Agricultural and Resource Economics Commons^™

Women In Agriculture Conference 2011, Cheryl Griffith

Cornhusker Economics

Taking Charge of Our Future was the theme of the 26th Women in Agriculture (WIA) Conference, February 17-18, 2011. Nearly 400 women participated in the event, hosted by the Department of Agricultural Economics, University Extension and the Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources (IANR).

Attendees were from all corners of Nebraska, with others making the trip from Kansas, Colorado, Wyoming, South Dakota and Indiana. The average attendee has attended the conference six times over the 26 years. For 53 women this was their first experience attending a WIA Conference, and two have attended the conference all 26 years. The College …

Beef Cow Replacement Decisions: Is Keeping Open Cows Possible?, Trenton T. Bohling, Darrell R. Mark

Cornhusker Economics

In the past few years, some cow-calf producers have encountered abnormally large numbers of open, or unbred, cows in their herd. A couple of years ago, trichomoniasis, a venereal cattle disease spread by bulls, contributed to high percentages of open cows. This year, open cows are again showing up in herds, hypothesized to partially be the result of difficult winter conditions last winter and “washy” grass early last summer. In some cases, 40-70 percent of a cow herd has tested open, leaving producers to determine how best to replace these animals. Typically, options considered to replace these open cows are …

Nebraska Agricultural Land Markets Showing Strong Gains, Bruce B. Johnson, Roger K. Wilson, Sara Van Newkirk, Tyler Rosener

Cornhusker Economics

Riding the wave of high commodity prices and farm income levels, Nebraska’s agricultural land values rose 22 percent in the 12-month period ending February 1, 2011. According to preliminary results from the annual University of Nebraska-Lincoln Nebraska Farm Real Estate Market Developments Survey, the state’s all-land average value is at a historic high of $1,833 per acre (Figure 1 on next page, and Table 1 on page 3). That level is double the state’s all-land average just six years previously in 2005.

While all classes of farmland posted large percentage gains, the cropland categories showed the strongest gains - a …

Long-Term Care For Farmers And Ranchers, David J. Goeller

Cornhusker Economics

The population of the United States is aging. There will be 2.5 million Americans who will have their 65th birthday in 2011, which equates to nearly 7,000 per day. By the end of the year we should have 41 million Americans over the age of 65. The potential cost of long-term care and the impact on the farm business is a significant concern for many Nebraska farmers and ranchers. Many have become increasingly aware of how easily the cost of long-term care can wipe out a lifetime of savings, or hamper the transfer of a family farm, ranch or business …

Animal Welfare: Perceptions Of Nonmetropolitan Nebraskans: 2011 Nebraska Rural Poll Results, Rebecca J. Vogt, Randolph L. Cantrell, Bradley Lubben, Connie Reimers-Hild

Nebraska Rural Poll

Almost all rural Nebraskans recognize the importance of livestock and poultry production to the state’s economy and most rural Nebraskans are familiar with livestock care practices. In fact, many rural Nebraskans have experience raising beef cattle, poultry and swine. They have less experience with dairy production.

Most rural Nebraskans believe animal welfare means providing adequate exercise, space and social activities for the animals in addition to food, water and shelter. However, the vast majority of rural Nebraskans agree that animal welfare means at least providing adequate food, water and shelter to livestock animals.

Most rural Nebraskans trust livestock farmers and …

Quality Of Life In Nonmetropolitan Nebraska: 2011 Nebraska Rural Poll Results, Rebecca J. Vogt, Randolph L. Cantrell, Bradley D. Lubben, Connie Reimers-Hild

Nebraska Rural Poll

Most rural Nebraskans are positive about their current situation. And, they continue to be generally positive about their future situation. Over one-half (52%) of rural Nebraskans think they are better off than they were five years ago and just under one-half (45%) think they will be better off ten years from now.

Certain groups remain pessimistic about their situation. Persons with lower household incomes, older persons, persons with lower educational levels and persons who are divorced or separated are the groups most likely to be pessimistic about the present and the future.

When asked if they believe people are powerless …

Community Life In Nonmetropolitan Nebraska: Current Perceptions And Future Strategies: 2011 Nebraska Rural Poll Results, Rebecca J. Vogt, Randolph L. Cantrell, Bradley D. Lubben, Connie Reimers-Hild

Nebraska Rural Poll

By many different measures, rural Nebraskans are positive about their community. Many rural Nebraskans rate their community as friendly, trusting and supportive. Most rural Nebraskans also say it would be difficult to leave their community. In addition, most rural Nebraskans disagree that their community is powerless to control its future.

