Agricultural and Resource Economics Commons^™

Retail Sales Trends Across Nebraska Counties And Localities, Bruce B. Johnson, Ben Blomendahl

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

Retailing patterns are changing everywhere. Consumer preferences and resources are ever-changing; while simultaneously, the retail sector is constantly evolving into new configurations. Often retail trade centers are pitted against one another in a “zero-sum game” so to speak with any relative gains in trade volume by one occurring at the expense of others. Nebraska is certainly no exception to these universal changes. In fact, the changes often seem compounded across its wide size continuum of towns and cities.

This report represents an update to an earlier report, Retailing Patterns and Trends across Nebraska, 1970-1998. In it we are attempting …

A Global View On Irrigation Development, Karina Schoengold

Cornhusker Economics

Given the current problems that Nebraska is facing with respect to water management and the need to reduce water consumption, it is worthwhile to consider what the relevant issues related to water consumption and management are in other parts of the world. Are other parts of the world facing similar shortages in water availability? What are the historical roots behind the development of irrigation?

Revolving Fund May Provide Alternative For Nebraska Cooperatives, Jeffrey S. Royer, Tyler W. Gilkey, Darrell R. Mark

Cornhusker Economics

Most Nebraska marketing and farm supply cooperatives use age-of-patron plans for managing the investments their members make in the organizations. Under an age-of-patron plan, equity allocated to an individual member from retained patronage refunds is held in the cooperative until that member reaches a particular age, often 65 years. At that point, all the member’s equity is eligible for redemption.

Public Reporting Of Fed Cattle Grid Prices: Policy Reform Consequences, Scott Fausti, Bashir Qasmi, Matthew Diersen

Economics Staff Paper Series (1969 - 2017)

Mandatory livestock price reporting was implemented in April 2001. Empirical evidence indicates a significant change in volatility occurred in publicly reported fed cattle grid premiums and discounts after its implementation. Empirical analysis of grid premiums and discounts across the pre-and post-reform periods indicates that increased transparency is compatible with either an increase or a decrease in price volatility in the post-MPR period. Furthermore, it appears that the public price reporting system for weekly grid premiums and discounts failed to provide an adequate level of transparency prior to the implementation of price reporting reforms. Our methodology extends the literature on the …

Can The Path Be Altered?: Salvaging And Renewing Communities Of The Rural Plains, Larry Swanson

Rural Initiative Program: Publications and Reports

Dr. Larry Swanson, Director of the Center for the Rocky Mountain West at the University of Montana, delivered the second-annual lecture on "Grassland Conservation and Sustainable Communities" on Thursday, April 12, 2007. Dr. Swanson's message that there is hope for rural communities if we act aggressively and immediately was heard by a crowd of 140 at the Great Plains Art Museum in Lincoln, NE. You can learn more about the lecture in the articles below or by visiting www.grasslandfoundation.org. We would like to thank everyone who attended the lecture and those who made the event possible. A special thanks to …

Hog Profitability, Al Prosch

Cornhusker Economics

Pork producers have enjoyed several years of profitable production. In 2002 we began keeping data on estimated breakeven cost and potential profits. Our data is based on an updated production budget for an efficient 1,200 sow farrow to finish unit. Corn and soybean meal costs are taken from the Chicago Board of Trade futures prices, to stay current with changing feed costs. For Nebraska feed costs, soybean meal is valued at the current board price and corn is valued at the board price plus a negative 30 cent basis.

Production Costs, Burton Pflueger

Economics Commentator (1972- 2016)

No abstract provided.

