Agricultural and Resource Economics Commons^™

Farmers Markets And The Local Food System: The Case Of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, Paul A. Di Salvo, Claire Quinn, Robin Arnold, Caroline Clark, Suzanne Englot, Andrew Mello, Julia P. Mitchell, Emily Ruhl, Rebecca Taormina, Cashin Conover, Valerie Leone, Michael Mattaini, William Patton, Elizabeth Rouillard, Nicholas Smith-Herman, Jordan Swenson, Kelly Webster, Brian Wooldredge, Randall K. Wilson

Student Publications

In order to examine and obtain a better understanding of the local food system within Adams County, Pennsylvania, this study explores the characteristics and perspectives of the customers and vendors at the farmers markets in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. Survey findings from the Gettysburg Farmers Market and the three Adams County Farmers Markets include customer demographic information, perspectives and shopping behavior as well as vendor product information, farm size and location and preference for market management. Introductory background information on the Farm Bill and the influence of agricultural practices on the environment, human health and nutrition and the relationship between farmers markets …

Identificación Y Análisis De Las Determinantes Sociales Que Mayormente Influyen El Uso Inseguro De Los Plaguicidas En El Valle De Azapa En La Región De Arica Y Parinacota, Emma Garrison

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

In recent history, agricultural expansion to satisfy ever growing populations has introduced new chemical agents that pose a great threat to human, animal, and environmental health. With growing prevalence every decade, agricultural pesticides are the cause for thousands of acute and chronic illnesses across the world. In Chile, more specifically in the region of Arica and Parinacota in the Azapa Valley, the recent, more thorough, documentation of pesticide intoxications has lead the issue to be recognized as a prominent public health concern of the agricultural region. This study focuses on the identification and analysis of the most prominent social factors …

The Political Economy Of Contract Farming In China's Agrarian Transition, Qian Forrest Zhang

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

How does rural China’s political economy determine the motivations and constraints that drive small farmers and agribusiness companies into contract farming and shape its practice and impact? This paper identifies three distinctive features of contract farming in China—varied impact on rural inequality, unstable contractual relations, and lack of competitiveness with other alternatives—and proposes tentative explanations with three features in rural China’s political economy: strong collective institutions, active state support for agriculture, and strong domestic markets. The recent turn in China’s agrarian transition toward vertical integration of agriculture with industries is, however, undermining these conditions and may move China toward more …

How To Milk An Almond, Stuff An Egg, And Armor A Turnip: A Thousand Years Of Recipes. By David Friedman And Elizabeth Cook., Ken Albala

College of the Pacific Faculty Articles

No abstract provided.

Reviewed Work: Sweet Invention: A History Of Dessert By Michael Krondl, Ken Albala

College of the Pacific Faculty Articles

No abstract provided.

Valuing Improvements To Coastal Waters Using Choice Experiments: An Application To Revisions Of The Eu Bathing Waters Directive, Stephen Hynes, Dugald Tinch, Nick Hanley

Working Papers

Planned changes to the European Union’s Bathing Waters Directive (2006/7 EC) will force member states to produce improvements in a number of parameters of coastal water quality. This study uses the choice experiment method to estimate the economic benefits attached to such improvements, based on a sample of recreationalists on beaches in Ireland. The analysis indicates that improvements in all of the bathing water related attributes studied result in positive willingness to pay, and also show evidence of scope effects. Using random parameters and latent class modelling techniques, potential heterogeneity in preferences is then investigated and shown to be present …

Ocean Governance: The New Zealand Dimension Full Report, Michael Vincent Mcginnis

Working Papers

The primary goal of this report is to provide interested members of the public and policymakers with a general overview and a description of the types of principles, planning tools, and policy instruments that can be used to strengthen and improve marine governance in New Zealand. As extractive uses (hydrocarbons and minerals, in particular) ramp up and others are explored and brought on line in the marine areas of New Zealand, the need will increase for a more integrative, ecosystem-based approach to marine governance.

