Agricultural and Resource Economics Commons^™

Eating Local And Supporting The Farm Community, Kuo-Liang Chang, George Langelett

Economics Commentator (1972- 2016)

No abstract provided.

North Central Risk Management Education Center, Cheryl Griffith

Cornhusker Economics

Today’s farmers and ranchers face an unprecedented risk environment. Extreme price volatility has impacted the cost of inputs for producers, as well as the prices they receive for farm commodities. Livestock producers in the dairy, hog and poultry sectors have faced liquidations due to declining profits stemming from high feed prices and reduced consumer demand. The price of fertilizer has increased nearly 400 percent in the past three years, while the price of a bushel of corn, after extreme fluctuations, has settled at roughly the same price as three years ago. In response to the world economic conditions, agricultural lenders …

Variance Risk Premiums And Predictive Power Of Alternative Forward Variances In The Corn Market, Zhiguang Wang, Scott Fausti, Bashir Qasmi

Economics Staff Paper Series (1969 - 2017)

We propose a fear index for corn using the variance swap rate synthesized from out-of-the-money call and put options as a measure of implied variance. Previous studies estimate implied variance based on Black (1976) model or forecast variance using the GARCH models. Our implied variance approach, based on variance swap rate, is model independent. We compute the daily 60-day variance risk premiums based on the difference between the realized variance and implied variance for the period from 1987 to 2009. We find negative and time-varying variance risk premiums in the corn market. Our results contrast with Egelkraut, Garcia, and Sherrick …

Water Resources In Sub-Saharan Africa: The Case Of Mali, Ria Elise O'Brien

All Theses and Dissertations (ETDs)

The world is experiencing the first effects of the water crisis and its importance will become more prevalent in the next few decades. In this study, the case is made that there are steps that can be taken that can improve the standard of living for people by addressing the water needs of both rural and urban areas affected by the water crisis. If the standard of living was increased using the advice given in the thesis, Mali would then serve as an example for what could be done right in other arid areas.

Attracting And Retaining Workers In Rural Communities, Rebecca J. Vogt, Cheryl Burkhart-Kriesel, Randolph L. Cantrell, Charlotte Narjes

Cornhusker Economics

Many rural communities focus their development efforts on job creation. In the non-metropolitan portions of the Northern Great Plains, job creation efforts in the first half of this decade were quite successful. According to the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA, 2005), 167 of the 223 non-metropolitan counties in Nebraska, North Dakota and South Dakota saw an actual aggregate increase in total jobs (full and part-time) of 28,734, between the years 2001 and 2005.

Understanding And Researching The U.S. Farm Bill, Bert Chapman

Libraries Research Publications

This presentation provides a detailed overview of the process involved in the U.S. Government's preparation of farm legislation every five years. It covers the multiple steps and actors involved in the legislative process and lists critical information resources on this topic.

2010 Legislative Summary, J. David Aiken

Cornhusker Economics

What were some of the major issues addressed in the 2010 Legislature? Water, fences, wind energy and the state budget.

What happened with water? The main bill was LB862, which extends the $10/acre irrigated acre tax to all Natural Resource Districts (NRDs) that are preparing an integrated water management plan. Formerly, this authority had been extended only to Republican Basin NRDs, but the Nebraska Supreme Court ruled that limitation unconstitutional. The Unicameral also repealed the water checkoff on corn and sorghum, and opened up the integrated management plan process to all NRDs. LB862 may help NRDs get closer to where …

Fostering Food Market Development In Zambia, Gelson Tembo, Antony Chapoto, Thomas Jayne, Michael Weber

Zambia Social Science Journal

This article assesses major features of the Zambian agricultural market that have led to the underdevelopment of the staple food marketing system, reviews existing empirical evidence explaining the variable performance of the maize sub-sector, and suggests potential corrective measures. As smallholder farmers in agricultural markets are considered to be vitally important to the attainment of food security, special attention is placed on how the current system affects these farmers, and on how to foster improved participation. The role and potential of new generation cooperatives is also considered.We identify seven major areas in need of serious and coordinated attention if the …

The Violences Of Capitalism: Privatization And Land Tenure In Uganda, Minnesota, And Mexico, Nicole S. Kligerman

Latin American Studies Honors Projects

This project analyzes the relationship between land privatization and violence in societies that previously employed non-capitalist land tenure systems. Exploring the cases of the Dakota in Minnesota, the Acholi in Northern Uganda, and indigenous communities in southern Mexico, I examine how the state forcibly incorporated collective land systems into capitalism through a combination of physical, structural, and intra-community violences. This results in the disintegration of previous means of agricultural production and the accompanying community-based cultural systems. Communities resist this process, however, as they battle for natural resource sovereignty and sustainable peace in their homelands.

