Agricultural and Resource Economics Commons^™

Winter Wheat Decisions, Jack Davis, Matthew Diersen, Alan May

Economics Commentator (1972- 2016)

No abstract provided.

Reducing The Pace Of Global Warming: Can The Environmental Buyer Compete With The Climate Exchange In Buying Carbon Offsets?, Natalia Ovchinnikova, Gary D. Lynne

Cornhusker Economics

The term “global warming” was coined in 1896 by the Swedish chemist Svante August Arrhenius. He observed that as the consumption of hydrocarbon fuels and industrial production had grown over the years, the atmospheric concentration of greenhouse gasses (GHG), mainly carbon dioxide (CO2, which accounts for 80 percent of these gasses), began to correlate with a global increase in temperature. There is now general agreement in the scientific community that it is the burning of these carbon containing fuels that is causing global warming. There are two means to combat this warming: first, to reduce CO2 emissions; second, to offset …

Economic And State Budget Cost Of Reducing The Consumptive Use Of Irrigation Water In The Platte And Republican Basins, Ray Supalla, Thomas V. Buell, Brian Mcmullen

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

The potential costs to irrigators, the state economy and the state budget were estimated for different methods of reducing consumptive use (CU) of irrigation water in the Platte and Republican Basins. The policy methods considered included: leased retirement of irrigated land using a willing buyer-willing seller approach; required land retirement with lease payments equal to actual producer losses; retirement of irrigated land by purchasing water rights using a willing buyer-willing seller approach; forced retirement of irrigated land with the purchase price equal to actual market value; allocation with 100 percent producer compensation; and allocation with 50 percent producer compensation. Both …

Farm Lease Termination, J. David Aiken

Cornhusker Economics

Many farm leases, especially those between family members, are not written but are verbal "handshake" agreements. Because nothing is in writing, the parties may have different recollections of their agreement, making lease disputes more difficult to resolve. In legal terms, verbal farm leases in Nebraska may be either "year-to-year" leases or "holdover" leases. Holdover leases result when a written lease terminates but the landlord and tenant continue the lease with an oral agreement, either directly or implied, without entering into a new written lease. The most common legal issue associated with verbal farm leases is how a lease may legally …

Hurricane Damage To The Ocean, Charles S. Colgan, Jefferey Adkins

Publications

In 2005, insured losses from hurricanes and other catastrophes were greater than in any other year in U.S. history. NOAA’s National Hurricane Center estimates that $85 billion of total damages resulted from Hurricanes Katrina and Rita alone. One year later, the region affected by these two hurricanes still struggles to recover, both as a place to live and as a viable economy. Using data from the BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, the National Ocean Economics Program has developed a data series that allows the economic damage to coastal regions to be seen in a new light: what happens …

What Makes An Efficient Farm?, Tina N. Barrett

Cornhusker Economics

It seems that answers to questions often bring more questions. It is certainly true for both my fouryear- old daughter and our study of efficient farms. Natalie’s favorite question is “Why?” and our studies seem to ask “How can they do that?”

A Long Run Of Profit, Al Prosch

Cornhusker Economics

According to data1 from Iowa State University, the longest run of profits for Iowa hog producers was from December of 1976 through August of 1979 (Chart 1). If hog prices continue as expected through October of 2006, that thirty-three month record will be broken. Already, this is the longest series of profitable months since the mid-1980s.

Agriculture Land Suitability Analysis Of Indiana: Integrating Soil, Climate, Topography, And Urban Expansion, Yiran Huang

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study was initiated to classify the land suitability of Indiana for agricultural use. It integrates environmental, economic, and social factors to analyze the agricultural land suitability of Indiana. Soil, topography, flood, climate, and urban factors were considered. Soil Rating for Plant Growth (SRPG) was used as a soil index in this model; it is calculated based on the STA TSGO database along with landscape attributes and climate. Standard Precipitation Index (SPI) was used as a climate index. Urban areas were defined from Tiger data and a buffer zone was used to estimate future sprawl. GIS overlay was used to …

Western Nebraska Visitors Survey

Rural Initiative Program: Publications and Reports

During the months of September, 2005 through August, 2006 the Western Nebraska Tourism Coalition, the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Rural Initiative and University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension conducted a survey of visitors to 16 counties in Western Nebraska.

