Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

The Role Of Farmer Heterogeneity In Nutrient Management: A Farm-Level Analysis, Hua Wang, Naveen Adusumilli, Daniel Fromme, Keith Shannon

Journal of Applied Farm Economics

Understanding farmer heterogeneity regarding nutrient management decisions is crucial for the success of any nonpoint source pollution prevention programs. Data from a farm- level experiment of cover crops in corn production were used in the Stochastic Efficiency with Respect to a Function framework to examine preference for nitrogen strategies over a range of risk aversion levels. We show the highest net return and certainty equivalent to the consideration of N supplied by cover crops. The results provide insights into policy discussions about the level of conservation incentives and plans that offer solutions to mitigate nonpoint source pollution.

The Convenience Yield Determinants Of Corn Futures, Christopher R. Delong

Doctoral Dissertations (DBA)

This paper presents an in-depth analysis of the convenience yield determinants of corn futures. The estimated spot price and convenience yield are derived from Gibson and Schwartz’s (1990) two-factor model, and a deterministic seasonal component is added to the convenience yield. Numerous potentially novel determinants are regressed against the convenience yield while controlling for the spot price. The spot price is highly significant in all univariate regressions and is the main driver of changes in convenience yield. This research confirms the theory of storage, provides conflicting results regarding net hedging pressure, shows significant results for novel determinants, and proves that …

Cost Efficiency Of International Corn And Soybean Production, Rachel Purdy, Michael Langemeier

Journal of Applied Farm Economics

The objective of this paper was to examine the cost efficiency of corn and soybean pro-duction for typical farms involved in the cash crop agri benchmark network using data for the period 2013 to 2017. Average cost efficiency for the typical farms in the network that produced corn, soybeans, and both corn and soybeans was 0.749, 0.774, and 0.939, respectively. Inefficiency was a greater problem for the farms producing corn than for the other farm types examined. Inefficient farms tended to overutilize direct, operating, and overhead inputs.

Three Essays On Energy And Agricultural Price Analysis, Sara Farhangdoost

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports

This dissertation consists of three essays on energy and agricultural commodity price analysis: 1) Natural Gas Price Forecasting in a Changing World; 2) The Effect of EIA Storage Announcement on Natural Gas Returns: A Comprehensive Analysis; and 3) Forecasting the U.S. Season-Average Farm Price of Corn: Derivation of an Alternative Futures based Forecasting Model.

The first essay evaluates the performances of various individual and composite forecasting models when predicting natural gas prices in the United States. The empirical results show that forecast generated by the Energy Information Administration Short-Term Energy Outlook provides a more accurate price prediction at longer forecasting …

Assessment Of Grain Safety In Developing Nations, Jose R. Mendoza

Department of Food Science and Technology: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Grains are the most widely consumed foods worldwide, with maize (Zea mays) being frequently consumed in developing countries where it feeds approximately 900 million people under the poverty line of 2 USD per day. While grain handling practices are acceptable in most developed nations, many developing nations still face challenges such as inadequate field management, drying, and storage. Faulty grain handling along with unavoidably humid climates result in recurrent fungal growth and spoilage, which compromises both the end-quality and safety of the harvest. This becomes particularly problematic where there is little awareness about health risks associated with poor …

The United States Love Affair With Maize: A National Security Issue?, Jared Kelly

Gettysburg Social Sciences Review

Maize is the most widely grown crop in the United States. The crop has a variety of applications being used for food, fuel, and in some industries. Maize is heavily integrated into the fabric of billions of lives across the world. The United States has encouraged the growth of a massive maize monoculture through the usage of government subsidies. However, this presents issues for the United States since it has created a large monoculture that is threatened by natural disasters, pest infestation, and bioterrorism attacks. Additionally, the cheap nature of the monoculture has additional externalities. Examples include decimated maize production …

Three Essays On “Production And Technical Efficiency”, Douglas Mugabe

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports

This dissertation examines production and or technical efficiencies in agricultural and energy systems. The first essay examines production capabilities of smallholder corn farmers following Zimbabwe’s fast track land reform program of 2000. This paper accounts for semi-parametric production frontier to provide more reliable efficiency estimates than can be obtained using traditional parametric methods. The second essay examines efficiency and state level fuel substitution in the US electricity generation sector. I apply the recent fixed effects stochastic frontier estimation to understand the implications of changes in inter-fuel substitution for technical efficiency. The third essay examines the role of drilled but uncompleted …

Divergence Of Usda Trade Payments For Corn, Soybean, And Wheat Producers And ‘Nowcasts’ Of Tariff Impacts, Matthew Elliott, Lisa Elliott

Matthew Elliott

No abstract provided.

Incidencia Del Tratado De Libre Comercio Con Estados Unidos Sobre La Producción Colombiana De Maíz: En El Periodo 1980-2015, Viviana Bohórquez Ríos, Leily Paola Charry Ochoa

Economía

En este trabajo se analiza el impacto que tiene el Tratado de Libre Comercio (TLC) de Colombia con Estados Unidos sobre la producción, las exportaciones y las importaciones del maíz nacional. Para esto se realizó un análisis de cointegración para la aplicación del modelo de vector de corrección de errores (VEC) en el período 1980-2015 y un análisis de Mínimos Cuadrados Ordinarios (MCO) para ver las relaciones de corto plazo. Una vez estimadas las ecuaciones se realiza un análisis de bienestar, tomando en cuenta dos situaciones: el primero en presencia de TLC sin desgravación arancelaria (los precios nacionales convergen directamente …

