Agricultural Economics Commons^™

Factors Affecting Food Security And Participation In Food Pantries In The U.S., Alexis Jade Skinner

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Given the rise in food inflation, reduction of SNAP benefits, and the increased demand for food pantry participation, a more holistic understanding of potential barriers to obtaining assistance from non-Federally regulated food pantries is warranted. In May of 2022, 625 surveys were administered to low-income participants in the United States who participated in food collection from a food pantry in the previous month. Those participants were asked to select what information they were asked to provide during their visit, including home address, place of employment, Social Security card, driver’s license, household size, blood test, or others. Some forms of the …

Exploring The Presence Of Nonlinear Deterministic Dynamics In Commodity Prices, Sagar Dahal

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

Determining whether commodity prices (and volatility) are driven by linear stochastic processes or low-dimensional nonlinear deterministic dynamics (“chaos”) is crucial for policymaking, forecasting, production, storage, investment, risk management, and hedging decisions. Previous studies that used Lyapunov exponents and correlation dimensions to identify chaotic structures in price series may be unreliable in practical applications because these methods rely on asymptotic properties that require large, noiseless data which is often not available. We applied nonlinear time series analysis approaches to empirically detect the underlying market dynamics using the daily futures prices of ten agricultural commodities. We used phase space reconstruction to reconstruct …

Consumer Valuation Of Rice Quality In Colombia, Juliann Phillips

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Rice is a crucial contributor to global food security and is an important staple for over half the world’s population. In Colombia, total rice consumption has grown by 25% in the last decade (2011-2021), reaching 1.9 MMT in 2021, yet in 2021 around 15.5 million Colombians were classified as food insecure. Colombia is the third largest rice producer in Latin America, producing 1.8 million metric tons (milled basis) in 2021. Increasing rice consumption coupled with high levels of food insecurity highlights the necessity that rice markets effectively price rice according to consumer preferences. Therefore, the goal of this study focuses …

Do Fas Large Export Sales Reports Move Commodity Futures Markets?, William Johnson

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study sought to determine if the Large Export Reports from the USDA Foreign Agriculture Service have any discernible market-moving impact on particular commodity futures markets. The effect of the reports on futures markets is investigated using four different methods: the average return event study approach, the multiple regression with binary variables model, the autoregressive time series model, and the event spline model. The average returns showed that the FAS's Large Export Sales Reports had no influence on the pricing of wheat futures, but did have a considerable impact on the returns from days before and after the release of …

Risk-Returns Of Forward Contracting Southern Row Crops With Crop Revenue Insurance, Chandan Bhattarai

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study evaluated the risk and return associated with various levels of forward contracting for southern row crops, specifically corn, soybean, and rice, in conjunction with different coverage levels of the Revenue Protection (RP) crop insurance program and government support plans. Forward contracting is a strategy to manage price risk by transferring ownership of physical grain from a seller to a buyer at a pre-agreed time. RP is a return-based crop insurance program offering coverage levels ranging from 50-85 percent in 5 percent increments, which allows producers to hedge against yield or price risks. Additionally, the study analyzed the effectiveness …

Beef And Dairy Substitution Effects Associated With Carbon Labeling And An Information Intervention, Sara Gardner Hedgecock

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Understanding consumer perceptions of carbon emissions in agriculture is a critical step to help increase the sustainability of food consumption. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, 14.5 percent of all global anthropogenic GHG emissions are estimated to be represented by livestock (FAO), and cattle, raised for beef and milk, are the largest animal species responsible for emissions, comprising over 60 percent of the livestock sector’s emissions. This motivates this study’s analysis of beef and dairy milk products and alternatives. To better understand how consumers may substitute meat and milk products when provided with information about …

Density And Occupancy Of Mammals Along An Urban To Rural Gradient In Northwest Arkansas, Leah E. Mctigue