Differences of opinion exist by the size of their community. Residents of smaller communities are more likely than residents of larger communities to rate their community favorably on its social dimensions and to have positive sentiments about their community. However, residents of larger communities are more likely than residents of …

The Digital Age: Nonmetropolitan Nebraskans’ Use Of Technology: 2011 Nebraska Rural Poll Results, Rebecca J. Vogt, Randolph L. Cantrell, Bradley D. Lubben, Connie Reimers-Hild

Nebraska Rural Poll

Most rural Nebraskans use the Internet or email from home. The groups most likely to use the Internet or email from home include: persons living in or near larger communities, residents of the Panhandle region, persons with higher household incomes, younger persons, females, married persons, persons with higher education levels and persons with management, professional or education occupations. The Internet applications used by the majority of rural Nebraskans include: research, looking for health information, purchasing a product, watching a video and social networking.

Most rural Nebraskans have positive opinions about shopping online: that the Internet is the best place to …

Climate Impact On Agricultural Efficiency, Federico J. Trindade

Department of Agricultural Economics: Faculty Publications

Introduction

Method

Degree Days

Results

Conclusions

Crop Insurance Changes In 2011, H. Doug Jose

Cornhusker Economics

For a number of years the Risk Management Agency (RMA) of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has been working with the crop insurance industry to streamline the crop insurance program for the major crops. The new Common Crop Insurance Policy, referred to as the COMBO Policy, is in effect beginning with crops harvested in 2011. Crops covered include corn, soybeans, grain sorghum, wheat, barley, cotton, rice, canola and sunflowers.

Nutrient Management Record Keeping Calendar, July 2011-December 2012, Leslie J. Johnson, Charles Shapiro, Charles Wortmann, Chris G. Henry, Larry Howard, Tamilee D. Nennich

Nebraska Cooperative Extension: Faculty and Staff Publications

Records for Nebraska Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations

Record the initials of the person performing the inspection each time. Check marks will not satisfy the record-keeping requirements.

Record any maintenance and/or repairs.

Correct all deficiencies within 30 days.

Technological Change And Productivity Analysis In Nebraska, Dereje B. Megeressa

Department of Agricultural Economics: Faculty Publications

Productivity growth has been an important source of US economic growth throughout the century

The years since 1940 have been an even faster growth in agricultural productivity (Ball, et.al. 1998; Tokgöz, 2002).

Several factors have been identified as the most important sources of productivity change in US agriculture.

Chandler (1962) attributes over 75 percent of the growth in productivity to technological factors in the post war years.

In Nebraska, several productivity studies conducted that include (Perrin et al, 2001; ball et al, 2001; and Palestina et al(2009).

None of the studies disaggregate land into poor and good …

A Good Drought Plan May Save Your Ranch And Improve Your Bottomline, Matthew C. Stockton, Sunil P. Dhoubhadel

Cornhusker Economics

If you are a beef cattle producer that depends on rain fed pasture then you know how costly a severe drought can be. Whatever actions are taken to mitigate drought, there is always an associated cost whether it be physical or psychological. From an economic perspective, drought mitigation is managed from two main objectives – demand management and/or supply management. Demand management options include decreasing the demand for feed, such as selling livestock, weaning calves early and moving them to a dry lot or sale and/or reducing the grazing time in pastures. Supply management includes options that increase the supply …

Climate Change, Agricultural Productivity And Food Security In Sub-Saharan Africa, Aziza Kibonge

Cornhusker Economics

Agricultural productivity growth is a necessary condition for food security. Climate is directly related to the ability of a region to produce food. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC, 2007) reports that countries in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) are likely to be severely affected by climate change and climate variability. Projections show that extreme heat and heavy precipitation are likely to become more frequent, affecting the ability of an already stressed area to produce cash as well as food crops. Most of SSA agriculture (96 percent of harvested acres) is rainfed, making crop yields very sensitive to the temporal and …

The Keystone Xl Pipeline Project, Richard K. Perrin, Lilyan Fulginiti

Cornhusker Economics

Prior to Canadian Prime Minister Harper’s visit to the White House last week, the United States Department of State released the EnSys study of the controversial Keystone XL pipeline project proposed to run through Nebraska’s sandhills. The release ignited new debates amid concern that the U.S. Department of State would soon decide whether to grant a permit for the pipeline. The Nebraska Unicameral is considering bills to provide more constraints on pipeline construction. Below is a summary of information about this project that could affect many Nebraskans.

