Agricultural and Resource Economics Commons^™

Report Discusses Farm Policy Preferences, Bradley Lubben

Cornhusker Economics

The development of the next farm bill is a complex, comprehensive process that involves numerous issues. The process will, in part, be driven by the economic climate, the budget situation, the trade arena and the political setting at the time of the debate. The economic setting and the political setting invite a significant debate on the shape of the farm bill and the potential for new directions or alternatives. The budget setting and the trade setting both present challenges for this farm bill debate in terms of program priorities and potential program trade-offs.

Working Lands Agri-Environmental Policy Options And Issues For The Next U.S. Farm Bill, Thomas Dobbs

Economics Staff Paper Series (1969 - 2017)

U.S. farm legislation is due to be updated in 2007, to become effective with the 2008 crop year. Major questions surround the role of environmental or conservation provisions in the new Federal farm bill. In this paper, I first present some background on the evolution of U.S. 'agri-environmental policies'-policies encompassing conservation of agriculture's natural resources and agriculture's impact on the environment. I follow that with a brief discussion of the concept of' multifunctionality' in agriculture, a concept that increasingly is driving discussions of agri-environmental policy options in Europe and the U.S. The subsequent section of the paper contains discussion of …

The Effect Of Early Vs Normal Calf Weaning On Feedlot Performance And Herd Management: A Northern Plains Case Study, Scott Fausti, Douglas Landblom, Patricia Johnson, Martin Beutler, Roger N. Gates, Robin R. Salverson, Hubert H. Patterson, Staeve I. Paisley

Economics Staff Paper Series (1969 - 2017)

A two-year study of early vs. normal weaning of steer calves was conducted in the western Dakotas in 2003-04. Economic and statistical analysis of calf feedlot performance and carcass quality was conducted. The analysis concludes that early weaning improves feedlot production efficiency, and reduces per day and per pound feedlot production costs. However, early weaned steers are lighter at slaughter; therefore, early weaning lowers carcass revenue relative to normal weaning. The early weaning effect on the profitability of retaining calves through the feedlot stage was not statistically significant. However, statistical analysis indicates that early weaning does have a positive effect …

Crp In South Dakota: Potential Effects On South Dakota Agriculture, Gary Taylor, Larry Janssen

Economics Commentator (1972- 2016)

No abstract provided.

Bioenergy, Safety Net Tools Are Producers’ Top Priorities For Next Farm Bill, Bradley Lubben, Mary Thompson

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

Bioenergy and the structure of safety net programs are of high interest to farmers and ranchers as the next farm bill is debated, according to more than 15,000 farmers and ranchers in 27 states surveyed by Farm Foundation’s National Public Policy Education Committee (NPPEC). The survey was released today as part of Farm Foundation's 2007 Farm Bill Forum.

Producers ranked renewable energy, enhancing opportunities for small and beginning farmers, and assuring a safe and affordable food supply as their top three goals for the next farm bill. “All the goals presented to producers to rank were decades-old rationales for farm …

Agricultural Earnings Highly Variable Over Time And By Sub-State Region, Bruce Johnson, Gibson Nene, Anneke Gustafson

Cornhusker Economics

For anyone close to production agriculture it is obvious that income and earnings levels are highly fickle from one year to the next. This can be clearly seen in Nebraska’s year-to-year total net farm income levels over the past decade, which have ranged from a low of $813 million in 2002 to nearly $3.4 billion in 1996 and again in 2004. But what about variation across the sub-state regions? And what economic impacts might these variations have for these regional economies?

The Cost Of Reducing Irrigation, Ray Supalla, Brian Mcmullen, Tom Buell

Cornhusker Economics

For several decades Nebraska has proudly and appropriately regarded irrigation development as an important source of economic growth. However, in some parts of the state we now have too much of a good thing! To meet our Compact obligations to Kansas and Colorado in the Republican Basin and to comply with the proposed Cooperative Agreement for the Platte Basin we must find a way to consume less irrigation water. The cost of reducing irrigation and the equity implications will depend on what methods the state uses to achieve this objective.

