Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Organic Production Of Livestock And Livestock Products In Nebraska, Elliott James Dennis

Extension Farm and Ranch Management News

First paragraph:

USDA “Certified Organic” is a form of production that has received considerable public attention in the last 10 years, particularly among small, beginning and/or minority farmers. Spiking retail prices for red meat and poultry have seemingly accelerated consumer’s interest in organic locally produced products. Consumers demonstrate their desire for these products by paying premiums when purchasing meat products. Producers receive premiums by either directly marketing live animals to consumers that are custom harvested or marketing animals to meat wholesalers. The primary difference is the way premiums are captured. Producers doing custom harvesting capture the full premium whereas producers …

Surviving Variable Yields And Prices, Kara Zimmerman, Cory Walters, Jessica Groskopf, Matt Stockton, Kate Brooks

Cornhusker Economics

A marketing strategy focusing on prices from the most re-cent past, indirectly gives little or no weight to all of the other possible price outcomes. While it is intuitive that the most recent prices are more likely to play a role in our decision-making process, there are other price events that can happen. The seasonal price path from the 2019/2020 crop year was nothing like we have recently experienced. Sup-pose we entered the 2020’s marketing decision using a seasonal approach that considers only the average price series over the past 5 years (2015-19 average), Figure 1. The seasonal average indicates …

Livestock Indemnity Program: A Case For Managing Risk With Good Recordkeeping, Jay Parsons

Cornhusker Economics

Keeping good records is an important risk management tool for agricultural producers. Good records provide accurate, complete and consistent information that leads to better decision making. Good records also keep the farm or ranch operation in a good position to participate in USDA programs when those opportunities are available.

The Livestock Indemnity Program (LIP), one of the USDA disaster assistance programs administered by the Farm Service Agency (FSA), is an example of how good recordkeeping can be rewarded. LIP provides compensation to eligible livestock producers who have suffered livestock death losses in excess of normal mortality due to adverse weather, …

A Comparative Study On User Satisfaction With The Information Resources And Library Facilities By Faculty Members In Three Agriculture Libraries, Abu, Futm, And Futo, In Nigeria, Lawal Mohammed Tukur, S. Kannan

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

The comparative study on user satisfaction with information resources, and library facilities by faculty members in Three Agriculture university Libraries: ABU, FUTM, AND FUTO in Nigeria; the respondents are faculty members, in Ahmadu Bello University Zaria, Federal University Technology Minna and Federal University Technology Owerri sampled by the researcher. The main objective of the study is to compare the information resources, and facilities of Agriculture University Libraries with view to examine the types of information resources, and facilities available and user’s satisfaction by the respondent’s Library. Simple random sampling was used in selecting the Agriculture University Libraries from …

An Appraisal Of Availability And Utilization Of Information Resources And Library Services By Undergraduate Students In Three Agriculture University Libraries In Northern Nigeria (Abu, Fuam, Futm), Lawal Mohammed Tukur, S. Kannan

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

The study appraisal of information resources and services in Agriculture University Libraries in Northern Nigeria; the respondents are undergraduate students in Ahmadu Bello University Zaria, Federal University Agriculture Makurdi, and Federal University Technology Minna sampled by the researcher. The main objective of the study is to evaluate information resources, services in Agriculture University Libraries in Northern Nigeria with view to examine the types of information resources, and services available, extent of utilization of the information resources by undergraduate students in Agriculture University Libraries in Northern Nigeria under study, while questionnaires were administered to the undergraduate students. The researcher …

The Economy, The Stock Market, And A Bucket Of Chicken, Tim Meyer

Cornhusker Economics

Economists, unlike MDs and lawyers, are never able to sidestep professional questions. Whether it is at parties, or waiting to pick up kids from school, the “economy” is al-most as common as the weather for small talk. Fortunately, most economists are eager to opine on the current state of affairs, and almost as many are willing to guide laypeople to a truer understanding of what the “economy” actually is. This article will provide a definition of the economy, the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), and their importance. It will conclude by addressing the difference between the overall economy and the performance …

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 …

2020 Nebraska Ballot Issues – Election Results, J. David Aiken

Cornhusker Economics

This publication provides educational information regarding the two constitutional amendments recommended by the Unicameral to Nebraska voters and the four citizen ballot initiatives on the November 2020 general election ballot.

