. System construction and maintenance costs were compared to the value of crops and fish produced to determine whether this aquaponic system is a feasible option for the home grower. It was hypothesized that this …