Non-Standard Structure Flow Measurement Evaluation Using The Flow Rate Indexing Procedure - Qip, Stuart W. Styles, Bryan Busch, Daniel J. Howes, Marcus Cardenas

BioResource and Agricultural Engineering

This report details the proper installation and calibration techniques for hydroacoustic meters. The calibration procedure developed as part of this study is called the Flow Rate Indexing Procedure (QIP). The QIP can be competed by a professional technician with a boat-mounted Acoustic Doppler Profiler (ADP) or a standard current meter. Once the QIP has been used to properly calibrate a hydroacoustic flow meter, the device can then measure and record the flow rate and volume in a channel to within +/- 6% of actual values.

The 2007 Farm Bill: U.S. Producer Preferences For Agricultural, Food And Public Policy, Bradley Lubben, Nelson L. Bills, James B. Johnson, James L. Novak

Department of Agricultural Economics: Faculty Publications

The development of the next farm bill is a complex, comprehensive process that involves numerous issues. The process will, in part, be driven by the economic climate, the budget situation, the trade arena, and the political setting at the time of the debate. The economic setting and the political setting invite a significant debate on the shape of the farm bill and the potential for new directions or alternatives. The budget setting and the trade setting both present challenges for this farm bill debate in terms of program priorities and potential program trade-offs.

In this complex environment, understanding producer attitudes …

Adaptive Management, Economic Realities And The Platte River Cooperative Agreement, Karina Schoengold

Cornhusker Economics

In the past several years, the term ‘adaptive management’ has been used a lot with reference to the Platte River Cooperative Agreement. This leads to many questions – what exactly is adaptive management? How does it relate to economic and policy choices? How does it affect management choices made on the Platte River?

Winter Wheat Decisions, Jack Davis, Matthew Diersen, Alan May

Economics Commentator (1972- 2016)

No abstract provided.

Reducing The Pace Of Global Warming: Can The Environmental Buyer Compete With The Climate Exchange In Buying Carbon Offsets?, Natalia Ovchinnikova, Gary D. Lynne

Cornhusker Economics

The term “global warming” was coined in 1896 by the Swedish chemist Svante August Arrhenius. He observed that as the consumption of hydrocarbon fuels and industrial production had grown over the years, the atmospheric concentration of greenhouse gasses (GHG), mainly carbon dioxide (CO2, which accounts for 80 percent of these gasses), began to correlate with a global increase in temperature. There is now general agreement in the scientific community that it is the burning of these carbon containing fuels that is causing global warming. There are two means to combat this warming: first, to reduce CO2 emissions; second, to offset …

Economic And State Budget Cost Of Reducing The Consumptive Use Of Irrigation Water In The Platte And Republican Basins, Ray Supalla, Thomas V. Buell, Brian Mcmullen

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

The potential costs to irrigators, the state economy and the state budget were estimated for different methods of reducing consumptive use (CU) of irrigation water in the Platte and Republican Basins. The policy methods considered included: leased retirement of irrigated land using a willing buyer-willing seller approach; required land retirement with lease payments equal to actual producer losses; retirement of irrigated land by purchasing water rights using a willing buyer-willing seller approach; forced retirement of irrigated land with the purchase price equal to actual market value; allocation with 100 percent producer compensation; and allocation with 50 percent producer compensation. Both …

Farm Lease Termination, J. David Aiken

Cornhusker Economics

Many farm leases, especially those between family members, are not written but are verbal "handshake" agreements. Because nothing is in writing, the parties may have different recollections of their agreement, making lease disputes more difficult to resolve. In legal terms, verbal farm leases in Nebraska may be either "year-to-year" leases or "holdover" leases. Holdover leases result when a written lease terminates but the landlord and tenant continue the lease with an oral agreement, either directly or implied, without entering into a new written lease. The most common legal issue associated with verbal farm leases is how a lease may legally …

Hurricane Damage To The Ocean, Charles S. Colgan, Jefferey Adkins

Publications

In 2005, insured losses from hurricanes and other catastrophes were greater than in any other year in U.S. history. NOAA’s National Hurricane Center estimates that $85 billion of total damages resulted from Hurricanes Katrina and Rita alone. One year later, the region affected by these two hurricanes still struggles to recover, both as a place to live and as a viable economy. Using data from the BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, the National Ocean Economics Program has developed a data series that allows the economic damage to coastal regions to be seen in a new light: what happens …

What Makes An Efficient Farm?, Tina N. Barrett

Cornhusker Economics

It seems that answers to questions often bring more questions. It is certainly true for both my fouryear- old daughter and our study of efficient farms. Natalie’s favorite question is “Why?” and our studies seem to ask “How can they do that?”