Supreme Court Declares Greenhouse Gas An Air Pollutant, J. David Aiken

Cornhusker Economics

On April 2, 2007, the U.S. Supreme Court in 2 Massachusetts v. EPA ruled 5-4 that carbon dioxide (CO ) was an air pollutant under the Federal Clean Air Act (CAA). The court’s decision means that the Federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is required to reconsider its decision not to regulate carbon monoxide (CO) as an air pollutant when establishing auto tailpipe emission requirements. The court’s decision is an important victory for those seeking a more active United States policy on regulating greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions to combat global warming. This newsletter examines the United States role in global warming, …

Measurement Of The Market Data For The Ocean And Coastal Economy, Charles S. Colgan

Publications

This paper supplements reports and data released on the Coastal and Ocean Economies of the United States by the NOEP. It provides a discussion of the relevant literature involved in the investigation of the Ocean and Coastal related Economies, the theoretical background of measures such as gross domestic product (GDP) and gross state product (GSP), and provides details on sources, methods, assumptions, and limitations of the data provided by NOEP.

Those concerned with the health of coastal and ocean resources increasingly need to understand the socio-economic context in which changes are occurring. The market data of the National Ocean Economics …

Economy Of Change: The Organic Market As A Model For Agricultural Development In India, Amanda White

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

In India, 50% of children under five years of age are malnourished amidst a yearly surplus in grain production. Approximately 40% of food is lost in transport on a daily basis, yet the country has been able to prevent major famines for over 60 years. In a country with a GDP of 8-9% and an ever-growing presence on the international economic stage, these double standards cannot be tolerated. 260 million Indians live in extreme poverty, and 40% of those depend mainly on agricultural labor. This sector accounts for approximately 26% of India’s GDP, and provides employment for about 70% of …

Ua23 Western Kentucky University Regional Assessment & Strategic Plan, Paul N. Markham

ALIVE Center Publications

The Regional Stewardship Program is a new initiative that seeks to promote regional and statewide economic development, livable communities, social inclusion, creative governance, and civic participation through public engagement activities initiated by comprehensive university faculty and staff. Its purpose is to link the resources and knowledge of our universities to the needs and challenges of their respective regions. Kentucky is the first state in the nation to launch a statewide stewardship program.

Nebraska’S Micropolitan Statistical Areas: A Growing Piece Of A Shrinking Pie, Randolph L. Cantrell

Rural Initiative Program: Publications and Reports

They have been called “urban islands in a shortgrass sea” (Popper and Popper, 1986) and “middle places” (Swanson, 2007). They are the small urban centers that dot the Great Plains and are home to an important share of the region’s non-metropolitan population and economic activity. Compared to the much larger metropolitan centers such as Omaha and Lincoln, they may appear to be minor players in the state’s social and economic landscape—but that would underestimate their role. Individually they anchor the regional “pillars of growth” identified by Thompson (Thompson et al., 2007), and collectively they play a determining role in the …

Review Of Harvest For Hope: A Guide To Mindful Eating By Jane Goodall With Gary Mcavoy And Gail Hudson, Charles A. Francis

Great Plains Research: A Journal of Natural and Social Sciences (through 2013)

One of the world's preeminent experts on primate behavior, author Jane Goodall now invests her boundless energy traveling and speaking about conservation. After years of studying chimpanzees in the Gombe National Park in Tanzania, Goodall found their very existence threatened by poachers, by encroachment of farming into their habitat, and by global forces far from their wild environment. She is now on a mission to inform the public about what is wrong with our society and its impact on the planet. Harvest for Hope catalogs the problems and provides practical solutions.

“Sustainable Soy” In Santarém: Power Struggles For The Future Of Development, Jake Schoneker

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This study examines the environmental and socio-economic effects of soy development in the city of Santarém, located in the western part of Pará state in the Brazilian Amazon. In the past decade the soybean has emerged as one of Santarém’s primary crops, largely as a result of Cargill Corporation’s construction of a fluvial port in the city that now exports one million tons of soy per year to European markets. The arrival of soy agribusiness in Santarém has transformed the agricultural scene and has had drastic impacts on both local communities and the forest. Surrounding the soy conflict are various …

