Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Insurance Coverage For Drought-Damaged Crops, William M. Edwards

William Edwards

Nearly 90 percent of the corn and soybean acres in Iowa are covered by multiple peril crop insurance. Drought damage is an insurable loss under these policies. Producers should consult with their crop insurance agents before harvesting or destroying any drought-damaged crops, however.

Flood Damaged Crops, Crop Insurance Payments And Lease Contracts, William M. Edwards

William Edwards

Some Iowa corn and soybean producers are facing substantial if not complete crop losses due to flooding. In particular, many acres of crops in the Missouri River Valley have been under water for a month or more this year. Fortunately, nearly 90 percent of Iowa’s corn and soybean acres are protected by multiple peril crop insurance.

Important Crop Insurance Dates, William M. Edwards

William Edwards

Even the best crop insurance plan is of little use if the right information is not collected and submitted on time. Likewise, if certain actions are not completed by the necessary date, producers may not receive full benefit from the risk protection that they have selected.

Flood Damaged Crops, Crop Insurance Payments And Lease Contracts, William M. Edwards

William Edwards

Some Iowa corn and soybean producers are facing substantial if not complete crop losses due to flooding. In particular, many acres of crops in the Missouri River Valley have been under water for a month or more this year. Fortunately, nearly 90 percent of Iowa’s corn and soybean acres are protected by multiple peril crop insurance.

Insurance Coverage For Drought-Damaged Crops, William M. Edwards

William Edwards

Nearly 90 percent of the corn and soybean acres in Iowa are covered by multiple peril crop insurance. Drought damage is an insurable loss under these policies. Producers should consult with their crop insurance agents before harvesting or destroying any drought-damaged crops, however.

Insurance Coverage For Drought-Damaged Crops, William M. Edwards

William Edwards

Nearly 90 percent of the corn and soybean acres in Iowa are covered by multiple peril crop insurance. Drought damage is an insurable loss under these policies. Producers should consult with their crop insurance agents before harvesting or destroying any drought-damaged crops, however.

Flood Damaged Crops, Crop Insurance Payments And Lease Contracts, William M. Edwards

William Edwards

Some Iowa corn and soybean producers are facing substantial if not complete crop losses due to flooding. In particular, many acres of crops in the Missouri River Valley have been under water for a month or more this year. Fortunately, nearly 90 percent of Iowa’s corn and soybean acres are protected by multiple peril crop insurance.

Farmland Rental Rates Show Continued Strength In 2012, William M. Edwards, Ann M. Johanns

William Edwards

Anyone who is involved with the rental market for Iowa farmland knows that rental rates have been pushed significantly higher by the favorable corn and soybean prices that farmers have enjoyed since 2010. This trend continued in 2012.

Delayed Planting, Prevented Planting And Replanting Crop Insurance Coverage, Steven D. Johnson, William M. Edwards

William Edwards

The frequent rains that have soaked Iowa this year have left many corn and soybean fields unplanted or with flooded areas. Many producers are wondering what options they have under their multiple peril crop insurance (MPCI) policies. In Iowa, the crop insurance “late planting period” for corn begins on June 1. Corn can still be planted after this date, but the insurance guarantee on those acres is reduced by 1 percent per day until the acres are planted. Corn acres planted after June 25 will receive insurance coverage equal to 60 percent of their original guarantee. Producers should keep accurate …

Does A Rising Biofuels Tide Raise All Boats? A Study Of Cash Rent Determinants For Iowa Farmland Under Hay And Pasture, Xiaodong Du, David A. Hennessy, William M. Edwards

William Edwards

Iowa's farmland consists of over 16% hay crops and pastureland, a significant portion of which is under cash rental contracts. This study investigates the comparative relationships between cash rental rates for cropped land and non-cropped land, where the latter includes hay and pastureland. We find that higher crop prices resulting from biofuel demand induces land use conversion from non-cropped land to crop production and thus bids up non-cropped land rents. Compared with changes in cropped land cash rents, non-cropped farmland rents could increase by a higher percentage. Non-cropped land cash rental rates are largely determined by crop and feeder cattle …

Early Planted Acres May Lose Replant Insurance, William M. Edwards

William Edwards

Unusually warm and dry weather has allowed crop producers to start spring field work earlier than can be remembered by most people. Getting an early start on tillage and planting reduces the risk of getting behind schedule later if an extended period of rainy weather occurs, but it also has its risks. The Risk Management Agency (USDA) has some specific rules about early planted crops with regard to crop insurance coverage. For each insurable crop RMA has set an “early planting date.” The earliest planting dates allowed for counties in the state of Iowa are April 11 for corn and …

Determinants Of Iowa Cropland Cash Rental Rates: Testing Ricardian Rent Theory, Xiaodong Du, David A. Hennessy, William M. Edwards

William Edwards

Based on the Ricardian rent theory, this study employs the variable profit function to analyze the determinants of Iowa cropland cash rental rates using county-level panel data from 1987 to 2005. Accounting for spatial and temporal autocorrelations, responses of local cash rental rates to changes in output prices and other exogenous variables are estimated. We find that Iowa cash rental rates are largely determined by output/input prices, soil quality, relative location, and other county-specific factors. Cash rents go up by $79 for a $1 increase in corn price in the short run. The marginal value of cropland quality, as represented …

Compensation Of Farm Employees, William M. Edwards

William Edwards

Iowa farm operators were surveyed to learn what type and level of compensation they paid to full-time employees in 1997. The average total compensation paid was $26, 914, of which 79 percent consisted of cash wages.Benefits accounted for 18 percent of the compensation, and bonuses and wages in kind amounted to 3 percent.Housing and insurance plans were the most significant benefits provided

Combine Harvester Econometric Model With Forward Speed Optimization, Nathan E. Isaac, Graeme R. Quick, Stuart J. Birrell, William M. Edwards, Bruce A. Coers

William Edwards

A combine harvester econometric simulation model was developed with the goal of matching the combine forward speed to the maximum harvested net income per acre. The model considers the machinery management costs of owning a combine and platform header for harvesting wheat. A statistical Design of Experiment (DOE) was used to evaluate the model using tri-level variables; the medium values constituted the model base case. Of the 27 input variables, the optimum speed was significantly influenced by the crop area, G/MOG ratio, grain unit price, field yield, field efficiency, grain moisture content, probability of a working day in the post-optimum …

Ag Decision Maker: Combine Ownership Or Custom Hire, William M. Edwards, H. Mark Hanna

William Edwards

Includes advantages and disadvantages of custom hiring and information on estimating costs; includes worksheets.

Building An Airplane While Flying It: One Community's Experience With Community Food Transformation, Catherine Sands, Carol Stewart, Sarah Bankert, Alexandra Hillman, Laura Fries

Catherine Sands

Milk In The Data: Food Security Impacts From A Livestock Field Experiment In Zambia, Margaret Jodlowski, Alex Winter-Nelson, Kathy Baylis, Peter Goldsmith

Kathy Baylis

Smallholder livestock ownership has potential to enhance food security by raising incomes of the poor and by increasing the availability of nutrient-dense foods. This paper exploits the staggered rollout of livestock distribution by Heifer International in Zambia to identify the effects of livestock using statistically similar treatment and control groups in a balanced panel of households. Results indicate that livestock ownership improves dietary diversity through both direct consumption of animal products produced on farm and through increased consumption expenditures. Further results indicate that expanded livestock ownership alters the local food economy to influence food consumption by households lacking farm animals.

Farmers' Risk Preferences And Pesticide Use Decisions: Evidence From Field Experiments In China, Kathy Baylis, Yazhen Gong, Robert Kozak, Gary Bull

Kathy Baylis