Seasonal Forecast Based Preharvest Hedging, Eric D. Hunt, Cory Walters, Toni Klemm, Iyore Eronmwon

Cornhusker Economics

Given the immense effect of weather on agriculture, skillful weather forecasts are of importance to agricultural producers for effective decision making. Weather forecasts affect operational decisions such as whether or not to irrigate (where applicable), when to apply fertilizer, when to spray herbicide and pesticide, and certainly the timing of planting and harvesting. At the seasonal time scale, say in the spring, just before planting, weather forecasts may be used for strategic decision making on outcomes, say from preharvest hedging (hereafter referred to hedging), that will not be realized until the fall or harvest. Historically, the lack of skill in …

A Scientometric Analysis Of Journal Of Agronomy And Crop Science (2000 -2019) Indexed In Web Of Science, Ali K. S., Ghouse Modin Nabeesab Mamdapur, Manjunath D. Kaddipujar, Manjunath B. Hadimani, Engin Senel

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

The present study attempts to analyze the publication productivity of the "Journal of Agronomy and Crop Science" during the year 2000-2019. The study was based on the data extracted from the Web of Science database. The primary purpose of the study is to analyze the research contributions of the journal under review. Through this investigation, the authors have tried to know the publication trend in the field of agronomy and related areas. The analysis covers the number of articles, year-wise distribution of articles along with citations, authorship pattern, institutions/organizations with the highest contributions, and the study also gives year-wise h-index …

Pork In The Future: The New Futures And Options Contracts On Pork Cutout, Fabio Mattos

Cornhusker Economics

The CME Group has announced its plan to launch futures and options contracts on pork cut-out. The new contracts are scheduled to start trading on November 9, 2020. The exchange has al-ready been offering futures and options contracts on lean hogs and now adds another contract that the industry can use for risk management. While the existing futures contract on lean hogs is based on prices paid for hogs in the U.S., the new con-tract on pork cutout is based on prices paid for wholesale cuts of pork.

The Economic Impacts Of Social Activism In Food Markets, Anubrata Deka, Emie Yiannaka, Konstantinos Giannakas

Cornhusker Economics

Private politics, usually led by nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) and social activists, focuses on changing the behavior of private economic agents through social pressure rather than through government action (although government action is also possible) (Baron, 2003). The food sector has been experiencing increased social pressure from social activist organizations to achieve diverse goals, ranging from improving food safety and food fortification to increasing transparency in food markets. A primary reason for the increase in organized activism in the food sector is the proliferation of the provision of credence attributes which are attributes unobservable through search or experience (consumption and use). …

Corruption And Cooperative Organizations, Konstantinos Giannakas, Murray E. Fulton

Cornhusker Economics

Although the literature is limited, there is evi-dence that corruption in cooperatives and inves-tor-owned firms (IOF) is widespread in develop-ing and transition economies where corruption generally is common. Cooperative corruption is also found closer to home. Two recent examples from the United States include the Ashby Farm-ers’ Cooperative Elevator in Minnesota where the general manager stole from the cooperative and the Tri-County Electric Cooperative in South Carolina where board members enriched them-selves with perks and benefits. In Canada, the PACE Credit Union was placed under the regula-tor’s control in 2018 after two senior executives were discovered to have received secret …

Distillers Grains Pre, During, And Post Covid-19: Ongoing Recovery And Structural Demand Implications, Daniel Gertner, Elliott James Dennis

Cornhusker Economics

Prior to the shutdowns caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, distillers grains and other co-products of ethanol production played a crucial role in maintaining the rev-enue stream of dry mill ethanol plants (Irwin 2020). With low crude oil prices over the last half of the decade and corn prices holding steady over the same period of time, the margin for error in the ethanol industry was thin. More than a third of Nebraska’s ethanol plants either temporarily or permanently closed in 2019 (MacroTrends 2020); (York News Times 2019). To prevent similar outcomes, ethanol plants focused on diver-sifying their operations to produce …

Asymmetric Benefits Of A Heterospecific Breeding Association Vary With Habitat, Conspecific Abundance And Breeding Stage, Rose J. Swift, Michael J. Anteau, Erin A. Roche, Mark H. Sherfy, Dustin L. Toy, Megan M. Ring