The survey was designed to provide information related to the activities and experiences of tourists and other visitors to Western Nebraska, especially as related to the hospitality industry.

Estimating Willingness To Pay Using A Polychotomous Choice Function: An Application To Pork Products With Environmental Attributes, Sean P. Hurley, Douglas J. Miller, James B. Kliebenstein

Agribusiness

Bid data from a Vickrey auction for pork chops with embedded environmental attributes were analyzed. It was found that approximately 62% of the participants had a positive WTP for the most "environmentally friendly" package of pork. Thirty percent of the participants had no WTP, and 8% had a negative WTP. A polychotomous choice model was used to accommodate data having an anchoring point within the distribution of the data. Standard variables found in the WTP literature coupled with this model were used to predict participants who were premium payers and non-premium payers using an estimated ordered probit equation.

Clustering Of Independent Dairy Operators For Generation Of Bio-Renewable Energy: A Feasibility Analysis, Sean P. Hurley, James J. Ahern, Douglas Williams

Agribusiness

According to the California Agricultural Statistical Service (CASS), California had almost 1.7 million dairy cows in 2003. These cows generated approximately four billion dollars in revenue, making the California Dairy industry the largest agricultural commodity in the state. These California dairies are estimated to have produced roughly thirty million metric tons of manure in 2003. According to the 2002 USDA census, eighty-seven percent of the dairy cows in California are located on farms of five hundred or more cows. Furthermore, the dairy industry is heavily concentrated in eight counties of California. This high concentration of dairies in the state implies …

Livestock Gross Margin Insurance For Cattle, Josie Waterbury, Darrell R. Mark

Cornhusker Economics

Livestock Gross Margin Insurance (LGM) for Cattle is a relatively new insurance policy offered through USDA’s Risk Management Agency (RMA) that offers protection against a decline in cattle feeding margins. LGM provides protection as a bundled option that comprehensively covers the cost of corn, the cost of feeder cattle and the fed cattle selling price, unlike traditional options on futures where these margin components must be hedged separately. Essentially, LGM provides insured producers an indemnity when the spread between fed cattle sales prices and feeder cattle and corn input prices narrows due to changing market conditions.

An Examination Of Farm Program Payments On Farm Economic Structure, Saleem Shaik, Glenn A. Helmers

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

System of input demand functions is estimated to examine the impact of farm program payments on farm economic structure. Influence of farm program payments on input resource use for the time periods corresponding to the thirteen farm bills in effect since 1938 is also examined. Empirical application to Nebraska agriculture sector for the period 1936-2004 indicate positive impact of farm program payments on farm real estate, breeding livestock and other inputs. Negative influence of farm program payment on the use of farm equipment, farm labor, farm inputs, chemicals and energy was observed during the same period.

The Relationship Of U.S. And Canadian Cull Cow Prices To Lean Beef Prices: A Dag Analysis, Dillon Feuz, Matthew C. Stockton, Suparna Bhattacharya

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

What is the price relationship between a cull cow in San Angelo, Texas, Sioux Falls, South Dakota and other major U.S. cull cow markets and those in Ontario or Alberta Canada? How are these prices impacted by the price for lean beef trimmings or the price of imported lean beef from Australia or New Zealand? What impact did the discovery of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) in North America in 2003 have on these price relationships? Answers to these and other questions are the purpose of this paper.

Numerous market and price analysis studies exist on the fed cattle and feeder …

An Estimation Of The Regulatory Cost On California Agricultural Producers, Sean P. Hurley, Jay E. Noel

Agribusiness

Regulations can have many different effects on producers—both positive and negative. They can positively affect producers by improving marketability of the crop and increasing worker’s safety which would provide benefits to producers in the form of higher prices and/or potential cost savings. They can also negatively affect producers by increasing the cost of production by mandating that producers use more costly or less efficacious inputs, causing negative effects to the producers’ bottom-line. Regulations can also have a negative effect on producers by increasing non-cash costs related to management time.