A Long Run Of Profit, Al Prosch

Cornhusker Economics

According to data1 from Iowa State University, the longest run of profits for Iowa hog producers was from December of 1976 through August of 1979 (Chart 1). If hog prices continue as expected through October of 2006, that thirty-three month record will be broken. Already, this is the longest series of profitable months since the mid-1980s.

Agriculture Land Suitability Analysis Of Indiana: Integrating Soil, Climate, Topography, And Urban Expansion, Yiran Huang

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study was initiated to classify the land suitability of Indiana for agricultural use. It integrates environmental, economic, and social factors to analyze the agricultural land suitability of Indiana. Soil, topography, flood, climate, and urban factors were considered. Soil Rating for Plant Growth (SRPG) was used as a soil index in this model; it is calculated based on the STA TSGO database along with landscape attributes and climate. Standard Precipitation Index (SPI) was used as a climate index. Urban areas were defined from Tiger data and a buffer zone was used to estimate future sprawl. GIS overlay was used to …

Western Nebraska Visitors Survey

Rural Initiative Program: Publications and Reports

During the months of September, 2005 through August, 2006 the Western Nebraska Tourism Coalition, the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Rural Initiative and University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension conducted a survey of visitors to 16 counties in Western Nebraska.

The survey was designed to provide information related to the activities and experiences of tourists and other visitors to Western Nebraska, especially as related to the hospitality industry.

Estimating Willingness To Pay Using A Polychotomous Choice Function: An Application To Pork Products With Environmental Attributes, Sean P. Hurley, Douglas J. Miller, James B. Kliebenstein

Agribusiness

Bid data from a Vickrey auction for pork chops with embedded environmental attributes were analyzed. It was found that approximately 62% of the participants had a positive WTP for the most "environmentally friendly" package of pork. Thirty percent of the participants had no WTP, and 8% had a negative WTP. A polychotomous choice model was used to accommodate data having an anchoring point within the distribution of the data. Standard variables found in the WTP literature coupled with this model were used to predict participants who were premium payers and non-premium payers using an estimated ordered probit equation.

Clustering Of Independent Dairy Operators For Generation Of Bio-Renewable Energy: A Feasibility Analysis, Sean P. Hurley, James J. Ahern, Douglas Williams

Agribusiness

According to the California Agricultural Statistical Service (CASS), California had almost 1.7 million dairy cows in 2003. These cows generated approximately four billion dollars in revenue, making the California Dairy industry the largest agricultural commodity in the state. These California dairies are estimated to have produced roughly thirty million metric tons of manure in 2003. According to the 2002 USDA census, eighty-seven percent of the dairy cows in California are located on farms of five hundred or more cows. Furthermore, the dairy industry is heavily concentrated in eight counties of California. This high concentration of dairies in the state implies …

An Examination Of Farm Program Payments On Farm Economic Structure, Saleem Shaik, Glenn A. Helmers

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

System of input demand functions is estimated to examine the impact of farm program payments on farm economic structure. Influence of farm program payments on input resource use for the time periods corresponding to the thirteen farm bills in effect since 1938 is also examined. Empirical application to Nebraska agriculture sector for the period 1936-2004 indicate positive impact of farm program payments on farm real estate, breeding livestock and other inputs. Negative influence of farm program payment on the use of farm equipment, farm labor, farm inputs, chemicals and energy was observed during the same period.

The Relationship Of U.S. And Canadian Cull Cow Prices To Lean Beef Prices: A Dag Analysis, Dillon Feuz, Matthew C. Stockton, Suparna Bhattacharya

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

What is the price relationship between a cull cow in San Angelo, Texas, Sioux Falls, South Dakota and other major U.S. cull cow markets and those in Ontario or Alberta Canada? How are these prices impacted by the price for lean beef trimmings or the price of imported lean beef from Australia or New Zealand? What impact did the discovery of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) in North America in 2003 have on these price relationships? Answers to these and other questions are the purpose of this paper.