2010 Ohio Animal Welfare Compromise, J. David Aiken

Cornhusker Economics

In June 2010, Ohio elected officials and animal welfare activists negotiated an animal welfare compromise agreement that kept an animal welfare proposition off the November ballot in Ohio.

2011 Federal Estate Tax Update, J. David Aiken

Cornhusker Economics

Estate planning is a very important topic for farm families. In 2001, President Bush signed legislation that reduced the federal estate taxes up until 2010, when the federal estate tax was reduced to zero. If no new federal legislation had been enacted, the Federal Estate Tax Exemption would have fallen from unlimited to $1 million on January 1, 2011. However, on December 17, 2010 President Obama signed HR 4853, which extended the Bush tax cuts through the end of 2012. This means that from January 1, 2011 through December 31, 2012, the Federal Estate Tax Exemption is $5 million, but …

Empathy Tempering Economic Choice: The Empirical Evidence, Marianna Khachaturyan, Gary D. Lynne, Natalia Czap, Hans Czap, Mark E. Burbach

Cornhusker Economics

The notion that something beyond money could also be an important part of economic choice goes back hundreds of years. Adam Smith, who is credited with providing the framework for modern market-based economies, wrote extensively in the late 1700s about the role of the “moral sentiments.” In fact, his book The Theory of Moral Sentiments was actually drafted first, and he worked on it many years after the publication of his better known book On the Nature and the Causes of the Wealth of Nations, the latter focused “on the money.” Intriguingly, the sentiments/empathy book is all about how …

Sorghum Millet And Other Grains Crsp, Leader With Associates Cooperative Agreement No. Eep-A-00-06-00160: The New Program, John Yohe

INTSORMIL Presentations

INTSORMIL was created in 1979 by USAID and BIFAD as a long-term mechanism for agriculture development. It is meant to utilize capacity of U.S. land grant universities increase research capacity Increase food production. INTSORMIL was replaced in 2006 by the SMOG, Sorghum, Millet and Other Grains CRSP. The focus of these programs in Africa has been on sorghum, pearl millet, finger millet, tef, and fonio. The programs have facilitated investigation of soil and water (environmental considerations), integrated pest management, nutrition and health, broadening market access, mitigating post-harvest constraints, enhancing productivity and livelihood in marginal areas, increasing income, improving food quality, …

Sorghum Breeding Programme, Medson Chisi

INTSORMIL Presentations

Overall the project has been a success--the challenge is to supply sufficient seed.

A sustainable seed distribution system is needed for farmers living in remote areas.

The Sorghum Programme requires continued support from all stake holders--collaboration.

There is need to link farmers to potential markets.

Most farmers have expressed the need for assistance in terms extension service and inputs.

Sorghum is an important crop as it is a direct substitute for maize.

Stock feed companies have also expressed willingness to purchase sorghum if more farmers are able to grow sufficient quantities.

Opportunities For Nebraska In Future Carbon Markets: Final Technical Report For Ncesr Project 3-#303, Richard K. Perrin, Adam J. Liska, Lilyan E. Fulginiti

Department of Agricultural Economics: Presentations, Working Papers, and Gray Literature

This study was funded to explore potential opportunities for Nebraska in future carbon markets, most explicitly those opportunities related to the possibility of replacing fossil fuels with biomass at Nebraska corn ethanol plants. The most direct and significant finding is that biomass-fired CHP (combined heat and power) technology is not economically viable for Nebraska corn ethanol plants under current conditions. We estimate in the study that corn stover price would have to be at least $50 per ton of dry matter for the requisite amounts to be delivered to any of the three ethanol plant locations considered (Adams, Norfolk and …

An Analysis Of Supply Contracts In The Livestock Markets Of The United States, Doussou Traore

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

In this report, we discuss market relations in the cattle and beef sector of the United States by setting up a sequence of optimization decisions taken by cattle feeders (producers, sellers) and meat packers (processors, buyers) to solve for the equilibrium supply and demand proportions in the contract market in a first stage given the respective degrees of risk aversion for the representative producer and processor. Subsequently we derive the impacts of contracts, namely impacts on the spot market price and the processors’ ability to exercise oligopsony power, in a second stage. Using a model for a fixed-price contract, the …