Optimal Market Contracting In The California Lettuce Industry, Kallie Donnelly, Jay E. Noel

Agribusiness

Marketing and production contracts are a widely used risk mitigating strategy in the agricultural industry. Marketing contracts guarantee a market and focuses on the product at time of delivery. The producer owns the crop until time of delivery and is paid a premium based on quality and quantity predetermined in the contract. Production contracts create long term relationships between the producer and contractor. The producer will provide predetermined services to grow the crop. The contractor will provide inputs for the producer, giving the contractor some control over the production process and ownership of the crop. Graph 1 illustrates the growth …

A Regional And Industry Analysis Of The Complexity Of The Regulatory Environment Affecting Agricultural Producers In California, Sean P. Hurley, Jay E. Noel

Agribusiness

Regulations have been studied from many different vantage points in the past. Carter, Chalfont, and Goodhue (2002) have studied how a particular regulation will affect a particular crop, while Antle (2000) and Cash and Swoboda (2003) have investigated the effect of a regulation on an industry. Kaplan, Johansson, and Peters (2004) have investigated the marginal costs and benefits of regulations. Attempts have been made by the federal government to obtain the total cost of the regulatory environment (Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, 1997), while Hurley and Noel (2006) have attempted to develop a baseline cost of regulations for California …

Blanding’S Turtle (Emydoidea Blandingii): A Technical Conservation Assessment, Justin D. Congdon, Douglas A. Keinath

United States Department of Agriculture, Forest Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

Blanding’s turtles (Emydoidea blandingii) are secure in Nebraska, and they range from being vulnerable to threatened, or endangered throughout most of the rest of their distribution. In Region 2, they have not been reported from Kansas, they are extremely rare in South Dakota, and they occupy wetlands in the northern half of Nebraska. The largest population known within the range of Blanding’s turtles is at Valentine National Wildlife Refuge, Nebraska.

The core habitat of Blanding’s turtles has an aquatic component that consists of a permanent wetland and a suite of other, usually smaller and more temporary, wetlands such …

Should I Sell My Wheat?, Paul Burgener

Cornhusker Economics

At this time of year, the most common question that I get from producers is, “Should I sell my wheat?” For an extension economist, this is a loaded question. If my answer is yes, then the price will go up $0.30 per bushel next week and I will get another less pleasant call. If I say no, the price will go down $0.30 the next week, and I get to have another conversation.

Economic Impacts Of Alternative Sized Dairies In South Dakota, Erik Gerlach, Larry Janssen, Gary Taylor, Alvaro Garcia

Economics Commentator (1972- 2016)

No abstract provided.

Regulation And Trade Of Genetically Modified Products, Luc Veyssiere, Konstantinos Giannakas

Cornhusker Economics

The emergence of agricultural biotechnology and the subsequent introduction of genetically modified (GM) products into the food system have been among the most controversial issues surrounding the increasingly scrutinized agri-food system. While agricultural producers have responded to the agronomic benefits associated with the producer-oriented, first generation of GM products and have been adopting GM crops in increasing numbers, consumers around the world have expressed an aversion to food products containing GM ingredients. Consumer opposition to GM products varies significantly both between and within countries and is founded on health, environmental, ethical and/or philosophical concerns about agricultural biotechnology.

Market Reports

Cornhusker Economics

No abstract provided.

Changing Maine, 1960-2010: Teaching Guide, Richard Barringer, New England Environmental Finance Center

Maine History & Policy Development

Unlike forty years ago, none of us is now certain what the future holds for Maine – except that it will be different. Maine has been transformed by the events of the recent decades. We have come into a new world, a new time – a new historical era, if you will. This new era, like previous eras in Maine history, will require of us new ways of thinking, new ways of understanding, new ways of organizing ourselves as a community of people, if the values and culture we share and cherish are to endure and flourish.