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Human development is a rapidly expanding phenomenon impacting wildlife communities globally. As the human footprint expands, natural greenspace and nature reserves become fragmented and isolated. Wildlife species and communities respond to these changes in different ways. Urban exploiters persist in more urban areas and are able to take advantage of anthropogenic subsidies (food, shelter, etc). Urban avoiders, however, are species that may be pushed out of developed areas or occur in lower densities relative to undisturbed areas. Northwest Arkansas is an optimal location to study the impacts of urbanization on wildlife communities, as the current human population is expected to …

Decrypting The Processes Of Policy Evolution: Comparing Québec And Ontario’S Evolution Of Risk Management Policies, Frederick Clerson Guicherd

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Through policies or programs, states can influence industries to align with their vision of what a sector should become. However, this vision is subject to influence from actors of the industries which emphasize the importance of the relationship between the state and interest groups. In this dissertation, we observe the evolution of 9 Canadian agriculture risk management programs implemented by two provincial governments between 1990 and 2020 to understand how such programs coped with the new trends in agriculture. Through a review of parliamentary discussions and official documents, we evaluate the factors that justified program evolution based on the combination …

Nebraska Extension: Supporting The Well-Being Of Farmers And Ranchers, Jessica Groskopf

Cornhusker Economics

Nebraska Extension is a proud member of the North Central Farm and Ranch Stress Assistance Center. A regional center funded by USDA NIFA, it delivers farm and ranch stress and mental health resources and services in 12 states, including Nebraska.

Since 2021, several programs delivered by Nebraska Extension and its partners have been supported with these funds. This article will review the key programs supported in Nebraska.

Crop-Livestock Diversification And Efficiency In Agriculture, Jay Parsons, Maroua Afi

Cornhusker Economics

Diversification is a familiar strategy for managing risk in agriculture. It can take several forms including growing more than one crop or operating a farm with both crop and livestock enterprises. As with other strategies for managing risk, diversification comes with a unique set of costs. Managing a farm with multiple enterprises creates additional overhead as well as additional demands on management, labor, land, capital, and other resources. Diversification adds complexity to an operation and too much complexity can lead to inefficiencies.

The Impact Of Training In Financial Basics On Small Farm Producers’ Knowledge In Selected Alabama Black Belt Counties, Eunice K. Waweru

College of Agriculture, Environment and Nutrition Sciences Graduate Theses and Dissertations

THE IMPACT OF TRAINING IN FINANCIAL BASICS ON SMALL FARM PRODUCERS’ KNOWLEDGE IN SELECTED ALABAMA BLACK BELT COUNTIES

By

Eunice K. Waweru

The author expresses her sincere gratitude to her major advisor, Dr. David Nii. O. Tackie. His encouragement, expertise, guidance, wisdom, patience, and unwavering support has been instrumental in shaping her thesis. His feedback and constructive criticisms have been of tremendous help and has helped her refine her ideas and improve the quality of her thesis. She is forever grateful for his mentorship and the opportunities he has provided her during her academic journey. Also, she is grateful to …

Tas Orders, Innovations And Challenges In Futures Markets, Fabio Mattos

Cornhusker Economics

Futures contracts and futures exchanges were developed a long time ago in the process of evolution of commodity trading. They were created with the purpose of facilitating the buying and selling of commodities. Despite challenges along the way, they helped make commodity trading faster, easier, and more efficient for many buyers and sellers. Still today, futures exchanges are constantly looking for new ways to adjust to new developments in commodity markets and further facilitate trading. After all, as we have previously discussed in this space, futures exchanges provide a service to buyers and sellers, i.e., the marketplace to trade futures …

An Analysis Of The Status Of Small Producers In Selected Alabama Black Belt And Surrounding Counties, Mamnenge Gbim-Gbande

College of Agriculture, Environment and Nutrition Sciences Graduate Theses and Dissertations

