Agricultural and Resource Economics Commons^™

Calving Date And Wintering System Effects On Cow And Calf Performance, Leslie Aaron Stalker, Matthew Stockton

Cornhusker Economics

Profitability of beef cattle production is highly dependent upon cost of production. The largest variable cost associated with cow/calf production is feed cost. One strategy to reduce cost is to extend the grazing season. Knowledge of the cows’ nutritional requirements, and factors such as calving and weaning date and utilization of crop residue can be used to extend grazing. A second factor affecting profitability of beef cattle production is revenue. Cattle markets tend to have seasonal variation throughout the year and vary with respect to calf size and class, creating opportunities to match a production system with the markets. Determining …

Analysis Of Potential Groundwater Trading Programs For Nebraska, Karina A. Schoengold

Cornhusker Economics

The goals of a recently funded project to measure the potential benefits of developing a groundwater trading market in Nebraska is discussed in this Cornhusker Economics article. Groundwater is a major component of agricultural water use. In extensive regions of the Western United States, rural agricultural economies rely entirely on groundwater. At the same time as providing water for human needs, groundwater is also an input to streams, wetlands and riparian areas that provide important ecosystem services. Ongoing groundwater pumping will deplete flows in adjacent streams, leading to potential conflict between human and environmental uses of water. In the last …

North Central Extension Risk Management Education Center, Christine Lockert

Cornhusker Economics

The Extension Risk Management Education program, funded by the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture provides training to help producers learn new strategies to manage complex and growing agricultural risks. The goal of the program is simple - help farmers and ranchers manage risk. ERME strives to achieve this goal by encouraging and funding innovative programs across the country and helping programs focus on tangible results (ERME, 2012). Four ERME Centers are located across the country; the University of Delaware (Northeast), the University of Arkansas (Southern), Washington State University (Western), and the University of …

Arsenic Contamination In Groundwater In Vietnam: An Overview And Analysis Of The Historical, Cultural, Economic, And Political Parameters In The Success Of Various Mitigation Options, Thuy M. Ly

Pomona Senior Theses

Although arsenic is naturally present in the environment, 99% of human exposure to arsenic is through ingestion. Throughout history, arsenic is known as “the king of poisons”; it is mutagenic, carcinogenic, and teratogenic. Even in smaller concentrations, it accumulates in the body and takes decades before any physical symptoms of arsenic poisoning shows. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the safe concentration of arsenic in drinking water is 10 µg/L. However, this limit is often times ignored until it is decades too late and people begin showing symptoms of having been poisoned.

This is the current situation for Vietnam, …

With Prices Like This, Who Needs To Know Cost Of Production?, Tina N. Barrett

Cornhusker Economics

A few months ago I was talking with a producer and I mentioned that I worked with farmers on calculating cost of production, among other things. He posed the question of why do farmers really need to know their cost of production? Sure, five or six years ago when margins were tight cost of production was important in marketing their crop, but what’s the point with the increase in crop prices and wide margins?

A Global Spatially-Explicit, Open-Source Data Base For Analysis Of Agriculture, Forestry, And The Environment: Kickoff Workshop For A Two Year Pilot Project, Thomas Hertel, Nelson B. Villoria

Changing World Conference

No abstract provided.

Use Of Cti Grinders For Sorghum Flour Production And Utilization: Final Report, Vilma Ruth Calderón De Zacatares, Lily Marisol López, Kris Emillee Duville, Carla Elizabeth Bermúdez

INTSORMIL Scientific Publications

The use of sorghum for human consumption to add value to the crop and increase its profitability, especially for small and medium producers, has contributed to food security and nutrition in El Salvador. CENTA is promoting the cultivation of sorghum as an alternative to food production in rural and urban areas. Since 2010 when wheat prices lower again, sorghum was no more an alternative to replace wheat in certain types of food, but is being used in more stable markets, as people allergic to gluten, people with diabetes and to correct nutritional deficiencies such as iron deficiency anemia because of …

Sorghum Flour Production Manual For Compatible Technology International (Cti) Burr Grinders, Kris Emillee Duville

INTSORMIL Scientific Publications

The importance of sorghum in human nutrition and food security

The grinders of Compatible Technology International (CTI) were brought to El Salvador in 2009, for a project of CENTA-INTSORMIL/USAID to promote the grinding of sorghum for human nutrition. In 2011, ten of these grinders had been installed in small bakers associations, individual bakers, or persons producing ethnic drinks based on roasted and ground cereals. These people had been trained in sorghum use for human nutrition at the food technology laboratory of CENTA. The grinders are being used in areas were the access to other foods is limited and were sorghum …