Evaluating Native Wheatgrasses For Restoration Of Sagebrush Steppes, Jayanti Ray Mukherjee

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Pseudoroegneria spicata and Elymus wawawaiensis are two native perennial bunchgrasses of North America's Intermountain West. Frequent drought, past overgrazing practices, subsequent weed invasions, and increased wildfire frequency have combined to severely degrade natural landscapes in the region, leading to a decline in the abundance of native vegetation. Being formerly widespread throughout the region, P. spicata is a favorite for restoration purposes in the Intermountain West. Elymus wawawaiensis, which occupies a more restricted distribution in the Intermountain West, is often used as a restoration surrogate for P. spicata. However, since most restoration sites are outside the native range of …

Energy Restriction During Development In Breeding Gilts: An Economic Analysis, Justin Cech

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

Swine production has become a low-margin business. As costs of production have increased, producers are continuing to increase efficiency in market pig production and gilt development. Restricting energy intake during gilt development could have a positive impact on a producer’s bottom line, but few studies have economically analyzed production differences caused by energy restriction. This study utilized gilt development and market pig production data from biological studies that included a 2x2 factorial arrangement of half-sibling maternal lines (LWxLR and L45X) entering two gilt development programs. In one program, gilts were fed on an ad libitum basis. In the other, gilts …

The Comparison Of Five Different Cattle Feeding Enterprises: A Stochastic Simulation On Expected Returns And The Effects Of Lrp Insurance, Caleb H. Bott

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This was a study on the Utah cattle industry which compared five different feeding enterprises. These feeding enterprises included feeding cull cows, finishing beef yearling steers, finishing Holstein yearling steers, backgrounding beef steer calves, and backgrounding Holstein steer calves. The main purpose of this study was to determine which feeding enterprise was the most profitable for Utah cattle producers.

Another objective of the study was to determine if LRP insurance lowered the volatility in the returns to these feeding enterprises. In order to answer these two questions of interest, a historical analysis of Utah cattle and feed prices was conducted …

Object-Based Segmentation And Classification Of One Meter Imagery For Use In Forest Management Plans, W. Kevin Wells

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This research developed an ArcGIS Python model that extracts polygons from aerial imagery and assigns each polygon a vegetation type based on a modified set of landcover classes from the Southwest Regional Gap Analysis Project. The model showed an ability to generate polygons that accurately represent vegetation community boundaries across a large landscape. The model is for use by the Utah Division of Forestry, Fire, and State Lands to assist in the preparation of forest management plans. The model was judged useful because it was easy to use, it met a designated 50% threshold of useable polygons, and it met …

Tri-State Meat Goat Survey Summary, Martin Beutler

Economics Commentator (1972- 2016)

No abstract provided.

Useful Government Information Resources For Public Librarians, Bert Chapman

Libraries Research Publications

Provides a descriptive overview of selected government information resources and the nationwide Government Information Online digital reference chat service for public librarians.

Stochastic Partial Budgeting: A New Look At An Old Tool, Sunil P. Dhoubhadel, Matthew Stockton

Cornhusker Economics

Farm business managers are constantly making adjustments in their businesses for smoother operations and profitability. Many times, these choices involve actions to enhance the financial return of the farm business; while other times these decisions are made out of necessity to minimize the effects of unfavorable conditions or events such as drought or changes in the market conditions. Some of these decisions are relatively simple, requiring making choices among alternatives within an enterprise; while others are complex involving a total overhaul of the business and its enterprises. Alternative choices within an individual enterprise can have a differential impact on farm …

Tiered Pricing And Cost Functions: Are Equity, Cost Recovery And Economic Efficiency Compatible Goals?, Karina Schoengold

Cornhusker Economics

Suppliers of water and energy are frequently natural monopolies, with their pricing regulated by governmental agencies. Pricing schemes are evaluated by the efficiency of the resource allocation they lead to, the capacity of the utilities to capture their costs and the distributional effects of the policies, in particular, impacts on the poor. One pricing approach has been average cost pricing, which guarantees cost recovery and allows utilities to provide their product at relatively low prices. However, average cost pricing leads to economically inefficient consumption levels, when sources of water and energy are limited and increasing the supply is costly. An …

Twin Themes Of Theodore W. Schultz, Larry Janssen

Economics Commentator (1972- 2016)

No abstract provided.