AN ANALYSIS OF THE STATUS OF SMALL PRODUCERS IN SELECTED ALABAMA BLACK BELT AND SURROUNDING COUNTIES

by

Mamnenge Gbim-Gbande

The purpose of this study was to analyze the status of small producers in selected Alabama Black Belt and surrounding counties. The specific objectives were to (1) describe demographic information, (2) examine farm, economic, marketing, and other information, and (3) examine relationships between specific demographic information and farm, economic, marketing, and other information. The data were obtained from a convenience sample of 24 producers, and were analyzed using frequencies, percentages, and correlation analysis. The results showed that there were more part-time …

Could The Epa Cause The Next Farm Financial Crisis?, Jeffrey Stokes, Jim Jansen

Cornhusker Economics

The inflation that crept into the economy in 2022 surprised many since it had not been seen for about 40 years. What has also not been seen for about 40 years is the type of farm-level financial stress causing some quarter of a million farms lost, the devastation of whole rural communities, and a compromised community banking sector and Farm Credit System (FCS). In 1981, as the Federal Reserve’s tighter monetary policy began to take effect, U.S. farmland value nominally peaked at about $785b. By 1985, it had fallen by about 31% from the peak resulting in a sector debt-to-asset …

Protecting Wa Crops Issue 31 - July 2023, Department Of Primary Industries And Regional Development, Western Australia

Protecting WA Crops

Protecting WA Crops Issue 31 - July 2023 contents:

• New project to reduce Rhizoctonia impact in low and medium rainfall zones
• Meet Crop Protection team member – Dr Ahmed Saad

Growing South Dakota (Summer 2023), College Of Agriculture, Food And Environmental Sciences

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

3 SDSU Little International Celebrates 100 years of Tradition
7 2023 CAFES Celebration of Faculty Excellence
11 South Dakota Agricultural Experiment Station Locations and Research Initiatives
15 Every Acre Counts
16 Undergraduate Research
19 Tanner Sloan: South Dakota State Wrestler & Animal Science Student Takes Home NCAA Division I & U23 World Silver Medals
21 2023 CAFES Outstanding Seniors
23 Robert Streeter: International Advocate for Wildlife Conservation
25 Collegiate Cattlemen's Club
27 Jim and Melody Mielke: Lifelong Donors Contribute to Agriculture in More Ways than One
29 Jackrabbits Now and Then

Study Of Production And Adaptation Characters Of Some Newly Obtained Genotypes Of Durum Wheat (Triticum Durum Desf.) In Sub-Humid Region (El Harrouch North-Eastern Of Algeria), Lamia Bourouh, Nabila Souilah, Boulacel Mouad, Ghania Chaib, Tahar Hazmoune, Bendif Hamdi

Journal of Bioresource Management

The experiment was carried out at DAOUDI Larbi pilot farm in El Harrouch, during the 2021/2022 crop year, under sub-humid weather conditions. The main objective of this research is based on the study of production and adaptation characters of seven durum wheat newly obtained genotypes (Triticum durum Desf.). The results of descriptive sheets according to UPOV recommendations (2014-2017), showed diversity between the varieties studied, such as: plant height, straw section, awns (presence, disposition, anthocyanin pigmentation, color, and length), ear (density, color, shape, length and glaucescence), lower glume (shape, color, weight and shape of shoulder, length and curvature of beak), …

Utilizing Nebraska Case Farms To Analyze Farm-Level Income And Policy Changes, Tatum R. Brunkow, Bradley D. Lubben, Glennis Mcmclure

Cornhusker Economics

Agricultural producers, professionals, and policymakers often look to long-run projections for the agricultural industry as they make business and policy decisions. They can look to three different baseline projections that are produced by the United States Department of Agriculture, the Food & Agricultural Policy Research Institute (FAPRI), and the Congressional Budget Office (CBO). These baselines provide a 10-year outlook for the agricultural industry from prices and inventories for crops and livestock to international markets and income and expenditures. While this information provides insight into what direction agriculture may move, it can be hard to see the impact at the state …

Employing A Transitivity Violation Detection Algorithm To Assess Best–Worst Scaling Designs, Courtney Bir, Nicole Olynk Widmar, Natalya Slipchenko, Addison Polcyn, Christopher A. Wolf

