Agricultural and Resource Economics Commons^™

Agricultural Property And Property Taxation, Bruce B. Johnson

Cornhusker Economics

One entry sure to win most liars’ contests is the one about the farmer who was asked about his property taxes and he replied “no comment.” Farmers and other owners of agricultural real estate have always grumbled about property taxes. And here in Nebraska, the concern seems to be even more than elsewhere.

California Animal Welfare Initiative Proposition Two, J. David Aiken

Cornhusker Economics

In November 2008, California voters approved Proposition Two, the California Animal Welfare Initiative. This newsletter discusses Proposition Two and possible implications for Nebraska.

Interim Report: Teaching Of Econometrics At Pace University, Gregory Colman

Cornerstone 3 Reports : Interdisciplinary Informatics

No abstract provided.

Managing Maize Production In Shifting Cultivation Milpa Systems In Yucatan, Through Weed Control And Manure Application, David Parsons, Luis Ramirez-Aviles, Jerome H. Cherney, Quirine M. Ketterings, Robert W. Blake, Charles F. Nicholson

Agribusiness

Milpa cultivation involving cutting an area of forest, burning, and planting crops has existed in the Yucatán Peninsula for more than three millennia. Fallow periods are short and decreasing, leading to a productivity collapse of the system. Technologies that increase yield and maintain plots under cultivation have the potential to decrease the land area needed for family food production, resulting in more mature forests. This study was undertaken to examine the relative importance and potential interactions of declining fertility and increasing weed pressure in reducing maize (Zea mays L.) yields, and to examine the effectiveness of combinations of weed …

The Use Of Economics Experiments To Understand Patent Licensing, Patent Challenging And Patent Litigation Behavior, Rita Abdelnour

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

The existing patent literature suggests that the patent breadth is an important factor in determining the innovator’s patent licensing and litigation behavior and that licensing a patent to a competitor is driven by profit. The present study develops two economics experiment to investigate these assumptions. First, a choice experiment is developed to investigate the patentee’s objective when licensing her innovation, by examining whether, when the decision to license is made, the patentee maximizes profits or her strategy is to maintain a dominant market position by controlling the largest market share. The results show that the assumptions of profit maximization and …

The First Scientific Defense Of A Vegetarian Diet, Ken Albala

College of the Pacific Faculty Books and Book Chapters

No abstract provided.

Three Counties Saw The Majority Of Nebraska’S Housing Growth 2007 – 2008, Randolph L. Cantrell

Cornhusker Economics

According to estimates released by the Bureau of the Census in August, 2009, Nebraska’s total housing stock increased by 5,529 units between July 1, 2007 and July 1, 2008, an increase of 0.7 percent for the year. This represented an estimated rate of growth in housing stock slightly below the state’s estimated rate of population growth, which was 0.8 percent for the same time period.

Nebraska Republican River Policy Choices, J. David Aiken

Cornhusker Economics

On June 30, 2009 an arbitrator recommended that Nebraska be required to pay Kansas $10,000 for violating the Republican River Settlement, after Kansas had originally requested $72 million in damages. The August 5, 2009 Cornhusker Economics explored the significance of the arbitrator’s decision. This newsletter explores the choices facing the Governor, Unicameral and Republican Basin Natural Resources Districts (NRDs).

The Myth Of The Rational Market: Nudging Each Other Away From Fool’S Gold, Gary D. Lynne

Cornhusker Economics

A flurry of media commentary and several new books are focused on the recent financial crisis and near economic collapse. A Newsweek article by Zakaria (2009), “Greed is Good (To a Point),” suggests reconsidering the role of greed in capitalism. This is also the theme in Fools Gold (Tett, 2009), a story about the way derivatives markets have evolved: showing greed at its worst. In many ways this is the core source of the current set of problems. In some sense, these perspectives are integrated in The Myth of the Rational Market by Fox (2009), who traces the thinking on …

Nebraska Wins First Round In Republican River Dispute, J. David Aiken

Cornhusker Economics

On June 30, 2009 an arbitrator recommended that Nebraska be required to pay Kansas $10,000 for violating the Republican River Settlement, after Kansas had originally requested $72 million in damages. This newsletter explores the significance of the arbitrator’s decision.

Grades 2-3 Urban Communities, Amanda Bub

Social Studies

This is a social studies lesson for second and third graders on Urban Communities. Through this lesson students will be able to identify and understand the characteristics of an urban community and the benefits and disadvantages of that community. Students will learn to apply these ideas to understand the influence of environment on a person’s life. The lesson is tiered using a shape contract where the student on each level will choose three different shapes to complete the task based on their level and interest.