How Does Climate Change Affect Agricultural Stability In Southeast Unguja? An Assessment Of The Threats To Agriculture And Food Security From Rising Temperature And Changes In Predictability And Intensity Of Rainy Seasons., Eloise Reid

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The relationship between climate change, agriculture, and food security on the island of Unguja was studied. Informal interviews were carried out in the south-eastern coastal communities of Bwejuu, Paje, and Jambiani in order to gain perspective and awareness of local knowledge concerning changes in climate and it's affects on crop production. Formal interviews were conducted in Stone Town with the Ministry of Agriculture, the Department of Environment, the Sustainable Management of Land and the Environment office, private climate change experts and environmental consultants, and local NGO's to gain insight on what aspects of climate change are most detrimental in the …

New Approaches To The Green Revolution: Successes, Failures And New Rice For Africa, Maia S. Woluchem

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The nature of worldwide food insecurity is staggering, with thirteen percent of the world’s population currently malnourished. The situation is particularly dire in Sub- Saharan Africa, where 265 million people face hunger daily, with 30 to 50 million dying yearly. Solutions to the problem are often unsustainable, save a select few. Once such attempt, coined the Green Revolution, garnered both praise and notoriety through its relatively successful transformation of Southeast Asia in the 1960’s. Aimed at increasing food production, the project focused on small-holder farmers and their acquisition of more productive inputs such as high-yield seeds, fertilizers and pesticides. African …

Régulations De L’Usage Et De La Possession De Terre: Exploration De L'Efficacité Des Règles Officielles Concernant La Gestion De Terre Et Perceptions Des Lois Par Les Habitants D’Andranomena Dans La Région Menabe, Ben Armstrong

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Autour d’Andranomena, un village qui se trouve près de Morondava dans la Région Menabe, il y a encore des terres non cultivées couvertes d’herbes sauvages ou de forets. Mais avec l’accroissement de la population dû au taux de natalité et de l’immigration, il y a de plus en plus de pressions pour trouver de la terre nouvelle.

Cette recherche de terrain se passe avec deux processus parallèles: le premier est la demande de titres domaniaux auprès de l’Etat effectuée par l’intéressé et le second est la validation de la possession de terre avec la connaissance locale de la personne qui …

Confronting Agrarian Crisis And Deconstructing Farmer Debt: The Story Of Sulthanpur Village, Andhra Pradesh, Erica Dejong

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

In a climate of globalized politics and neoliberal economics, it can be difficult to isolate the impacts of agricultural and economic policy on the lives of the rural poor in India. Hidden behind a veil of economic growth, pro urban, and pro industry governments, the stories of small and marginal farmers have been overlooked in the name of different development priorities. This study endeavors to put the agrarian poor back into the scholarship spotlight by deconstructing livelihood crises and farmer debt in Sulthanpur Village, Andhra Pradesh. This effort is important because although Andhra Pradesh has the highest rate of farmer …

The Effect Of Climate Change On Mongolian Herding Communities: Investigating The Current Prevalence Of Ecomigration And Community Perceptions Of And Responses To Migration In The Countryside, Rachael Diniega

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The livelihoods of Mongolian herders depend on rangeland conditions, which are being threatened by land degradation and climate change. These changes may cause some Mongolian herders to move to a different land. Thus, the prevalence of ecomigration today and the perceptions and responses of herding communities to migrants were examined to understand ways government could form adaptation policy to climate change in the future. Interviews were conducted with both migrant and host herders as well as government officials in Mungunmorit, Tov and Delgerkhan, Khentii, including the state reserve Herlen Bayan-Olaang. A survey was used to evaluate the prevalence of ecomigration …

Community Images: What They Communicate To New Residents, Cheryl A. Burkhart-Kriesel

Cornhusker Economics

Images are undeniably powerful communication tools. When part of a rural community web page, images can help to quickly convey the desired message and showcase the community’s “brand,” the specific amenities the community has to offer to new residents. Using images to depict this brand can be much more effective than trying to describe it using facts or words. For example, instead of listing crime statistics to portray your community as safe, using a picture of unattended and unlocked bicycles in front of the community swimming pool can more effectively convey that message.