Ethanol, Corn Price And Weather Shifting Cattle Feeding North, Darrell R. Mark

Cornhusker Economics

Traditionally, Texas, Kansas and Nebraska have ranked as the top three cattle feeding states, in that order, amongst feedyards with 1,000+ head capacities (see Figure 1 on next page). A unique combination of severe winter weather, high corn prices and the rapidly increasing production of ethanol byproducts may have been shifting that pattern in recent months. Cattle on feed data show that Nebraska has had the second largest number of cattle on feed in lots with 1,000+ head capacities since February 1. This resulted from a 22 percent increase in feed numbers since September 2006 in Nebraska. Interestingly, other Northern …

Time For Change In U.S. Farm Policy: Fundamental Reform Emphasizing Institution's Based On Agriculture's Multifunctionality'?, Thomas L. Dobbs

Economics Commentator (1972- 2016)

No abstract provided.

Ethanol Fueling Land Market Advances, Bruce Johnson

Cornhusker Economics

Nebraska farm real estate market values and cash rents show sizable increases for the year ending February 1, 2007. Preliminary findings from the annual University of Nebraska Farm Real Estate Market Developments Survey indicate the average per-acre value of agricultural land rose 14 percent over the past year (Figure 1 and Table 1). This was the largest annual all-land value increase of the past 19 years (Figure 1 and Table 1). Moreover, the percentage increase follows on three previous years of solid advances, which puts the state’s current all-land average value more than 50 percent higher than the 2003 level.

The Wto Decision On U.S. Cotton Policy, Rita Abdelnour, E. Wesley F. Peterson

Cornhusker Economics

In 2002, Brazil filed a complaint about U.S. cotton policies with the World Trade Organization (WTO). After initial consultations and review of the Brazilian complaint, the WTO established a dispute resolution panel in March 2003. The panel returned a ruling in favor of most of the objections in Brazil’s petition in September 2004. The United States appealed this decision but the WTO Appellate Body upheld the original judgment in a ruling issued on March 3, 2005. The cotton subsidy case is of importance for the U.S. cotton industry, but it also has implications for other U.S. commodities. The federal programs …

Lb108 Repeals Fence Viewer Process, J. David Aiken

Cornhusker Economics

In Nebraska, if I want to make a neighbor pay for part of a division fence, I can ask him or her to do so. If they refuse, for over a century I could have requested fence viewers to determine how much of the division fence each neighbor should pay for. Now if I want to do that I must go to court. I can also build the fence myself and assume full responsibility for the costs of construction and maintenance. Ideally, neighbors should have a written agreement (filed with the real estate deeds) identifying how the costs of building …

Examining The Socioeconomic Impacts Of Irrigation In The Southeast Anatolia Region Of Turkey, Sachiko Miyata, Tomoki Fujii

Research Collection School Of Economics

We explore the socioeconomic changes following implementation of an irrigation system in the Southeast Anatolia region of Turkey, and examines whether the improvement originally envisioned was achieved. We surveyed seven irrigated and eight non-irrigated villages in Sanliurfa Province, collecting several indicators at the household level, including crop patterns, household living standards, and access to water. Local perception of the irrigation project and decisions regarding water use also are examined. The irrigation projects have improved knowledge sharing of irrigation technology and helped to introduce the sharing of agricultural machinery. The projects also seem to have shifted the tribal hierarchy toward peer …

Competing Visions Of U.S. Agriculture: Can We Have Our Cake And Eat It Too In Reforming Federal Farm Policy?, Thomas L. Dobbs

Economics Commentator (1972- 2016)

No abstract provided.

Measuring Economic Development Ii - Persistent Income Inequality 1980-2000, David J. Peters

Cornhusker Economics

Economic development is “sustained progressive change to attain individual and group interests through the expanded, intensified and adjusted use of resources,” where “human welfare is the end product of the development process.”1 The previous issue of Cornhusker Economics2 used persistent poverty as one way to measure development at the communitylevel. Another way social scientists measure development is to look at how evenly income is distributed within a community. Thus, an equal distribution has ten percent of households receiving ten percent of the income, fifty percent of households receiving fifty percent of the income, and so on. Although the question of …

Measuring Economic Development I - Persistent Poverty 1980-2000, David J. Peters

Cornhusker Economics

Economic development is a priority for nearly all Nebraska communities. However, development is often confused with economic growth. Economic development entails “sustained progressive change to attain individual and group interests through the expanded, intensified and adjusted use of resources,” where “human welfare is the end product of the development process.”1 How do you measure such a value-laden and multifaceted concept to know whether development efforts have been successful? While there is no single answer to this question, one common and relatively easy method is to look at community poverty rates over time.

