Agricultural and Resource Economics Commons^™

Defense And International Affairs In The Federal Budget, E. Wesley F. Peterson

Cornhusker Economics

The proposed fiscal year 2004 (FY2004) federal budget (available at www.gpi.gov/usbudget) includes details on the allocation of federal expenditures among various budget categories as well as historical tables covering the period 1940 to the present. Of particular interest at this time of potential war are the expenditures related to defense and international relations. U.S. Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is estimated at $11.3 trillion for FY2004 and the proposed federal budget is $2.23 trillion or 19.7 percent of GDP. Proposed defense expenditures, not including any cost for a war in Iraq, are $390 billion (17.5 percent of the total budget or …

Risk Management Update For Crops, Matthew A. Diersen

Economics Commentator (1972- 2016)

No abstract provided.

Asset Based Community Development: A Model For Nebraska Communities?, John C. Allen

Cornhusker Economics

The issue of how and sometimes even if we should expend p ublic dollars to support the development of small rural communities continues to receive attention at the federal and state levels, especially throughout the Great Plains. Traditional strategies focusing on industrial recruitment often has not paid off for rural areas in maintaining population, and many have questioned whether the public investment provides economic benefits at the local level.

Crop Revenue Coverage And Forward Pricing: A Case Study Under Irrigated Corn, Roger Selley

Cornhusker Economics

The forward pricing of grain typically obligates the producer to purchase replacement bushels when production falls short of the contract. If the production shortfall is due to area weather conditions, prices would be expected to rise and the price of replacement grain could exceed the preharvest contract price. Crop Revenue Coverage (CRC) multi-peril crop insurance provides a revenue guarantee. The minimum revenue guarantee for corn is determined by multiplying the coverage elected times projected revenue. Projected revenue is calculated using the historical yield (APH) for the farm and the February average of the CBT December futures contract. However, the final …

Incorporating Risk In Efficiency Analysis, Glenn A. Helmers

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

Using a non-parametric linear programming approach, our contribution is (1) to examine the impact of incorporating risk in efficiency analysis and (2) to compare the efficiency measures with and without risk for continuous and rotation cropping systems. The model uses Nebraska cropping system data for the period, 1986-2000. Results indicate lower efficiency gains are realized with the incorporation of risk. The t-test at the 5% level of significance examining if efficiency measures are significantly different from one is also reported.

The Economic Factors Influencing Producers’ Demand For Farm Managers, Keith H. Coble, Thomas O. Knight, George F. Patrick, Alan Baquet, Oscar Vergara

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

This paper primary objective is to analyze the economic factors influencing producers’ demand for farm managers. A survey of commercial farmers’ risk management was conducted by mail during the spring of 1999 in Mississippi, Texas, Indiana, and Nebraska. A Tobit econometric model was constructed to analyze the demand for farm managers. Results showed that a complementary relationship exists between marketing inputs and the decision to hire farm managers. The results indicate that, as farmers increase expenditure on marketing consultants and information systems, their expenditure on farm managers increase.

Estimates And Interpretation Of Income Elasticities Of Demand For Food Products, Azzeddine Azzam

Cornhusker Economics

The income elasticity of demand for a product measures the responsiveness of demand for the product to a change in disposable (after tax) income. To get the measure, one divides the percentage change in demand for the product by the percentage change in income. For example, if the demand for butter fell by 2 percent when incomes rose by 5 percent, the income elasticity of demand for butter is – 0.4 percent. If demand for butter went up by 5 percent, the income elasticity of demand would be 0.4. If instead it went up by 2 percent, the income elasticity …

Smart Growth And Land Acquisition Priorities: A Cursory Review, New England Environmental Finance Center

Smart Growth

It is well-known and generally accepted that all undeveloped land in New England cannot forever be protected from development; nor would this be a desirable goal, as continued economic development and population growth are near certainties. For these and other reasons, private land trusts and government agencies generally use explicit criteria to prioritize their land acquisition activities and prospects.