Understanding Spatial Welfare Impacts Of A Grain Ethanol Plant, Justin Van Wart, Richard K. Perrin

Department of Agricultural Economics: Faculty Publications

This study inquires into the spatial welfare impacts of a grain ethanol plant established in an area with a beef feeding industry. Beef feeders, corn farmers, and the ethanol plant interact with each other simultaneously in a dynamic market situation. To date, there are no studies which simultaneously analyze the welfare impacts of an ethanol enterprise on the three major players affected by the existence of a plant. In this market situation, some interesting phenomena have been noted which raise some intriguing questions. Why do plants sell ethanol byproduct feed at prices below corn price, even though studies show the …

Almonds Along The Silk Road: The Exchange And Adaptation Of Ideas From West To East, Ken Albala

College of the Pacific Faculty Articles

The article discusses the trade routes and the use of almonds to treat ailments. According to the author, almonds were among the first plants to be domesticated around world, particularly in Asia. It also notes that almonds would be ideal for treating colds and other phlegmatic disorders, as well as for bowels. Moreover, some forms in which almonds could be consumed are also mentioned, such as soaking or blanching and roasting.

Grain Elevator Industry Revisited, Yonas Hamda, Bashir Qasmi, Scott Fausti

Economics Commentator (1972- 2016)

No abstract provided.

Making An Acre Decision For 2009, Bradley D. Lubben

Cornhusker Economics

The initial sign-up period for 2009 farm commodity programs and the choice between the new ACRE (Average Crop Revenue Election) program and the existing DCP (Direct and Counter-Cyclical Payment) program is quickly winding down. But as the current August 14 deadline approaches, producers know more and more about the potential safety net provided under the ACRE program, and have a better opportunity to analyze the economics of choosing ACRE versus the DCP program before visiting their USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) office.

Interview With Steve Cohen, Planning & Sustainable Development, 2009 (Audio), Steve Cohen

All Sustainability History Project Oral Histories

Interview of Steve Cohen by Chris Stephens at Ecotrust Building, Portland, Oregon on July 28th, 2009.

The interview index is available for download.

High Plains Ag Lab Rotations Show Fallow Still Works In Western Nebraska, Paul Burgener

Cornhusker Economics

The High Plains Ag Laboratory (HPAL) in Sidney, Nebraska is the dryland research site for the University of Nebraska located in the Panhandle. In addition to the typical small plot agriculture experiment areas, there is a significant dryland production area. There are a total of 718.5 acres in production, divided into 27 individual fields, ranging from the smallest unit at 19.7 acres to the largest at 36.7 acres. Within these fields there are presently seven different crop rotations, each with winter wheat as the base crop, including everything from the traditional wheat-fallow system to a continuous cropping system.

Chinese Regional Agricultural Productivity: 1994-2005, Haizhi Tong, Lilyan E. Fulginiti, Juan P. Sesmero

Lilyan E. Fulginiti Publications

Agricultural productivity growth in Chinese provinces during the 1994-2005 period is examined using two alternative approaches: a parametric stochastic frontier and a non-parametric Malmquist index. These models are suitable to the Chinese situation due to the existence of procurement prices, quotas, and other interventions that have distorted prices. Results show that there is high but declining productivity growth rates in the mid 1990’s with productivity growth decreasing in the late 1990’s but with a reversal of the trend around 1998 when growth rates start accelerating. A stochastic frontier translog production function is estimated to obtain an alternative measure of total …

Chinese Regional Agricultural Productivity: 1994–2005, Haizhi Tong, Lilyan E. Fulginiti, Juan P. Sesmero

Department of Agricultural Economics: Faculty Publications

Agricultural productivity growth in Chinese provinces during the 1994-2005 period is examined using two alternative approaches: a parametric stochastic frontier and a non-parametric Malmquist index. These models are suitable to the Chinese situation due to the existence of procurement prices, quotas, and other interventions that have distorted prices. Results show that there is high but declining productivity growth rates in the mid 1990’s with productivity growth decreasing in the late 1990’s but with a reversal of the trend around 1998 when growth rates start accelerating. A stochastic frontier translog production function is estimated to obtain an alternative measure of total …

Margin Requirement Impacts On Live Cattle Futures Hedges, Yi Liu, Darrell R. Mark

Cornhusker Economics

All buyers and sellers of futures contracts have to post margin money through their brokers to act as a performance bond. This margin money financially secures their position and protects the party on the opposite side of the transaction from default. Generally, the margin requirement for a futures contract is established at a level close to the maximum amount that any short or long trader could lose in any one-day trading period because each day the account is “marked-to-the-market” and the daily gain or loss is reflected in the account balance at the end of the day. The maximum amount …