USGS Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center

Heterospecific breeding associations may benefit individuals by mitigating predation risk but may also create costs if they increase competition for resources or are more easily detectable by predators. Our understanding of the interactions among hetero- and conspecifics is often lacking in mixed species colonies. Here, we test how the presence of hetero- and conspecifics influence nest and chick survival for two listed (under the U.S. Endangered Species Act) migratory species breeding on the Missouri River, USA. We monitored 2507 piping plover Charadrius melodus nests and 3245 chicks as well as 1060 least tern Sternula antillarum nests and 1374 chicks on …

Crop Yield Growth Along The 41st Parallel: Contributions Of Environmental Vs. Human-Controlled Factors, Federico Trindade, Lilyan E. Fulginiti, Richard K. Perrin

Cornhusker Economics

Increasing crop yields in an area we recently studied has helped keep farmers competitive and helped to keep the world’s growing population fed. But how much of that yield increase has been due to more favorable climate versus human-controlled factors such as higher input use, irrigation, better genetics, etc.?

Community Development In The Time Of Covid-19, Daniela Mattos

Cornhusker Economics

The global pandemic has driven the whole country into an unprecedented crisis. As the months passed and the death toll climbed, the pandemic did some-thing else: it unveiled deep inequities within the country. Those getting sick and dying were disproportionately low-income racial and ethnographic minorities, most of them essential workers. According to the lat-est data from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, the virus has overly affected Black people and Latinos (https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/covid-data/covidview/index.html). Communities of color are also over represented among essential workers who are generally unable to work from home and more likely to come into contact with the …

Nebraska State And Federal Tax Issues: Opinions Of Rural Nebraskans, John C. Allen, Sam Cordes, Amy M. Smith, Matt Spilker, Amber Hamilton

Rural Futures Institute: Publications

Includes

Executive summary

Introduction

Methodology

Respondent profile

Findings

Nebraska Tax Issues

Federal Government Deficit Reduction

Federal Taxation Options

Federal Program Reduction Alternatives

Conclusions

Assumptions (Mistakes) That Parents Make With Estate Plans, Allan Vyhnalek

Cornhusker Economics

The main goal of many parents when writing their estate plan is for their children to continue to be a family. With this goal in mind, parents make many assumptions to “keep the peace” when planning their estate. If the family has a key fight then family activities, like holiday gatherings, no longer happen. Let’s look at these assumptions and make some observations about each. The overall goal is to think through our actions with the intent that the family stays together.

Without an estate plan, the assets are divided ac-cording to the laws of the state of Nebraska. That …

Uncertainties Abound In Nebraska Livestock Market Forecasts, Elliott James Dennis

Extension Farm and Ranch Management News

About one of the only things certain about forecasts this year has been the great deal of uncertainty. Numerous “novel” situations have confronted the industry making it difficult to estimate price magnitudes rather than just price direction. Clustered plant closures, government quarantine restrictions, and increasing at home phone consumption are just a few of the major issues the beef industry has had to tackle in the last six to eight months. Some things have returned to “normal” such as packing plant capacity and food service demand. Others are still in ongoing recovery.

Who knows what “normal” or “standard operating procedure” …

Comparing Profitability And Management Factors Across Operation Type: Independent Vs. Contract Growing, Elliott James Dennis

Extension Farm and Ranch Management News

First paragraph:

There is strong local and national interest in adding hog barns to existing row crop operations. Declining on farm income over the past several years has accelerated this interest. Grain operations cite diversifying farm income, adding another family to the farm operation, and/or replacing commercial fertilizer expense as the primary reasons for adding a hog barn.

A Historical Perspective On The Holcomb Fire: Differences And Similarities To The Covid-19 Situation And Other Significant Market Events, Elliott James Dennis

Extension Farm and Ranch Management News

Copyright 2020, the author. Used by permission.

The Impact Of Covid-19 On Nebraska’S Nonprofits, John C. Beghin

Cornhusker Economics

This article describes the impact of COVID-19 on nonprofit organizations in Nebraska based on evidence gathered in two business surveys coordinated by a research consortium. The consortium is made of the State of Nebraska, the Nebraska Chamber of Commerce, the University of Nebraska (UNO, UNL) and several local project partners. Additional information was provided by the Nonprofits Association of the Midlands (NAM), through two surveys of its member-ship and interviews with core staff at NAM, to corroborate the survey results. The business surveys took place in April and June 2020 gathering response of 646 (April) and 137 (June) nonprofit entities. …

Financial Health Of Grain Operations After Adding A Hog Barn, Elliott James Dennis

Extension Farm and Ranch Management News

There is strong local and national interest in adding hog barns to existing row crop operations. Declining on farm income over the past several years has accelerated this interest. Grain operations cite diversifying farm income, adding another family to the farm operation, and/or replace commercial fertilizer expense as the primary reasons for adding a hog barn.