Census 2010: What We No Longer Know About Small And Rural Places, Randolph L. Cantrell

Cornhusker Economics

The release of data from the Decennial Census always creates a “buzz” for people interested in knowing what is happening in their communities. The 2010 Census was no exception, allowing residents of any state, county, community, zip code or neighborhood to know with confidence how many people reside in their area of interest; along with their age, gender, race, ethnicity, household and family size and composition, group quarters arrangements and home ownership status. These data reflect the characteristics of the population with relatively high reliability for the theoretical reporting date of April 1 of the Census year, and allow an …

Community Gardening: Benefits Focused Strategies, Joseph Zaanan Tellschow

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Throughout history humans have had varying degrees of interaction with nature and natural environments. This interaction has shaped our species in almost every way possible from our physical traits to our behaviors and places we have chosen to occupy. Currently, humans have developed such overwhelming mastery of the planet that it is easy for many humans to feel disconnected from nature. This separation could have detrimental effects on various aspects of human well-being including physical and mental health. To understand these effects, it is important to evaluate the benefits that humans receive from exposure to nature and interaction with natural …

Nebraska’S Written Contracts Rule, J. David Aiken

Cornhusker Economics

Nebraska farmers and ranchers are used to doing business on a handshake. The culture is that if you ask someone to put the contract in writing, you are implying that you don’t trust them to keep their word. Doing business on a handshake is fine so long as no one breaks their promise, or if everyone’s recollection of what the deal is, is the same. But if one person wants out of the handshake deal the other person can be left holding the bag, even if they didn’t do anything wrong.

Seeds Of Change The Development Of Apple Farming In Mustang A Documentary Film, Gretchen Powers

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The purpose of this Independent Research Project is to make a documentary film about the effects modernization has had on the apple farming industry in Lower Mustang since its 1967 introduction. This film focuses on both the influence of Buddhi Ratna Sherchan, the senior horticulturalist who first introduced apples to Mustang, as well as the both positive and negative effects modernization and climate change have had on the region. Findings indicate a general movement towards mass production of apples that utilizes the new road to export high volume production. The heavy hail and rain fall brought about by climate change …

Innovation For The Future! - 27Th Annual Nebraska Wia Conference, Cheryl Griffith

Cornhusker Economics

Innovation for the Future was the theme of the 27th Nebraska Women in Agriculture (WIA) Conference, February 23-24, 2012 in Kearney, Nebraska. 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) at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

Most attendees were from all corners of Nebraska, with others making the trip from Kansas, Colorado, Wyoming, South Dakota, Iowa and California. Of the respondents, 13.7 percent were under age 30, 20.8 percent age 30-39, 13.6 percent age 40-49, 23.1 percent age 50-59 and 28.6 percent were age …

Evaluating Ceres Fair Food As An Urban Sustainable Food Initiative: A Comparison Of Retail Pricing, Wholesale Pricing And Food Miles For A Healthy Food Basket, Stella Chung

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

CERES Fair Food, an organic food delivery system in Melbourne, VIC was evaluated in terms of its transportation resource consumption, ability to enhance food security, and support of local organic farmers, which are key factors in sustainable food systems for urban areas.

Transportation resource consumption was analyzed by calculating the food miles for a selection of Fair Food’s products and comparing them to data on typical products consumed in Victoria. Most of Fair Food’s products had similar or lower food miles, particularly the fresh produce. But many assumptions had to be made in the calculations due to limited information. Food …

How Pescadores Become Produtores: Gender, Family, And Sustainable Living On Brazil’S Northeast Coast, Wren Brennan

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The familial structure of a Brazilian fishing community is explored through participant observation and eight in-depth ethnographic interviews conducted over the course of three weeks of emersion with a family of pescadores artesanais (artisanal fishermen) that now call themselves catadores de algas (seaweed collectors). Previous research suggests that the sexual division of labor in this community, along with coastal environment in which the community exists, is in a state of transition. This project explores the emerging the practice of communal seaweed cultivation as a form of work that exemplifies changing gender relations in conjunction with a changing coastal environment. It …

2011 Corn Pest Risk Survey Results, Scott Fausti, Jonathan Lundgren, Emmanuel Opoku

Economics Commentator (1972- 2016)

No abstract provided.