Are Credit Unions In Ecuador Achieving Economies Of Scale?, Nick A. Marchio

Economics Honors Projects

This study tests the assertion that membership growth in credit unions is constrained by their unique structural features, such as their non-profit mission and member-based ownership. Although these features enhance inclusiveness, existing theory suggest that they work against efficiency when membership grows too diffuse. To address this issue, this study uses a model that takes into account existing theory on constrained-optimization in credit unions and theory on the adverse effects of diffuse ownership. Using data on 36 public credit unions in Ecuador, the empirical analysis finds evidence that credit unions can achieve economies of scale despite their problematic structural features. …

Department Of Economics Publication List 2009, Penny Stover

Economics Pamphlet Series (1985-2016)

This compilation lists published works authored by Department of Economics faculty members and other staff working on projects funded through the Department of Economics. Publications resulting from their research and academic activities are indexed by author for easy access by the public. The articles were published between January 1, 2008 and December 31, 2008.

Economic Analysis Of Sodsaver Provision Of The 2008 Farm Bill For South Dakota, Larry Janssen, Yonas Hamda

Economics Staff Paper Series (1969 - 2017)

The "Sodsaver" provision, which is a part of the 2008 Federal farm bill, is designed to lessen the conversion of native grass into cropland by limiting federal farm program payments on these converted acres within the Prairie Pothole National Priority Area (PPNPA) in the Northern Plains. Governors of five states in the PPNPA, including South Dakota, were required to make the decision to adopt or not adopt the "Sodsaver" provision. This report includes information on: 1) South Dakota's experience with conversion of rangeland into cropland, 2) estimates of native grassland acres in the PPNPA of South Dakota, 3) potential change …

Fisheries Occasional Publication 74: Report Of The Funding Working Group July 2009, Bruno Mezzatesta, Anna Cronin, Brett Mccallum, Ian Taylor, Kane Moyle, Melanie Barbaro, Ben Fraser

Fisheries Occasional Publications

In recent years the profitability of the fishing industry in Western Australia has been severely impacted by a combination of the high cost and scarcity of labour, high fuel prices, a poor exchange rate and the recent global financial crisis. The prices for some locally caught fish species have been impacted by the significant growth in overseas aquaculture production.

These pressures have led to more serious scrutiny of fishing methods and the cost of business inputs. One of the business input costs that has been the subject of concern from industry is the fees paid by fishers to Government under …

Energy Issues In 2009 Unicameral, J. David Aiken

Cornhusker Economics

Net metering and wind leases were two important energy issues addressed in the 2009 Nebraska Unicameral legislative session.

The Devil's Food Dictionary: A Pioneering Culinary Reference Work Consisting Entirely Of Lies. ,. Foy, Barry. . Illustrations By. Boesche, John. . :. Frogchart Press. ,. 2008. . Ix + 255 Pp. $17.95 (Paper)., Ken Albala

College of the Pacific Faculty Articles

No abstract provided.

Land Conservation And Land Use In New England: Trends, Challenges & Opportunities, Amanda Loomis, Tom Devine, Andrea Small, Brittany Howard, Brett Richardson, Stephanie Dulac

Land Conservation

Sprawling development patterns accelerated across the New England landscape in the last three decades and consumed the region‘s forests, farms, and open spaces at an unprecedented rate. New England‘ers in all six states formed land trusts, supported statewide conservation organizations, and collaborated with state and federal partners to protect some of their most-prized recreation lands, wildlife habitats, and working lands. The current economic recession has slowed development pressures across the region and offers an opportunity to build on recent successes. The time is right to plan a coordinated New England conservation strategy that protects and links the region‘s natural assets. …

South Dakota Agricultural Land Values And Cash Rental Rates: 2009, Larry Janssen, Burton Pflueger

Economics Commentator (1972- 2016)

No abstract provided.

Agricultural Economics: The Year In Review, Alan E. Baquet

Cornhusker Economics

Undergraduate programs continue to be a mainstay for the Department of Agricultural Economics. In an ongoing effort to match our offerings with the market demands for our graduates, we have implemented four new options in the Natural Resources and Environmental Economics major. This, combined with the options in the Agribusiness and Agricultural Economics majors allows students to customize their program to meet particular career goals. As a result of diligent efforts by faculty and staff, student enrollment for fall semester 2008 increased by 13.2 percent over the 2007 fall semester. This increase was greater than the College average.

Nebraska Leads In Irrigated Land, Bruce B. Johnson, Ryan Lukassen

Cornhusker Economics

Nebraska is #1. According to the most recent U.S. 2007 Census of Agriculture (released in February of this year), Nebraska now has more irrigated farmland than any other state. It is common knowledge to observers of our agricultural economy that our state has been in an irrigation expansion mode for several years. But what may be surprising to many is that simultaneously, other major irrigation areas of the country have witnessed reduced irrigated acreage.