Measuring The Adaptive Response To Drought, Kyle Eagar

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

Scientific evidence suggests that future climate change has the potential to bring about an increase in both the frequency and duration of drought in some regions of the world (United Nations, 2012). Economists have theorized that at least some of the adverse effects of these droughts will be mitigated through various adaptive responses by agricultural producers. The effectiveness of any adaptive response to climate change will depend on how quickly producers can recognize a change in climatic patterns and respond accordingly. The following paper investigates the relationship between a specific climate signal (prolonged drought) and the land use decision of …

Incentive Payments For Planting Upland Bird Habitat Field Borders In Tennessee, Nathaniel Scott Bruce

Masters Theses

Crop yields along field perimeters that are adjacent to trees and other tall-herbaceous are known to have the lowest yields in a field. An alternative use of these areas that might be more profitable and sustainable is to remove the land from crop production and enroll these areas into the upland bird habitat (UBH) buffer program. However, the adoption of UBH buffers have been limited by producers, despite being eligible for receiving an incentive payment for adopting UBH buffers. Therefore, the objective of this thesis was to determine the breakeven incentive payment for corn [Zea mays L.] and soybean …

Price Relationships Between Calves And Yearlings: An Updated Structural Change Assessment, Glynn T. Tonsor, Emily Mollohan

Journal of Applied Farm Economics

This article updates and extends the understanding of U.S. feeder cattle price determinants. Structural change in the summer of 2008 was identified, with both calf and yearling markets adjusting to become substantially more sensitive to changes in corn and expected live cattle prices. The impact of live cattle price expectations on feeder cattle prices is three or more times larger than the same proportional impact of corn price, and this relative impact has increased since 2008. Price spreads between calves and yearlings are also found to be more sensitive to input and output price changes than individual cattle price series. …

Export Demand Estimation For U.S. Corn And Soybeans To Major Destinations, Sayed Y. Saghaian

Theses and Dissertations--Agricultural Economics

The United States is the leading producer and exporter of corn and soybeans in the world. The United States exports 20% of the world’s corn and 30% of soybeans in a typical year (USDA, ERS). The U.S., being the top producer and exporter of these commodities, is also confronting major rivals such as Argentina, Brazil, and Ukraine, which are increasing their exports and causing the U.S. to lose some of its market share. In order to stop this decline in market share, the U.S. can adopt and implement different policies to manage resources and employ advanced technology more effectively.

In …

Field To Feedlot: How Us Policy Promoted Cattle Concentration, Hannah Siegel Conley

Senior Projects Spring 2017

Senior Project submitted to The Division of Social Studies of Bard College.

Performance Of The Producer Accumulator In Corn And Soybean Commodity Markets, Chad Te Slaa

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This research quantifies risk reduction and performance of the producer accumulator contract in corn and soybean markets. To quantify performance, we use three alternative theoretical pricing models to estimate historical producer accumulator contract specifications in corn and soybean markets. We then compare the performance of the producer accumulator to eight alternative agricultural marketing strategy portfolios that are also used in new generation grain contracts. The performance measures we compare are: average bushel price that would be received by the producer, daily portfolio risk, and the Sharpe ratio. The period we examine performance was between 2008 and 2017. We investigate performance …

From Milpas To The Market: A Study On The Use Of Metal Silos For Safer And Better Storage Of Guatemalan Maize, José Rodrigo Mendoza

Department of Food Science and Technology: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

This project aimed to implement the use of metal silos to improve quality and safety of maize consumed by inhabitants of the highlands of Guatemala. This manuscript includes a literature review of the maize production chain in Guatemala, a survey about agricultural practices used in the region of study, as well as a characterization of the analyzed maize regarding its mycoflora, nutritional composition, and insect infestation. To better understand the current situation regarding agricultural practices and maize consumption, a survey was carried out. Sample consisted of 280 families representing 14 rural communities distributed in the townships of Todos Santos and …

Superweeds And Suspect Seeds: Does The Genetically-Engineered Crop Deregulation Process Put American Agriculture At Risk, Margaret Sova Mccabe

Law Faculty Scholarship

The federal government’s regulatory approach to genetically engineered (GE) crops, known as “The Framework”, is now twenty-five years old. Despite two and half decades of a consistent regulatory regime, GE crop and food regulation remains controversial. This article suggests that regulatory science and its tenets of independence, transparency, and public science should guide reforms of The Framework so that it is an efficient and reliable regulatory system. The article has four parts: 1) it provides a brief overview of the history of GE crop regulation; 2)it describes the key attributes of The Framework and related regulatory documents, with particular focus …

A Look Into Producers' Decisions To Retain Ownership Of Cattle; Risk Management, David J. Englund, Scott W. Fausti, Gene E. Murra

Economics Commentator

No abstract provided.

Grain Marketing Alternatives, Richard Shane

Economics Commentator

No abstract provided.

Analysis Of September 11, 1980 Supply And Demand Report For Wheat, Feed Grains And Oil Seeds, Arthur B. Sogn

Economics Commentator

No abstract provided.

Crop Production Outlook, Art Sogn

Economics Commentator

No abstract provided.

An Economic Study Of Grain Corn, Sweet Corn, And Silage Corn In Northern Utah, 1962, Guy A. Erikson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

In 1959 there were 49,006 acres of corn grown in the state of Utah. Included in this were 4,232 acres of grain corn, 38,770 acres of silage corn , and 4,470 acres of sweet corn. The remaining acres of corn were used for pasture, cut as fodder, or any miscellaneous use.