Agricultural Economics Commons^™

An Economic And Production Analysis Of Seaweed Farms In California And The Pacific Northwest, Brian Donovan

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Since the early 2010s, the seaweed aquaculture industry has steadily expanded in the United States, with states like Alaska, Maine, Hawaii, and Connecticut leading the way in the development of this emerging sector. However, information gaps remain concerning certain aspects of the domestic seaweed aquaculture industry. The purpose of this study was to examine the status of the seaweed aquaculture industry along the West Coast of the United States; specifically in the states of California, Oregon, and Washington. Seaweed farmers in these states were invited to voluntarily complete surveys asking important production, economic, and commercial questions regarding their operations. Data …

Parting The Corn Rows: Nikita Khrushchev’S Visit To Iowa, 1959, Jordan Stiles

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

On September 23, 1959, Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev visited Roswell Garst to inspect US hybrid corn and agricultural methods. Khrushchev’s initial reforms are discussed to show why Khrushchev sought agricultural knowledge abroad. The details of Khrushchev’s and Garst’s life regarding their work in agriculture are explored up to the visit. The visit would leave an indelible mark on the USSR and Iowa. Khrushchev and his successors would use Garst’s model for hybrid corn farming as the template for Soviet farming. Garst would use his limelight to catapult his corn diplomacy into action around the world. Lastly, the legacy of Khrushchev’s …

Next In Line: Exploring Owner, Business, And Family Characteristics And Farm Succession Planning, Tucker Lane Bittick

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

The growing average age of the American farmer raises concerns about who will be involved in the future agricultural economy. Efficient succession in family farms keeps farm values high, and farms that plan for succession have an incentive to invest more resources into the farm. Knowing what factors on family farms are common when succession occurs could help encourage earlier succession planning. The research questions were: “Are family, business, and owner characteristics significantly related to the presence of a farm succession plan on farms in the Midwest?” and “Are family, business, and owner characteristics significantly related to principal operators’ preference …

Regional Differences In Australian Export Grain Supply Chain Velocities And Their Implications, Ross Kingwell, Hemali Kanthilanka

Grain and Other Field Crops Research Articles

The size of grain harvests are increasing in most Australian states, enabling farmers to supply increasing volumes of grain to domestic and international customers. There is a market preference to supply international customers in the months prior to the availability of the northern hemisphere grain harvest that commences from June. To expedite export sales of Australian grain, most owners and operators of regional export grain supply chains in Australia are increasing their investments in the velocity, reliability, and capacity of their export grain supply chains. Larger volumes of Australian grain are now more rapidly exported. But what are the ramifications …

Farm Profit Impacts Of Consecutive Drought Years Under Climate Scenarios In Southwestern Australia, Sud Kharel, Kevin J. Foster, Meredith M. Guthrie, Ross Kingwell

Climate Science Research Articles

Climate projections for southern Australia indicate an increased likelihood of years of consecutive droughts. How resilient are farm businesses and their farming systems to recover from episodic drought? This study assesses the farm economic and financial impacts of consecutive droughts in southwest Australia. Bioeconomic simulation modelling of farm businesses with different farming systems at three locations is used to examine the long-term financial consequences of consecutive droughts. Various key factors affecting those consequences are examined. Farm location, farming system and starting equity are found to be the main determinants of how quickly a farm business can financially recover from the …

Consumer Preferences And Valuation For Sustainably Produced Rice In Ghana, Adabrah-Danquah Vera, Durand-Morat Alvaro, Lawton L. Nalley, Mandiaye Diagne, Benedicta Nsiah Frimpong, Wei Yang

Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness Faculty Publications and Presentations

Improving the sustainability of rice, a global food staple with a significant environmental footprint, is of utmost importance, given the growing population and increased depletion of natural resources. The Sustainable Rice Platform (SRP) standard is the first globally recognized certification standard for sustainable rice production. SRP comprises 41 requirements structured under 12 indicators and 8 themes, through which farmers can receive SRP certification and use the SRP label. This study assesses consumers' preferences for SRP-certified sustainable rice in Ghana. We surveyed 1168 consumers in Accra, Kumasi, and Tamale, the three largest cities in Ghana, to ascertain their preferences for each …

Consumer Preferences For Low-Methane Beef: The Impact Of Pre-Purchase Information, Point-Of-Purchase Labels, And Increasing Prices, Kelly A. Davidson, Brandon R. Mcfadden, Sarah Meyer, John C. Bernard

Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness Faculty Publications and Presentations