Not Fully-Appropriated Basins Subject To New Well Restrictions, J. David Aiken

Cornhusker Economics

On April 8, 2009, the Nebraska Department of Natural Resources (DNR) determined that the Lower Platte River Basin was not fully appropriated. On April 6, 2009, Nebraska Governor Heineman signed LB483, which established procedures to limit new irrigation development in areas like the Lower Platte Basin. This newsletter discusses these developments.

501(C)(3) Nonprofit Organizations In Nebraska: 2008, Randolph L. Cantrell

Cornhusker Economics

Nonprofit organizations are important to the quality of life in communities. They exist in complex variety and include church congregations, private schools, service clubs, business leagues, social and recreational clubs, labor unions, farm bureaus, community theaters, neighborhood organizations and many more. Only the largest of nonprofits are likely to have employees, with most relying upon volunteers to meet their human resource requirements. They obtain their financial resources through donations, investments, grants and fee based activities, such as festivals and educational programs.

Climate Change Policy: The Waxman-Markey Bill, Diego Alvarez, Richard K. Perrin

Cornhusker Economics

The Waxman-Markey Bill is a comprehensive national climate and energy legislation designed to reduce global warming pollution and transition to a clean energy economy. In order to accomplish the first goal, the bill introduces a cap-and-trade program.

2010 Prospective Plantings Report Analysis, Alan R. May

Economics Commentator (1972- 2016)

No abstract provided.

Chicos Del Horno: How Adobe Oven-Roasted Corn Became A Local, Slow, And Deep Food, Devon Peña

NACCS Annual Conference Proceedings

No abstract provided.

Indigenous Women In The Food Justice And Sovereignty Movement: Lessons From The South Central Farm, Rufina Juarez

NACCS Annual Conference Proceedings

No abstract provided.

Protected Habitat Is A Legacy Of Generations, Nancy C. Balcom

Wrack Lines

Land stewardship ethics must pass from one generation to the next in order to be effective. Some examples in Connecticut are presented.

“Real Culture” Preservation, Authenticity, And Change In Hoi An’S Heritage Tourism Industry, Ursula James

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Following the achievement of World Heritage site status in 1999, Hoi An shifted from a primarily agricultural economy to a primarily tourism-oriented economy. This economy is based on the idea of heritage tourism, focused mostly on preserved tangible heritage but increasingly accompanied by attempts to preserve and capitalize on intangible heritage. As the heritage tourism industry grows, the city of Hoi An must make constant decisions as to the nature and goals of the ideas of preservation and authenticity and their interplay with economics and the forces of globalization. The city has consequently had to balance the many conflicting demands …

The Rice Farmer Vs. The Multinational: Mali’S Winding Path Toward Food Sovereignty, Emily Bell

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Land grabbing by foreign investors is a growing problem for the Global South. Rice production in Mali is no exception. To counter this trend, there is a greater push from countries like Mali for food security and food sovereignty. Despite this push, decentralization and a lack of government funds have led Mali to sign multiple agreements with multinational companies. The Malibya Society, a partnership between Mali and Libya, is one of these investors that could jeopardize Mali’s autonomy. This paper will describe the details of the project, the reactions of government officials, peasant organizations, and farmers, and what Malians can …

Department Of Agricultural Economics Publications In 2009, Pam A. Holmes

Department of Agricultural Economics: Faculty Publications

Publications from the UNL Department of Agricultural Economics in 2009.

Taiwanese Industry Competitiveness When Outward Fdi Is Defensive, Ling Sun, Lilyan E. Fulginiti, Yo-Chan Chen

Department of Agricultural Economics: Faculty Publications

The main purpose of this study is to examine the links between outward FDI and the competitiveness of Taiwanese industries. This is done by emphasizing the difference between ‘defensive’ versus ‘expansionary’ outward FDI. The empirical study is based on a panel data of 15 industries over the period 1991–2001. The results indicate that outward FDI of the defensive type, in particular that destined to China, while increasing industry efficiency has had a significant negative influence on competitiveness of the Taiwanese industry through its effects on innovative activity. While outward FDI has impacted the industry’s productivity growth it has not decreased …

Lebanese Water Resources: A Potential To Alleviate Middle East Water Stress, Basil Mahfouz

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Years of war have left the Lebanese water sector in a very bad shape. This has caused excessive water waste in practically all aspects of water consumption. As Lebanon wastes water, its neighbors are desperately seeking to secure their water needs. Consequently, this paper proposes investing sovereign wealth funds from the oil rich water poor Arab countries to assist in developing an efficient water network to maximize the efficiency of the Lebanese water sector. Such investments would be made for the purpose of creating a large enough water surplus in Lebanon that would eventually be exported to the gulf to …