Extension Educators’ Supply Of Risk Management Training To Farmers, Oscar Vergara, Steve Martin, Keith H. Coble, George F. Patrick, Thomas O. Knight, Alan E. Baquet

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

This paper primary objective is to analyze the supply of risk management education provided by extension educators to their clients. A survey of county/area extension educators from Mississippi, Texas, Indiana, and Nebraska was conducted during the fall of 2001. A Tobit econometric model was constructed to analyze the extension educators’ supply of risk management training to farmers. Results showed that the number of risk management education training programs held in the past 3 years by extension educators was positively related to the extension educators’ percent of time devoted to agricultural responsibilities, the value of all crops in the extension educator’s …

Crop Selection And The Potential Of Drought, H. Douglas Jose

Cornhusker Economics

Three years ago I wrote an article in Cornhusker Economics on the possibly of the dry conditions in 1999 continuing into the 2000 crop year. I commented that we had not dealt with a serious drought in Nebraska for many years. I hope that was not an omen, or a curse, but we have been dealing with moisture shortfalls ever since. The state average yield for dryland corn was 84 bushels per acre in 2000. In 2002 timely rains, at least for non-irrigated corn, were only a mirage resulting in a state average yield of 60 bushels per acre.

Republican River Litigation Settlement, J. David Aiken

Cornhusker Economics

On December 16, 2002 the Governors of Kansas and Nebraska announced that the states had settled their lawsuit over the 1943 Republican River compact. The settlement marked the end of the interstate lawsuit which originated in May 1998. The settlement represented a compromise between Kansas, Nebraska and Colorado, and was significantly good for Nebraska.

Kyoto Is Nearing Ratification: Carbon Storage Opportunity?, Gary D. Lynne

Cornhusker Economics

According to a recent Washington Post article, Senators McCain (R-Arizona) and Lieberman (D-Connecticut) plan to hold a hearing early on in the new Senate proceedings about proposed legislation that would be introduced later this year to establish a “cap-and-trade” system for greenhouse gas emissions in the United States. Several other countries are already involved in developing cap-and-trade systems, generally trading in carbon equivalents. Somewhat ironically, in that the current Bush Administration has opposed any kind of mandatory caps (although it has encouraged voluntary trading), the model for such a system is the U.S. sulfur emissions allowances market that was initiated …

Investment Feasibility, Cash Flows And Financial Impacts, Glenn A. Helmers

Cornhusker Economics

Investments in depreciable assets typically involve major capital outlays requiring carefully budgeted decisions. This process involves two parts -- the basic economic decision, as well as the cash flow and financial outcomes which occur over the life of the asset. The basic decision requires an annual cost to be estimated which can be compared to an expected annual return. In some cases (for example, the replacement of one item of a machinery complement), no identifiable return can be matched against the cost. Even in this case it is important to estimate the ownership cost of the asset in comparing it …

Reputation And The Control Of Pollution, Arthur J. Caplan

Applied Economics Faculty Publications

This paper investigates the effectiveness of reputation in inducing a polluting firm to self-regulate its emissions when consumers have imperfect information. In particular, we ask to what extent must consumers reward and punish the firm before it chooses self-regulation as its dominant strategy? We find that if payoffs in the stage game are such that both the consumer and the polluting firm have beliefs that are consistent with each others’ behaviors, then the firm has a positive probability of playing clean in each period of a finite game. Further, we find that a weak reward/punishment scheme may have an adverse …

Agricultural Biotechnology In China: An Unreachable Goal?, Stanley P. Kowalski

Law Faculty Scholarship

Recently there has been much discussion about the People’s Republic of China’s (PR) investment in and commitment to agricultural biotechnology (agri-biotech). Rapid economic expansion, population growth and technological development are changing the PRC; accompanying these changes is increased demand for high-quality food and fibre. Agri-biotech is optimistically viewed as an important way to meet these demands. Whereas Chinese technological capacity in agri-biotech has advanced significantly over the past decade, it may be unable to meet these challenges. Even when this capacity is combined with good intentions, enlightened policy and large capital outlays, accelerated development of agri-biotech may nevertheless be precluded. …

In Defense Of Social Justice: From Global Transformation To Local Resistance, Donna Chollett