Department of Agricultural Economics Faculty Publications

When choosing a partial factorial design for best–worst scaling (BWS) or other discrete choice experiment, researchers are faced with design size choices. This work investigates differences between two case 1 (object) BWS choice experiment designs that varied in choice set size and number of questions. Using a random-parameter logit model, preference shares were determined and statistically compared between models. The number of transitivity violations occurring between the experimental designs was analyzed employing a newly developed directed graph algorithm. The relative importance consumers placed on dairy milk attributes differed between the designs studied. The design presenting fewer attributes per choice set …

Improving The Land Trust Model’S Impact On Environmental Conservation In Northern California, Peter Talbot

Master's Projects and Capstones

For years, the land trust sector of California and much of the United States has operated with a dollars and acres mentality that has prioritized fundraising as a result of acreage protected. Within California, nearly 5.8 million acres of land have been protected by 132 land trusts throughout the state. To accommodate for the diverse cross-section of land and the many needs of the population, land trusts take on numerous shapes and sizes. A unique aspect of this diversity is the rich agricultural and natural spaces found throughout the state. This mix of land and variety of land uses has …

The History Of Emission Trading Programs And The Future Of Agricultural Sequestration Carbon Offsets, J. David Aiken

Cornhusker Economics

Agricultural carbon credits based on sequestering (i.e. storing) additional soil carbon are a relatively recent phenomenon in the effort to address global warming. Businesses have purchased ag sequestration carbon credits to help meet their greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction pledges. Ag sequestration carbon credits are difficult and expensive to accurately measure and usually represent only temporary GHG reductions, not permanent ones. A major USDA study is underway to examine the advantages and disadvantages of ag sequestration carbon credits and their use in achieving voluntary business GHG reduction plans. This paper takes a quick look at (1) the development of the acid …

The Geography Of Payment Activity On Paypal, Russell Hillberry, Kornel Mahlstein, Simon Schropp

Department of Agricultural Economics Faculty Publications

We use data from PayPal to study the geography of online payment activity. An empirical gravity model finds a distance elasticity of −0.58 for payment value, a result that is 40% lower than typically observed in conventional trade data. The firm-extensive margin is approximately half as sensitive to distance. The link between the scale of merchants' exports and transaction distance is considerably weaker than observed in conventional international trade data. Zipf's Law holds for PayPal merchants in some countries, but fails in smaller PayPal markets. Merchants' account ages only marginally affect the scale and average distance of their export sales.

Nutrient Optimization For Vegetable Production Under Decoupled Aquaponics Using Brackish Water, Salma Walid Hany Ahmed Abdelfattah

Theses and Dissertations

As the world moves to more sustainable agriculture methods in the agribusiness industry, decoupled aquaponics is recognized as one of the newest techniques currently being utilized to achieve more local food security. As the topic is still freshly new within the industry, a finite number of publications and studies have been made that address the topic hands-on with its many variables. Subsequently, in this paper, an experiment was conducted to assess the most optimized production conditions of both lacinato kale (Brassica oleracea var.palmifolia) and Swiss chard Bright Light (Beta vulgaris ssp. Cicla var. flavescens) plants through the utilization of a …

Rural Development Hubs: A Possibility For Nebraska?, Marilyn R. Schlake

Cornhusker Economics

The Aspen Institute, Community Strategies Group conducted an analysis of 43 Rural Development Hubs from across the country to discover their strategies, organizational structures, regional roles, and practices. Their aim was to learn how rural regions can help investors, policymakers and other local and regional decision-makers better serve their regions. The following provides an overview of their findings detailed in the report: Rural Development Hubs: Strengthening America’s Rural Innovation Infrastructure. The report provides an opportunity for further discussion on the potential role of Rural Development Hubs in Nebraska. Rural Development Hubs are defined as a “place-rooted organization working hand-in -glove …