Numerous market and price analysis studies exist on the fed cattle and feeder …

Livestock Gross Margin Insurance For Cattle, Josie Waterbury, Darrell R. Mark

Cornhusker Economics

Livestock Gross Margin Insurance (LGM) for Cattle is a relatively new insurance policy offered through USDA’s Risk Management Agency (RMA) that offers protection against a decline in cattle feeding margins. LGM provides protection as a bundled option that comprehensively covers the cost of corn, the cost of feeder cattle and the fed cattle selling price, unlike traditional options on futures where these margin components must be hedged separately. Essentially, LGM provides insured producers an indemnity when the spread between fed cattle sales prices and feeder cattle and corn input prices narrows due to changing market conditions.

An Estimation Of The Regulatory Cost On California Agricultural Producers, Sean P. Hurley, Jay E. Noel

Agribusiness

Regulations can have many different effects on producers—both positive and negative. They can positively affect producers by improving marketability of the crop and increasing worker’s safety which would provide benefits to producers in the form of higher prices and/or potential cost savings. They can also negatively affect producers by increasing the cost of production by mandating that producers use more costly or less efficacious inputs, causing negative effects to the producers’ bottom-line. Regulations can also have a negative effect on producers by increasing non-cash costs related to management time.

Optimal Market Contracting In The California Lettuce Industry, Kallie Donnelly, Jay E. Noel

Agribusiness

Marketing and production contracts are a widely used risk mitigating strategy in the agricultural industry. Marketing contracts guarantee a market and focuses on the product at time of delivery. The producer owns the crop until time of delivery and is paid a premium based on quality and quantity predetermined in the contract. Production contracts create long term relationships between the producer and contractor. The producer will provide predetermined services to grow the crop. The contractor will provide inputs for the producer, giving the contractor some control over the production process and ownership of the crop. Graph 1 illustrates the growth …

A Regional And Industry Analysis Of The Complexity Of The Regulatory Environment Affecting Agricultural Producers In California, Sean P. Hurley, Jay E. Noel

Agribusiness

Regulations have been studied from many different vantage points in the past. Carter, Chalfont, and Goodhue (2002) have studied how a particular regulation will affect a particular crop, while Antle (2000) and Cash and Swoboda (2003) have investigated the effect of a regulation on an industry. Kaplan, Johansson, and Peters (2004) have investigated the marginal costs and benefits of regulations. Attempts have been made by the federal government to obtain the total cost of the regulatory environment (Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, 1997), while Hurley and Noel (2006) have attempted to develop a baseline cost of regulations for California …

Blanding’S Turtle (Emydoidea Blandingii): A Technical Conservation Assessment, Justin D. Congdon, Douglas A. Keinath

United States Department of Agriculture, Forest Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

Blanding’s turtles (Emydoidea blandingii) are secure in Nebraska, and they range from being vulnerable to threatened, or endangered throughout most of the rest of their distribution. In Region 2, they have not been reported from Kansas, they are extremely rare in South Dakota, and they occupy wetlands in the northern half of Nebraska. The largest population known within the range of Blanding’s turtles is at Valentine National Wildlife Refuge, Nebraska.

The core habitat of Blanding’s turtles has an aquatic component that consists of a permanent wetland and a suite of other, usually smaller and more temporary, wetlands such …

Should I Sell My Wheat?, Paul Burgener

Cornhusker Economics

At this time of year, the most common question that I get from producers is, “Should I sell my wheat?” For an extension economist, this is a loaded question. If my answer is yes, then the price will go up $0.30 per bushel next week and I will get another less pleasant call. If I say no, the price will go down $0.30 the next week, and I get to have another conversation.

Economic Impacts Of Alternative Sized Dairies In South Dakota, Erik Gerlach, Larry Janssen, Gary Taylor, Alvaro Garcia

Economics Commentator (1972- 2016)

No abstract provided.