Ethanol, Oil And Corn, Richard K. Perrin

Cornhusker Economics

When will ethanol plants stop being built? Ethanol plants under construction in Nebraska will have the capacity to grind over 40 percent of the Nebraska corn crop by the end of 2007, and nearly 60 percent by the end of 2008. Nationally, capacity for these years will be roughly 25 percent and 35 percent of the crop. The plants under construction will bring total annual ethanol production to 11 billion gallons or so, well over the renewable fuels standard of 7.5 billion gallons by 2012.

Farm Business Succession And Estate Planning Or “What You Need To Know Before You Go To See The Attorney”, David J. Goeller

Cornhusker Economics

Nearly everyone agrees that it is important to plan for the future. Why, then, do less than half of all farmers and ranchers have an estate plan? Many will say it is just too complicated so it gets put off until…well, later or maybe never. Farm and ranch estate planning can involve some rather complicated concepts. Attorneys and other estate planning professionals spend a lifetime honing their skills and evaluating various estate planning options. Should a trust or a will be used? What about a corporation or an LLC? Should we have a durable power of attorney and an advanced …

Simulated Analysis Of Drought’S Impact On Different Cow-Calf Production Systems, Matthew C. Stockton, Roger K. Wilson

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

Five representative, firm-level, stochastic simulation models were constructed using historical production cost, cattle prices, weather information and scientifically collected production data from the Gudmundsen Sandhills Laboratory operated by the University of Nebraska. The five hundred iterative results indicate the inclusion of crop residual grazing is a viable drought mitigation tool.

Does The Data Support Ikerd’S “Economic Fallacies Of Industrial Hog Production”?, Azzeddine Azzam

Cornhusker Economics

In one of the most comprehensive studies of U.S. hog production, McBride and Key (2003) found that although the cost of producing hogs declines with increasing farm size across producer types (farrow-to-finish, farrow-tofeeder, and feeder-to-finish), the distribution of costs is such that many small and medium-sized operations produce at a cost that is competitive with industrial-scale operations. The study attributed the cost competitiveness to managerial ability, which "is likely to be as important as size economies lowering the costs of hog production" (p. 18). The same view is shared by Ikerd (2001), a well-known advocate of small hog farms. He …

Accounting For Agricultural Decline With Economic Growth In Taiwan, Ling Sun, Lilyan Fulginiti, E. Wesley F. Peterson

Department of Agricultural Economics: Faculty Publications

In this paper, we develop an empirical model to decompose the evolution of the agricultural share of GDP into three components: price changes, factor endowment changes and technological change. Our results suggest that relative prices have a positive but small influence on the share of agriculture in GDP in both the long-run and the short-run. An increase in capital per unit of labor, on the other hand, is associated with a smaller agricultural share. Technical change has been biased in favor of the agricultural sector but this effect has been swamped by the magnitude of the input effects, in particular, …

Farm Wages In Nebraska, H. Douglas Jose

Cornhusker Economics

As farm sizes increase, questions related to labor management, employee working conditions and employee wages become more important. Farm operators want to know if the wages they are providing are competitive and employees want to ensure they are being compensated fairly. The most comprehensive set of information on farm wages in this region is a report published by Iowa State University in 2006. This resulted from a survey of Iowa farmers who employ one or more workers on a full-time basis. Another source of information is the periodic report of farm wages published by the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS).

Perspectives Of Cow/Calf Producers In The Dakotas On The Price Discover Process, Martin Beutler, Scott Fausti, Bashir Qasmi

Economics Commentator (1972- 2016)

No abstract provided.