Sorghum And Pearl Millet Improved Seed Value Chains In Zambia: Challenges And Opportunities For Smallholder Farmers, Priscilla Hamukwala, Gelson Tembo, Don Larson, Mark Erbaugh

INTSORMIL Scientific Publications

Sorghum and millet are a very important source of food and farm income for smallholder farmers, which can be enhanced especially if linked to new markets. These two crops have been widely viewed as minor traditional crops in the Zambian food systems. The two crops were displaced by maize in the 1900s with the opening of the copper mines. However, they remain important food crops for semi-arid areas of the country. In recent years, there have also been new market developments requiring farmers to increase productivity and production. Unfortunately significant productivity enhancements are impeded by low access to improved technologies …

Environmental Efficiency Among Corn Ethanol Plants, Juan P. Sesmero, Richard K. Perrin, Lilyan E. Fulginiti

Department of Agricultural Economics: Faculty Publications

Economic viability of the US corn ethanol industry depends on prices, technical and economic efficiency of plants and on continuation of policy support. Public policy support is tied to the environmental efficiency of plants measured as their impact on emissions of greenhouse gases. This study evaluates the environmental efficiency of seven recently constructed ethanol plants in the North Central region of the U.S., using nonparametric data envelopment analysis (DEA). The minimum level of GHG emissions (per gallon of ethanol produced) feasible with the available technology is calculated for each plant and this level is used to decompose environmental efficiency into …

Collaboration For Improved Soil And Water Management In Eastern And Southern Africa, Charles S. Wortmann

INTSORMIL Presentations

INTSORMIL Technical Focal Areas:

Enhancing productivity and livelihood in marginal areas

Soil and water management

Integrated pest management

Mitigating post-harvest losses

Nutrition and health

Food quality, processing and safety

Broadening market access

Increasing income

Breeding, biotechnology, and biodiversity

Getting Honest With Oil, Bruce B. Johnson

Cornhusker Economics

In this year of the monumental oil spill off our shores, Americans are being brought face-to-face with some stark realities of our time. First, we are seeing that current technology and human processes can’t insure the prevention of environmental disasters, creating havoc to large economic regions as well as to fragile ecosystems. In fact, if a single 21-inch pipe spewing millions of barrels of oil from the floor of the Gulf can continue for months on end, without effective correction, just how ingenious are we as humans?

Nebraska Panhandle Connects With German Institute On Agri Benchmark Project, Paul Burgener

Cornhusker Economics

In the Spring of 2009, the University of Nebraska Panhandle Research and Extension Center was contacted by a representative from the Institute of Farm Economics at the Johann Heinrich von Thunen Institute (vTI) in Braunschweig, Germany. In the initial meeting, a partnership was arranged to provide Western Nebraska irrigated economic data for the Agri Benchmark project operated by vTI, with the University of Nebraska receiving access to the worldwide data set that exists within the project. This relationship has grown over the past 18 months to include a number of other opportunities.

Co-Product Prices May Be Nearing Seasonal Low, Darrell R. Mark

Cornhusker Economics

The supply of corn milling co-products from ethanol production has increased rapidly over the last several years. Based on United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) projections of corn ground for ethanol production, approximately 38 million tons of distillers grains would have been produced in the 2009-10 marketing year, with 40 million tons projected for the 2010-11 marketing year. While supply has grown, so too has demand from both domestic and international users. Cattle feeders in particular have found wet distillers grains plus solubles (WDGS), modified wet distillers grains plus solubles (MWDGS) and dried distillers grains plus solubles (DDGS) to be …

Nebraska Farm Business Averages, Tina N. Barrett

Cornhusker Economics

Ten years ago, there was a pattern in net farm income of a good year followed by a bad year, followed by a good year, and so on. From 1999 to 2002 we saw continual drops in net farm income, and since 2003 the pattern has been record high incomes followed by new record high incomes. Grain prices went on the rise and returns followed. In 2009, we recorded the first drop in average net farm income since 2002.

Internet Connectivity And Use In Nebraska, Rebecca J. Vogt, Charlotte Narjes, Connie Hancock

Cornhusker Economics

As discussed in an earlier Cornhusker Economics article (May 26, 2010), the Nebraska Public Service Commission was awarded a grant from the Department of Commerce's National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) for conducting a study of broadband use and needs in Nebraska. The University of Nebraska-Lincoln conducted the survey for the Commission. In addition, the Nebraska Information Technology Commission (NITC), Community Council and Nebraska Department of Economic Development (DED) collaborated with the Commission on this survey.