Anthropology Publications

The global transformations that enveloped Latin America over the past decade resulted in uneven consequences for diverse social groups. Scholars witness an increasing tension between a macroeconomic agenda concerned with profitability and local community access to employment and sustenance. As neoliberal reforms intensify Latin America's integration into the world economy, they may adversely impact local communities. Should local people lose their ability to obtain basic rights, will they be able to effectively challenge the neoliberal model? In the absence of more adequate attention to social justice, it is probable that occurrences of local resistance in defense of these rights will …

An Efficient Mechanism To Control Correlated Externalities: Redistributive Transfers And Coexistence Of Regional And Global Pollution Permit Markets, Arthur J. Caplan

Applied Economics Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Willingness To Pay For Curbside Recycling With Detection And Mitigation Of Hypothetical Bias, David M. Aadland, Arthur J. Caplan

Applied Economics Faculty Publications

In this article, we estimate willingness to pay for curbside recycling. Using a unique data set, we also test for and detect significant hypothetical bias using stated- and revealed-preference data. A short-scripted “cheap-talk” statement is used to mitigate the bias and provide more efficient estimates of the welfare impacts of curbside recycling programs.

Action Education In Land Use Decisions: Student Views On Urbanization And Farmland Loss, Mindi Schneider, Charles A. Francis, Dick Esseks

CARI Extension and Education Materials for Sustainable Agriculture

Loss of prime farmland is a serious concern in the United States and around the globe. With rapid urban population increases, the activities and perceived needs of concentrated groups of people result in the swallowing of some of the most fertile lands in this country. Today we have just under 2 acres of productive farmland per person in the United States. Given the current population growth rate due to births and immigration, plus the present rate of farmland loss, World Watch Institute estimates that we will have about 0.6 acres or one-third as much farmland available per person by 2055--a …

Agricultural Land Ownership And Tenure Patterns In Nebraska, Bruce B. Johnson

Department of Agricultural Economics: Faculty Publications

Agricultural land in Nebraska is a significant asset of wealth and a key economic input into the state’s economy. It is no mere coincidence that Nebraska consistently ranks fourth among the 50 states in total cash receipts from farm marketings while also ranking fourth in land acreage in farms and third in terms of irrigated acreage. Consequently, it is of considerable importance to identify and understand the basic patterns of land ownership and tenure that exist within the state.

Every 10 years the U.S. Department of Agriculture conducts a national land ownership survey of landlords as well as farm operators. …

Captive Supplies And The Spot Market Price Of Fed Cattle: The Plant-Level Relationship, John R. Schroeter, Azzeddine Azzam

Department of Agricultural Economics: Faculty Publications

Numerous articles in the agricultural economics literature investigate the empirical relationship between the spot market price of fed cattle and the volume of packers’ precommitted, or “captive,” supplies of cattle. In this article, we use an extensive data set on the cattle procurement activities of four large packing plants in the Texas Panhandle from early 1995 through mid-1996 to examine this relationship at the plant-level. We find evidence to support the hypothesis that plants that anticipate near-term future deliveries of captive supply cattle that are high relative to their regional-market rivals’ degrees of reliance on captive supplies tend to pay …

Information Pooling And Collusion: Implications For The Livestock Mandatory Reporting Act, Kenneth Njoroge

Department of Agricultural Economics: Faculty Publications

This paper develops a conceptual model that analyzes the impact of increasing market transparency under the Livestock Mandatory Reporting Act of 1999 on the incentives for collusion in the U.S. meatpacking industry. More than likely, meatpackers will have asymmetric priors regarding the distribution of livestock prices. Moreover, they lack the incentives to voluntarily reveal their real priors. Thus, the enforcer of the Act faces a problem of asymmetric information regarding the informativeness of publicly disclosed market reports relative to that of packers’ priors. Analytical results predict that divergent priors of Bayesian packers can be updated by more informative market reports, …