The Unintended Consequences Of China’S One-Child Policy, E. Wesley F. Peterson

Cornhusker Economics

In 1968, Paul Ehrlich published a book entitled The Population Bomb in which he argued that rapid population growth would overwhelm the world’s capacity to feed, house, and otherwise care for the coming millions of people. At that time, the world population was about 3.5 billion growing at an average annual rate of 2.06 percent (World Bank 2023). At that rate of growth, the world’s population would have been expected to double to 7.0 billion by 2001. In fact, population growth rates fell after the 1960s and world population reached only 6.2 billion in that year. Fears of a population …

Reintroducing Hemp (Rongony) In The Material Palette Of Madagascar: A Study On The Potential Of Hemp Clay Components And Its Impact On Social And Ecological Communities., Henintsoa Thierry Andrianambinina

Masters Theses

When mentioning the word hemp, especially in the local language of Madagascar, the literal translation does not set it apart from marijuana, as they are both called “rongony” - creating the stigma around hemp as the negative stereotype of marijuana. However, the material has been used by the ancestors of Madagascar, as well as across cultures, in its fibrous form to produce fabrication like textile goods and packaging. During colonization, the prohibition of hemp intensified, and since then, any activity related to either of these plants is prohibited and will end in severe punitive measures. This thesis explores the strengths …

Reducing Scope 3 Emissions By Investing In Regenerative Agriculture In Supply Chains, Stephanie Cain

Master's Theses

The agricultural industry has an opportunity to shift to a more sustainable practice that helps restore vital topsoil, improve water quality, reduce environmental impact, and sequester atmospheric carbon into the vast soil carbon pool. However, to implement these practices at considerable scale, agricultural producers require access to resources and capital they rarely have and can be difficult to acquire. As a company, investing in regenerative agriculture in supply chains can lead to reduced Scope 3 emissions, more resilient supply chains, and better marketability as an investment fund, an employer, and a brand. Insetting regenerative agriculture can protect supply chains against …

Variability Of Cost And Return Of Dry Direct Seeded Lowland Rice In Major Rainfed Growing Areas In The Philippines, Oliver C. Ocampo, Hazel Anne F. Makahiya, Marjorie V. Pamplona, John Kenneth L. Motilla, Niño Paul Meynard C. Banayo, Crisanta S. Bueno, Pompe C. Sta. Cruz

The Philippine Agricultural Scientist

This study was conducted to evaluate the variability of net income and return on investment (ROI) as affected by grain yield, cost of production, and gross income across provinces wherein the mechanized dry direct seeding technology was being deployed. The study was conducted during 2019 wet season involving 54 sites from 14 provinces with farmers practicing mechanized dry direct seeding technology under rainfed lowland condition. Grain yield varied (0.72 – 6.73 t ha^-1) across provinces and within each province. Total cost of production varied (PhP 23032 – 43421 ha^-1) across provinces. Most sites in Cagayan had …

Economic Analysis Of Fortified Food Products In India: Evidence From Heckman Selection Model, Ramanjeet Singh Toor

Student Theses and Dissertations

Food fortification refers to the addition of nutrients and minerals to food. About 70% of the people in India are suffering from a deficiency of nutrients and minerals. The main objective of this study is to examine the critical economic and demographic characteristics related to the consumption of fortified products and to investigate their effects on expenditures in India using survey data published on Qualtrics. We utilized the Heckman selection model to estimate different parameters for choice and consumption processes with controlling non-random samples. Our results show that sociodemographic characteristics such as marital status, income, age, education, gender, and the …

They Shrank The Futures Contracts! Mini Futures Contracts: What They Are And How To Use Them, Fabio Mattos

Cornhusker Economics

Mini futures contracts (or e-mini, since they are traded electronically) were first developed in the late 1990s based on futures contracts that already existed. The main characteristic of mini contracts is that they represent a fraction of standard-size contracts. For example, the first mini contract was launched in 1997 and based on the S&P500 futures contract. The size of the standard futures contract is $250 times the value of the S&P500 index, while the size of the mini futures contract is $50 times the value of the S&P500 index. If the index is at 4,200 points, the total value of …