Cattle production is estimated to be the largest methane (CH₄) emitter associated with consumer demand in the United States of America (U.S.). With a national commitment to reducing methane emissions by 30% before 2030, methane-reducing additives (MRAs) in livestock feed are being explored as a viable solution. This study investigated consumer preferences for low-methane ground beef produced using one of three MRAs with varying levels of methane mitigation: Aspagopsis taxiformis (seaweed), the organic compound 3-nitroxypropanol (3NOP), or a blend of essential oils (e.g. garlic extract and citrus). In a nationally representative survey, 3,009 respondents completed a labeled discrete …

Nexus Between Rural Agricultural Land Ownership And Agricultural Credits Access: A Case Of Tanzania, Gelas Rubakula

Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences

Agricultural investment in low- and middle-income countries faces credit access challenges. Several financial institutions, particularly banks, normally impose some conditions where the possession of a land title deed is required to access agricultural credits. This paper examines whether, and to what extent, rural agricultural land ownership influences agricultural credit access for rural farmers in Tanzania. The study focuses only on rural farmers and tries to find out whether these smallholder farmers can use their land, which is largely unformalized, as a collateral for credit access. The study survey was cross-sectional, using quantitative data collected in December 2017 to March 2018 …

Leveraging Social Ties To Financial Gains: Exploring The Impact Of Social Capital In Rural Development, Mallory L. Rahe, Andrew J. Van Leuven, Trey Malone

Department of Agricultural Economics Faculty Publications

Social capital, defined as networks of individuals linked through bonding or bridging relationships, plays a crucial but poorly conceptualized role in place-based development. The word “capital” implies an underlying value of the social connections throughout a community, and this study explores how these social relationships are used to initiate, plan, access financial capital, and implement economic development projects in rural areas. We avoid county-level aggregation bias and use a divergent pathway case study of projects across eight communities to examine how social ties are used during rural development in places with both high and low financial capital. Both types of …

Place Branding: More Than Just A Logo, Marilyn R. Schlake

Cornhusker Economics

Place branding can distinguish one community from another. In a landscape of locations that provide the same amenities, environments, and opportunities, branding can help a community “stand out.” However, what is usually missing is a place brand developed in association with the community’s history, values, social connections, and organization associations that have evolved.

Value Of Horticulture Industries In Western Australia 2022-2023, Manju Radhakrishnan, Rohan Prince

Horticulture published reports

The horticulture sector in Western Australia (WA) produces high quality fruit, vegetables, nuts and amenity horticulture. Western Australians benefit from consuming this steady supply of diverse, affordable and sustainably grown fresh fruit and vegetables. Amenity horticulture, in the form of parks and gardens, adds a great richness to the quality of life in WA.

It is estimated that WA produced $1.75 billion worth of fruit, vegetables, nuts and amenity horticulture in 2022–23. The real value1 of production at the wholesale level increased by 4% when compared to the 2020 figures presented in the report, Situation analysis of horticulture in Western …

Leveraging Within-Field Spatial Variability To Optimize Soybean Yield, Seed Quality, And Profitability, Marina Marly Dalla Betta

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Optimizing yield and seed quality in soybean production is critical for both profitability and meeting market demands. However, within-field variability in soil properties poses a challenge in determining optimal management strategies to maximize soybean yield, seed quality, and profitability. This work aimed to evaluate the spatial variability of soybean fields to optimize soybean seeding rates, seed quality, and profitability. Two case studies were used to carry over this research. The first study looked at the optimal economical site-specific soybean seeding rates using 11 on-farm precision experiments across Nebraska. The second study looked at the protein and oil variability within 22 …

Developing Holistic And Reduced Fertilization Guidelines For Southeastern Peach (Prunus Persica (L.) Batsch) Orchards, Richardson Bien-Aime

All Theses

Peach production in the southeastern United States requires optimizing fertilization practices to balance economic sustainability and environmental health. Current guidelines may overlook rootstock-specific nutrient requirements and fail to align with orchard-specific conditions, often resulting in overfertilization, increased costs, and environmental risks. This study, conducted at Clemson University’s Musser Fruit Research Center during 2023 and 2024, aimed to refine fertilization practices through two complementary experiments. The first experiment investigated how three rootstocks, ’MP-29’, Lovell, and Guardian, influence nutrient dynamics of ‘Carored’ peach trees. Nutrient concentrations were measured in various tree organs, including leaves, pruned wood, thinned fruitlets, and harvested fruits, along …

Comparative Analysis Of Household Food And Nutrition Security In Selected Philippine Urban And Rural Households During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Jay-Al Reyes, Julieta Delosreyes