While there is industry demand to increase hog contract growing, these agreements can possess significant benefits and risks to producers. This is the second of a four part series which will discuss some financial and legal implications of adding a hog barn to an …

Hog Barn Density And Location In U.S. And Nebraska, Elliott James Dennis

Extension Farm and Ranch Management News

There is strong local and national interest in adding hog barns to existing row crop operations. Declining on farm income over the past several years has accelerated this interest. Grain operations cite diversifying farm income, adding another family to the farm operation, and/or replace commercial fertilizer expense as the primary reasons for adding a hog barn.

While there is industry demand to increase hog contract growing, these agreements can possess significant benefits and risks to producers. This is the first of a four part series which will discuss some financial and legal implications of adding a hog barn to an …

Determinants Of Gluten-Free Diet Adoption Among Individuals Without Celiac Disease Or Non-Celiac Gluten Sensitivity, Kristina Arslain, Christopher Gustafson, Pratiksha Baishya, Devin Rose

Department of Agricultural Economics: Faculty Publications

Objectives: Gluten free (GF) foods are typically less nutritious and more expensive than their gluten-containing variants, yet people without a diagnosed gluten sensitivity continue to adopt this diet. There is a lack of research about what factors drive people without Celiac disease or non-Celiac gluten sensitivity to follow the GF diet. Methods: A nationally representative sample of 2982 US residents without a diagnosed gluten sensitivity were surveyed about their attitudes, perceptions, and experiences with the GF diet. Logistic regression was used to compare respondents who were currently avoiding or had avoided gluten previously (GF consumer) to respondents who had never …

Multi-Peril Crop Insurance Basics, Matt Stockton, Duran Rudnick, Chuck Burr

Cornhusker Economics

The Federal crop insurance corporation (FCIC) https://www.rma.usda.gov/Federal-Crop-Insurance-Corporation and https://www.everycrsreport.com/reports/R45193.html offers three types and eight levels of taxpayer subsidized multi-peril crop insurance (MPCI) policies, sold for four different unit types. The unit types are designed to define the nature of the farm area being insured. There are four types of insurable units, optional, basic, enterprise and whole farm. Each of these units has differences in costs per acre and is likely to create variations in indemnities. For example, a highly localized severe hail storm on a single field covered using basic units would likely have an indemnity, versus not likely to …

Agate Fossil Beds National Monument, Paleontological Resources Management Plan (Public Version), Scott Kottkamp, Vincent L. Santucci, Justin S. Tweet, Jessica De Smet, Ellen Stark

United States National Park Service: Publications

Executive Summary

Since Agate Springs Ranch was founded by James H. Cook in 1887, exquisite examples of transitional Miocene mammalian fauna have been found along this stretch of the Niobrara River valley. Collectively these paleontological discoveries, along with the existing archeological and historical Native American collection, were the basis for establishing Agate Fossil Beds National Monument (AGFO) as a unit of the National Park System (NPS). The fossil remains from the Harrison and Anderson Ranch formations span a short, but important, time period within the Miocene Epoch. AGFO has provided science with an intimate look into North American mammalian evolution …

Drought Decisions: Profit Maximizing Decisions During And After Drought Conditions, Robert Tigner, Elliott James Dennis

Extension Farm and Ranch Management News

In summary, using available price risk management tools can effectively reduce some of the market price risk variability that is inherent in agricultural production that are caused by either production or price risk.

2020 Nebraska Property Tax Changes, J. David Aiken

Cornhusker Economics

The Nebraska Unicameral enacted significant property tax relief legislation in the closing days of the 2020 legislative session. The last-minute compromise was negotiated by seven legislators selected by the Speaker. The compromise estab-lishes a refundable state income tax credit of an estimated 6% of the property taxes paid for local schools (excluding property taxes for school bonds and school budget overrides). Taxpayers will be able to claim this credit on next year’s Ne-braska state income tax return. For fiscal years (FYs) 2021-22 through 2023-24 (i.e. from July 1, 2021, through June 30, 2024), the amount availa-ble for the refundable state …