Monetary Factors And The U.S. Retail Food Price Level, Andrew L. Pulford

Master's Theses

The following study assesses whether an economic relationship exists between the money supply (i.e. M2), interest rates, and the exchange rate and the retail food price level in the United States. Data for the M2 classification of the United States money supply, the Effective Federals Funds (interest) Rate, and the United States Trade Weighted Exchange Index: Major Currencies for the period from January 1974 through December 2007 are evaluated as they relate to the United States Consumer Price Index for all Urban Consumers: Food for the same period. The statistical analysis involves an examination of the autocorrelation and partial …

The Increasing Use Of Unallocated Retained Earnings By Farmer Cooperatives, Jeffrey S. Royer

Cornhusker Economics

In the past, the primary source of equity capital in U.S. farmer cooperatives has been retained patronage refunds. Typically, a cooperative would allocate its net earnings to individual members on the basis of patronage and retain a share of those allocations to provide equity until eventually redeeming it in cash. Over time, however, unallocated retained earnings have become an increasingly important source of equity. In fact, in 2008, cooperatives kept a greater proportion of their net earnings as unallocated retained earnings than as retained patronage refunds, according to the most recent U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) financial profile of farmer …

Don’T Forget The Supply Side Of Agricultural Land Markets, Bruce B. Johnson

Cornhusker Economics

In today's bullish agricultural land markets across the nation's heartland, it is easy to attribute the climb in values to strong demand on the part of buyers wanting to invest in land to capture good returns of recent years. While true, that may be only half the story underlying the land market dynamics. Just as "it takes two to tango," it takes the supply side of the market as well as demand to create the land market dance.

We have been following the market for many years, observing the amount of land being offered for sale in …

Nebraska Farmland Values Soar, Bruce B. Johnson

Cornhusker Economics

The 2012 UNL Nebraska Farm Real Estate Survey confirms what most people close to agriculture already knew – agricultural land values across the state have shot upward in recent months. Preliminary survey results show the state’s all-land average value as of February 1, 2012 to be at $2,410 per acre, 31 percent above the year-earlier level (Figure 1 and Table 1, on following pages). The annual gain, in both dollar amount and percentage, is the largest ever recorded in the 34-year history of the UNL land market survey series.

Cropland, particularly, showed pronounced value gains in every region of the …

The Economics Of Bunk Feeding Distillers Grains To Feeder Steers On Pasture, Matthew C. Stockton, Leslie Aaron Stalker

Cornhusker Economics

Growth of the ethanol industry in Nebraska and surrounding states has increased the availability of distillers co-products as feed for livestock. The increased availability of distillers grains with solubles (DGS) together with its high protein, energy and phosphorous content, make it a natural fit as a supplement in many grazing situations (2008 Nebraska Beef Report, pg. 25-27, 2009 Nebraska Beef Report, pg. 37-39). DGS generally comes in the form of a wet (WDGS) or dry (DDGS) product. How to feed this relatively new product to cattle in a pasture is an important economic question. Several recent studies …

Agriculture Sector : Issues And Prospects, Ishrat Husain Dr.

Faculty Research - Newspaper and Magazine Articles

Agriculture sector plays a critical role in Pakistan’s economy through a variety of channels. Almost 20 percent of national income and 43 percent of total employment are generated in this very sector. For instance, quite a portion of the country’s manufactured exports are dependent on raw materials such as cotton and hides that are part of the agriculture sector, while supply shortages and market disruptions in farm products do push up inflationary pressures.

From Farm Income Support To Risk Management, Bradley D. Lubben

Cornhusker Economics

The debate over the next farm bill fired up in late 2011 when it looked like a closed-door-negotiated agreement could become part of a grand budget-cutting plan put together by the so-called “Super Committee.” But then, the Super Committee failed to reach an agreement on how to cut the federal budget deficit and the whole farm bill package failed to advance as well.

Now, the work has restarted on the farm bill in 2012, with even greater challenges. Questions remain about how big the spending cuts will be, what direction the farm programs will go, and even what the political …

Nebraska Restrictions On Foreign Land Ownership, J. David Aiken

Cornhusker Economics

Nebraska is one of eight states that restrict the ownership of agricultural land by aliens (i.e., noncitizens). The other states are Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota and Wisconsin. Foreign land ownership is generally unrestricted in the remaining states. Federal law does not restrict alien land ownership, but does require alien land owners to report ownership to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). This newsletter will (1) examine the extent of foreign land ownership within the United States and Nebraska, and (2) summarize Nebraska’s laws restricting alien land ownership.