This study is based on the following types of analysis:

• a review of the literature …

The Trade And Welfare Impacts Of Australian Quarantine Policies: The Case Of Pigmeat, John C. Beghin, Mark Melatos

Department of Agricultural Economics: Faculty Publications

We analyze the trade and welfare impact of quarantine measures imposed by Australia on imports of pigmeat. In particular, we account for changes to Australia’s pigmeat quarantine policy over time, including those changes related to the recent resolution of a WTO dispute between Australia and the European Union. Using a random utility model and applying it to corner solutions in import decisions, tariff equivalents (by major trading partner) are estimated for the different pigmeat quarantine regimes implemented by Australia during the period 1988-2009. The welfare impact on consumers, producers, and foreign exporters is computed using a partial equilibrium model calibrated …

Alternative Annual Forage Crop Options For Northern Great Plains Cattle Producers: A South Dakota Case Study, Md Parvez, Scott Fausti, Thandiwe Nleya, Patricia Johnson, Kenneth Olsen, John Rickertsen

Economics Staff Paper Series (1969 - 2017)

In the Northern Great Plains region, crop and livestock producers view forage crop production as an important component of their farm management system. During periods of increased environmental risk, alternative annual forage crops may provide producers with a risk reducing alternative to traditional forage crops. An alternative forage crop production study (20 varieties) was conducted by South Dakota State University. Production yield data was analyzed using alternative decision making criteria when outcomes are uncertain. Empirical results provide insight on forage crop planting decisions with respect to the importance of optimal harvest timing, and the ranking of alternative forage crops as …

Growing A Sustainable Portland Metropolitan Foodshed, Sheila Martin, Kathryn Doherty-Chapman, Robert Wise, Steve Foust, Kirsten Greene, Ellie Fiore, Ellen Wyoming, Clark Seavert, Rebecca Sullivan, Beth Emshoff, Anita Yap, Elise Scolnik, Bob Short

Institute of Metropolitan Studies Publications

Project Description and Objectives: Western Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) provided funding for this study to examine key agricultural trends, identify producer needs and define strategies to strengthen the local food production system. The goals of the study are to: Define the Portland Metropolitan Foodshed; identify related agricultural and economic trends and develop a needs assessment based on input from producers and other stakeholders; assemble a regional toolkit of strategies to support evolution of a sustainable Portland Metropolitan Foodshed; work with the City of Damascus, Oregon to test the toolkit on a local level; Develop a research and educational …

Risk Management Strategies For Nebraska Grain And Oilseed Producers: A Stochastic Simulation And Analysis, Jim A. Jansen

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

Uncertainty in revenue for grain and oilseed operations located across Nebraska exists due to commodity price volatility and yield variability. Several risk management tools enable producers to deal with financial losses from revenue declines including crop insurance, marketing strategies, and government farm programs. Producers may need to combine multiple tools for an effective risk management strategy, but research lacks on integrating these tools currently available to producers across the state. Actions amongst individuals actively engaged in the industry show their plans to deal with revenue declines may lead to less than optimal strategies.

Stochastic simulation utilizing eight representative farms across …

The 2012 Drought: Some Economic Implications, Bruce B. Johnson

Cornhusker Economics

This issue is the first in a series addressing current drought conditions, economic impacts and resources for Nebraska agriculture.

Tax Consequences To Drought, Tina Barrett

Cornhusker Economics

It’s been a few years since we’ve had to deal with the drought related tax laws, but with the recent drought conditions across the Midwest, it’s a good time to review them.

Agricultural Disaster Assistance, Bradley D. Lubben

Cornhusker Economics

This issue is the second in a series addressing current drought conditions, economic impacts and resources for Nebraska agriculture.

Making Good Management Choices During A Time Of Crisis, Matthew Stockton

Cornhusker Economics

This issue is the third in a series addressing drought conditions, economic impacts and resources for Nebraska agriculture.