Drought Issues And Taxes, Tina N. Barrett

Cornhusker Economics

Even with the recent rains that have fallen across parts of Nebraska, drought continues to plague farmers and ranchers and always brings up the question of consequences to the tax bill.

Nebraska Custom Rates Changes From 2004 To 2006, H. Douglas Jose

Cornhusker Economics

The increase in machinery costs this year has created uncertainty about what are fair costs for custom services. Fuel costs certainly are a major factor, but the purchase or “sticker” prices of machinery and the repair costs have increased as well. Fuel costs have increased about 46 percent over the past two years since the last Custom Rates surveys were taken in the Spring of 2004. Over the same period, overhead costs which include taxes, interest and insurance went up 14 percent and labor costs increased 10 percent. These increases are measured by input cost indexes reported by USDA’s National …

Phase I Florida's Ocean And Coastal Economies Report, Judith T. Kildow Dr

Publications

This report was prepared for and funded by the Florida State Department of Environmental Protection with the encouragement of members from the Florida Ocean Alliance, Florida Oceans and Coastal Resources Council and other groups with deep interests in the future of Florida’s coast. It is a preliminary study of Florida’s Ocean and Coastal Economies based only on information currently found within the datasets of the National Ocean Economics Program (NOEP). It reflects only a portion of the value of Florida’s coastal-related economy and should not be considered comprehensive. A more customized study based on the unique coastal and ocean-dependent economic …

Real Estate Assessment And Tax Breaks: Reality Or Myth?, Bruce Johnson

Cornhusker Economics

Nebraska continues to be one of the highest states in terms of its dependency on property taxation for funding governmental functions. For agricultural real estate property owners, this tax can, and often does, become quite burdensome since it does not relate directly to the level of income earnings (off the land) or the benefits received (the majority of property tax obligations are for public schools and not propertyenhancing services like police and fire protection, roads/bridges, etc.). It is little wonder that rural citizens are particularly concerned about it.

Agricultural Disaster Assistance, Bradley Lubben

Cornhusker Economics

The U.S. Congress has been working on an emergency supplemental appropriations bill in recent weeks to provide funding for defense, the global war on terror, and additional hurricane relief in response to the lingering needs following the devastating set of hurricanes in 2005. Currently, the bill sits with a Conference Committee to resolve differences between versions passed in the Senate and in the House of Representatives. Expectations are that the bill will be completed before the end of June as funding for continued defense operations will become critical, but exactly what will be in the final version of the bill …

Big Box Stores: Their Impacts On The Economy And Tips For Competing, Sean Golden, Noel Jeutang, Ratikanta Pattaik, David I. Rosenbaum, Eric Thompson

Rural Initiative Program: Publications and Reports

This is a study in three parts: the general impact of Wal-Mart and big box stores on the economy; an empirical look at Wal-Mart’s impacts on 15 Nebraska communities; and a review of research on ways that local retailers can compete against big box stores.

Part one suggests that Wal-Mart has both positive and negative impacts on the economy. Wal-Mart helps increase productivity and causes consumer prices to fall. Further, a number of studies found that employment increased in communities that received a new Wal-Mart store. However, other studies found that entry of a Wal-Mart failed to lead to net …

Shifts In Agricultural Land Valuation In South Dakota: From Market-Based To Income Based Criteria, Tonya Hansen, Richard Shane, Larry Janssen

Economics Staff Paper Series (1969 - 2017)

Agricultural land prices rise amidst increased demand from agricultural producers and individuals seeking land for recreational, speculative, or residential uses. Interest in changing South Dakota's method of valuing agricultural land from a market-based to an income-based approach surfaced and resurfaced in the late 1970s and 1990s, respectively. Using results from two studies, we describe differences in land market conditions between these time periods and summarize the state and county valuation shifts resulting from adopting an income valuation approach. Specifically, we report internal valuation shifts between crop and pasture landowners and external valuation shifts between agricultural landowners and nonagricultural property owners.