The Philippine Agricultural Scientist

This study analyzed the food and nutrition security of selected urban and rural households in Pili, Camarines Sur, Philippines during the COVID-19 pandemic. It determined the prevalence of food insecurity among the selected urban and rural households, analyzed the determinants of food insecurity in these households, determined the prevalence of malnutrition, and assessed the relationship between the households’ food security and nutrition security. Primary data from a survey of 185 urban and rural households and secondary data from the Electronic Operation Timbang Plus (e-OPT) Tool were used to determine the prevalence of food insecurity using the Food Insecurity Experience Scale …

Sustainable Agriculture Practices And Economic Outcomes: Selected Ipm In Tomato And Cover Crop Inter-Seeding In Organic Corn In South Carolina, Rohini Sonti

All Theses

This two-chapter thesis focuses on the economic evaluation of integrating a combination of sustainable agricultural practices aimed at improving environmental resilience and farm profitability across both conventional and organic farming systems in South Carolina. The research study lays emphasis on two key areas: the use of Integrated Pest Management practices, specifically grafting and Anaerobic Soil Disinfestation (ASD) in tomato production and the inter- seeding of cover crops under different tillage systems in organic corn production.

The first chapter assesses the economic feasibility of two IPM practices: grafting and anaerobic soil disinfestation (ASD) in tomato production. Following the phase-out of methyl …

Investigating Consumer Perception And Wine Quality Impact On Alternative Packaging On Grape (Vitis), Mark Walker Bartz

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The grape (Vitis species) and wine industry has major global economic impacts but faces issues with sustainability. The use of glass bottles for wine production is environmentally unsustainable due to energy-intensive manufacturing and poor recycling rates. However, wine consumers tend to associate glass bottles with higher quality over alternative wine packaging materials such as aluminum, polyethylene terephthalate (PET), and flexible bags/pouches. Since wine price and packaging influence consumers perception of wine quality, wine producers need to understand consumers to maximize profits. Thus, the overall objectives of this research were to investigate consumer perception and wine quality impact of alternative …

North Dakota Corn Efficiency Frontier: Stochastic Frontier Analysis, Bayarbat Badarch, David C. Roberts, Michael P. Popp

Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness Faculty Publications and Presentations

According to climate studies in North Dakota, the state's crop-growing season has been extended. In addition, many studies have shown technological advances in crop production. However, the state has not addressed how crop yield has been affected by weather changes. Thus, this paper investigates the state's corn (Zea mays) yield potential and efficiency measures based on agricultural input use and weather variables from 1994 to 2018. We found that the effects of temperature and precipitation on the state's corn yield frontier (potential) were greater than those of changing agricultural input variables. The stochastic frontier model indicates that the …

A Historical Assessment Of The Number Of Days Required To Plant The Arkansas Soybean Crop, Bayarbat Badarch, K. Bradley Watkins, Terry Griffin

Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness Faculty Publications and Presentations

The primary objective of this paper is to quantitatively analyze the number of acres planted per suitable fieldwork day and the total number of fieldwork days available for the complete planting of soybeans (Glycine max L.) in Arkansas. Total days to plant soybeans in each spring from 1980 to 2023 averaged about 33 days, indicating that roughly 33 days are expected, on average, from the month of April to May based on USDA-NASS weekly crop progress and condition data. Furthermore, the average soybean planted acres is estimated at 106,736 acres per day within the study period. Recently, variations in …

Economic Evaluation Of Grazing Steers On Summer Annuals Sod-Seeded Into Warm-Season Perennial Pasture, Ivanelle Meyer, Michael P. Popp, Christine C. Nieman, James L. Mitchell, Kenneth P. Coffey

Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness Faculty Publications and Presentations

Objectives

Materials and Methods

Results and Discussion …

Demand For Milk And Milk Products In The Rural Household Of Bangladesh: A Panel Data Analysis, Eshrat Jahan Mahfuza, Mohammad Jahangir Alam, Andrew M. Mckensie

Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness Faculty Publications and Presentations

Milk is considered an essential source of protein for people of all ages. However, Bangladeshi people, particularly those living in rural areas, tend to consume less milk and milk products than necessary. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the demand for milk and milk products among rural consumers and the factors affecting their consumption habits. The study utilizes balanced panel data from three waves of the Bangladesh Integrated Household Survey: 2011–12, 2015, and 2018–19, collected by the International Food Policy Research Institute. Both the Almost Ideal Demand System (AIDS) and Fixed Effects Model were employed. The expenditure elasticity for liquid …