Impact Of Hybrid Rice On Food Security: A Spatial Equilibrium Analysis Of Global Adoption And Diffusion Of Hybrid Rice Varieties, Till Ludwig

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Rice is the staple crop for most consumers in Asia. More than half of the global population depends on rice. However, scarce resources for agricultural production and unfavorable conditions will make it hard to meet future demand in rice and threaten future food security. Hybrid rice technology is a method to increase the productivity of resources needed for rice production. Current developments show not only yield improvements in comparison to existing conventional and hybrid varieties, but also fuel hopes for new abiotic and biotic stress tolerance. The objective of this study is to determine what impact hybrid rice varieties can …

Three Essays On Contingent Valuation, Samuel Zapata Raudales

All Dissertations

Contingent valuation (CV), a survey-based method, is widely used by researchers and government agencies to assess the value of those goods or services whose market price is not well defined. This dissertation comprises three essays analyzing and extending the theoretical foundations, estimation methods and empirical applications of the CV method. The first and second essay focuses on producers' willingness to pay for novel inputs or technologies. The first essay analyzes the theoretical underpinnings of producer WTP for new inputs. In addition to conceptualizing the producer WTP function, I derived its comparative statics and show how these properties can be used …

Food Environment And Childhood Obesity, Yucong Jiao

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This thesis examines whether children's food environment, especially food stores that have fresh produce, affects obesity prevalence among elementary school children in the state of Arkansas. Misclassified food outlet types in the Dun and Bradstreet commercial data set were first corrected and then food environment measures were computed and aggregated to geographic regions corresponding to school attendance areas. After applying classical panel estimation, it was found that the fixed effects model fit the data best. Results indicate that an additional supermarket within a one-mile radial of the census neighborhood block center will bring down childhood obesity prevalence by 0.58 percent, …

The Evolution Of Natural Plant Communities Through Crop Migration And Crop-To-Weed Gene Flow, Meredith G. Schafer

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

With the rising demand for food and biofuels, the efficiency of crop production has become vital to assuring food security. Genetically engineered (GE) crop varieties are broadly thought to be a solution for improving the efficiency of crop production, but concerns regarding their release have heightened as more discoveries have focused on the influence of genetically engineered crops on native and weedy plant species. Risk assessment of GE crop varieties focuses on two main areas: feralization of crop systems and crop-weed hybridization. Risks include naturalization, transgene introgression, and the formation of novel genotypes in natural systems. In this study, roadside …

Motivating Factors For Young Adults In The Brattleboro Area To Start In Organic Agriculture For Their Career, Tomokazu Utsugi

Capstone Collection

Despite a worldwide push for the conversion of conventional agriculture to organic agriculture, organic farming itself is not a very popular vocational choice for young people. Brattleboro, one of the towns in Vermont, is no exception. Although several local organizations are promoting local agriculture and food security, in reality, not many young people in Brattleboro want to choose organic agriculture as their career.

With a total of 17 in-depth qualitative interviews with young adults in the Brattleboro area, this inquiry sought to identify a range of factors that would motivate them to choose organic agriculture as their career. The results …

Effects Of Natural Resource Abundance On Institutions: Which, Where And When?, Luisa Blanco, Jeffrey Nugent, Graham Veenstra

School of Public Policy Working Papers

Much research has gone into the effects of oil and other natural resources on growth in which political institutions are often seen as the link between the two. Since institutions are difficult to measure and change very slowly over time, the analysis has largely been confined to cross-country comparisons, most frequently investigating the effects on levels of democracy. This paper builds on recent analyses of the effects of oil endowments, prices and exports on democracy to examine the effects on several different types of institutional change, making use of panel data on over 100 countries between 1975 and 2005 wherever …

Risk And Marketing Behavior: Pricing Fed Cattle On A Grid, Scott Fausti, Zhiguang Wang, Beshir Qasmi, Matthew A. Diersen