Focus Fall/Winter 2003

FOCUS: Economic Issues for Nebraskans

Contents:
Tributes to Deborah Ann Rood by Larry L. Bitney and Victoria France Lipovsky
Water Rights Showdown Brewing by J. David Aiken
Farm Profitability Project Identifies Alternative Markets, Production Systems by Ken P. Wurdeman and John C. Allen III
Urbanization Pressures on Agricultural Land by Christopher R. Gustafson and Gary D. Lynne
Institutions and Agricultural Productivity in Sub-Sahara Africa by Lilyan E. Fulginiti
National Agri-Marketing Association Student Chapter by Matt Spilker
Depatment Recognized Student Majors by Ronald J. Hanson and Jessica McKillip
Focus on research
Focus on teaching
Focus on outreach
Focus on alumni

Departmental Publications In Agricultural Economics 2002

Department of Agricultural Economics: News, Announcements, and Information

Includes a comprehensive listing of Articles in Professional Journals; Books and Book Chapters; Experiment Station Research Bulletins; Departmental Publications; Conference/Symposium Proceedings; Unpublished Papers/Speeches Presented; Popularized Magazine Articles; Published Abstracts and Book Reviews; Extension Publications, Other and Miscellaneous, & Theses

2002 Nebraska Farm Custom Rates - Part I, H. Douglas Jose, Lydee Jo Brown

Department of Agricultural Economics: News, Announcements, and Information

Every two years a survey of the custom operations is conducted to determine the current rates charged for specific machinery operations. The survey is divided into two parts: spring and summer operations, including planting and small grains harvest in Part I, and information about fall and miscellaneous operations in Part II. The responses are reported by the Agricultural Statistics Districts shown on the map below. Custom rates reported include charges for the use of necessary equipment, fuel and supplies such as baling wire or twine provided by the custom operator, and labor. Seed, fertilizer and chemical costs are not included.

2002 Nebraska Farm Custom Rates - Part Ii, H. Douglas Jose, Lydee Jo Brown

Department of Agricultural Economics: News, Announcements, and Information

Every two years a survey of the custom operations is conducted to determine the current rates charged for specific machinery operations. The survey is divided into two parts: spring and summer operations, including planting and small grains harvest in Part I, and information about fall and miscellaneous operations in Part II. The responses are reported by the Agricultural Statistics Districts shown on the map below. Custom rates reported include charges for the use of necessary equipment, fuel and supplies such as baling wire or twine provided by the custom operator, and labor. Seed, fertilizer and chemical costs are not included.

Cattle Industry Biosecurity Plan, Department Of Agriculture Western Australia

Biosecurity published reports

StockGuard has been initiated to develop a series of biosecurity plans for the animal industries in Western Australia. Through StockGuard, representatives from the animal industries have been working with the Department of Agriculture Western Australian to identify potential threats to each of the animal industries and to develop action plans detailing how these threats can be managed. The overall purpose of StockGuard is to highlight threats to the animal industries before they occur and to develop effective ways to minimise the potential impact of these threats.

The recommendations of the working group are based on detailed strategic assessments of the …

United States Sugar Trade, Jeremy R. Meiners

University Avenue Undergraduate Journal of Economics

The best means to understand the effects of the tariff-rate quota system on production and consumption of sugar is by creating an economic model. By analyzing the most recent figures concerning consumption, importation, production, and tariff-rate quotas, an economic model of the sugar market of the United States can be produced. From this model, the effects of the removal of the tariff-rate quota system can be seen, as well as the effects on domestic consumers and producers. Through this model, an accurate picture of whom the tariff-rate quota affects and what these effects are is shown.

Evaluation Of The Production Yield In Two Guinea Pig Populations Under Field Conditions And Project Mejocuy Cages, Elbert Alan Estevez Siles

Theses and Dissertations

The breeding of the guinea pig in Bolivia has always been important for the inhabitants of rural areas. Nevertheless, in recent years there has been broader acceptance for consumption of the guinea pig in the urban middle class, beginning to grow the market of the meat of guinea pig in the Departamentos of Bolivia, because the good flavor and high degree of nutrition of this meat, therefore offering a good option to improve nutrition in the diet of Bolivians. Currently the type of breeding found of the valleys of Bolivia in the great majority of the communities is family-based, with …

The Apparition Of Fat In Western Nutritional Theory, Ken Albala

College of the Pacific Faculty Books and Book Chapters

No abstract provided.