Economics Staff Paper Series (1969 - 2017)

A seven year comparative study of grid pricing versus average pricing of slaughter cattle was conducted to evaluate carcass quality market signals. The primary objective of the study is to determine if market signals sent through the grid pricing system are encouraging producers to market on a grid and discouraging them to market by the pen. Two secondary objectives investigate: 1) if price risk associated with carcass quality uncertainty affects marketing decisions, and 2) if a change in price risk (volatility) affects producer marketing decisions. An EARCH-ln-Mean modeling procedure was adopted. Empirical results suggest that the grid premium and discount …

Nebraska’S Sandhill Crane Migration: Opportunities For Additional Economic Activity, Randolph L. Cantrell

Cornhusker Economics

Each year in March and April, thousands of visitors come to Nebraska’s Central Platte River Valley to witness a true wonder of the natural world: The annual migration of Sandhill cranes.

Several hundred thousand cranes gather annually along the Platte River to feed, court and gather energy before traveling further north to breed. Their numbers and fame are estimated to attract over 70,000 visitors, who spend on average 1.3 days in the region (Edwards and Thompson, 2010).

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Cornhusker Economics

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Resolving Division Fence Disputes In Nebraska, J. David Aiken

Cornhusker Economics

Ideally, neighbors can agree between themselves on most fencing issues. If they cannot agree, Nebraska Division Fence Statutes provide a legal process for resolving fence disputes. A 2010 amendment establishes the requirements for splitting cost of a wire division fence equally (50-50) between neighbors. Mediation is probably the most cost-effective way to resolve fence disputes if the parties cannot settle the matter between themselves.

Rural Nebraskans’ Ties To Agriculture, Rebecca J. Vogt, Randolph L. Cantrell, Bradley D. Lubben

Cornhusker Economics

A recent report released by the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL) Department of Agricultural Economics and the UNL Bureau of Business Research outlines the economic impact of agriculture to Nebraska. Using 2010 data, the report concludes that agriculture provides over 40 percent of the state’s total business receipts, 26.9 percent of the state’s gross state product and 24 percent of the state’s total workforce. In short, the report concludes that more than a fourth of Nebraska’s economy can be attributed to the agricultural production complex.

Land Is Life: A Policy Advocacy Case Study Of The Northern Thailand Land Reform Movement, Jason Lubanski

Capstone Collection

This case study provides an in-depth examination of the work of the Thailand Northern Land Reform Movement using the framework of Jeff Unsicker's "Policy Advocacy Circles". Due to increasing population pressures, the liberalization of land markets, and agribusiness pressures, Thailand has experienced an increase in land ownership inequality and a growing number of landless and nearly landless small-scale farmers. In order to address this situation, agricultural communities have joined together at local and national levels to fight for the legislation of land reform policies, including Community Land Titles, progressive land taxes, and a National Land Bank to assist with land …

South Dakota Agricultural Land Market Factors, Burton Pflueger, Larry Janssen

Economics Commentator (1972- 2016)

No abstract provided.

Exploring The Relationship Between Obesity And The Prevalence Of Food Deserts In Arkansas, Hillarie Whitehorn

Student Theses and Dissertations

The nation -wide increase in obesity rates has led to growing interest among academics and policy makers to identify factors related to obesity rates. The methodology adopted is a combination of quantitative and qualitative techniques. The quantitative analysis entails a conducting OLS regression with obesity rates as the dependent variable and number of supercenters as the independent variable. The analysis is conducted at the county level covering all the 75 counties of the Arkansas. The qualitative part includes an ethnographic study of food selections among supercenters, supermarkets, and grocery stores for Jonesboro, one of the big towns in Arkansas. The …

South Dakota Agricultural Land Cash Rent Values: 2012, Burton Pflueger, Larry Janssen

Economics Commentator (1972- 2016)

No abstract provided.