Agricultural Economics Commons^™

How Much Green To Keep The Garden Clean? An Analysis Of The Willingness To Pay (Wtp) Of Home Gardeners For Biowrap Technology, Gengchen Cai, Kanij Fatema, Karina A. Schoengold

Cornhusker Economics

A research team from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Kansas State University, and South Dakota School of Mines are working on creating an alternative product that would use locally available materials to create a spray-on, biodegradable polymer that can suppress weeds and will biodegrade in a timeframe that is amenable to crop production. We broadly refer to this technology as BioWRAP (Bioplastics with Regenerative Agricultural Properties).

Our results show that the home garden market is potentially a significant one for a BioWRAP product. Continued work in the development of the BioWRAP technology is necessary to determine what the cost of a …

Cover Crop Utilization Across Nebraska And Implications For Cropland Lease Arrangements In 2024, Jim Jansen, Jeffrey Stokes

Cornhusker Economics

The Nebraska Farm Real Estate Market Survey and Report 2023-2024 provides insight on recent trends in the market value of land and cash rental across the state. Each year, the special feature section covers topics on new or emerging issues related to the agricultural land industry in Nebraska. These topics reflect the interest expressed by panel members and readership of the Nebraska Farm Real Estate Market Highlights Reports. The special feature section in 2024 focuses on trends and considerations for cover crops across Nebraska and implications on lease arrangements.

Findings from the 2022 Census of Agriculture in Table 1 provide …

Actuarial Implications Of Prevented Planting Coverage, Dylan Turner, Francis Tsiboe, Hunter D. Biram, Lawson Connor

Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness Faculty Publications and Presentations

Within the Federal Crop Insurance Program (FCIP), prevented planting (PP) coverage provides payments for pre-planting costs associated with crops that ultimately cannot be planted due to adverse weather. PP indemnities, which are not considered production losses within the FCIP rating methodology, influence premium rates differently than typical losses. This study utilizes a panel data set consisting of approximately 77,697 county level observations from RMA's summary of business to identify the relationship between the prevalence of prevent plant use and a number of actuarial related outcomes. Overall, we find that increases in the share of total indemnities attributable to PP claims …

Documenting Food Insecure U.S. Children In The Wake Of The Pandemic, Courtney Bir, John Lai, Nicole Olynk Widmar

Department of Agricultural Economics Faculty Publications

Many households experienced significant negative economic impacts from job or work opportunity loss during the COVID-19 pandemic, including loss of income, loss of employer-provided health insurance, possible housing insecurity, and increases in food insecurity. Results from a sample of 929 U.S. households show that 53% of households with children reported some indications of food insecurity in 2020. The food security score divergences between households with and without children are stark, with food insecurity being worse among households with children. Food insecurity for households with children was exacerbated by pandemic-era disruptions; the societal costs of these food insecurity challenges are only …

Software Solutions In Agri-Food Supply Chains: A Current View For Sustainability Reporting, Ryan Loy, Logan L. Britton, Trey Malone

Department of Agricultural Economics Faculty Publications

Environmental impact reporting has become a lynchpin for global agri-food supply chain decision-making. This importance has become heightened as governing bodies such as the European Union pass traceability legislation in an effort to reduce Scope 3 emissions. Despite this heightened importance, few studies have explored the role of supply chain management software in achieving sustainability goals within the agribusiness sector. This article provides a current perspective on ongoing supply chain and logistics software issues that might restrict the effectiveness of sustainability reporting. We argue that agribusinesses may struggle to achieve sustainability targets effectively without proficiency in supply chain software. This …

A Comparison Of Diploid And Triploid Eastern Oysters For Aquaculture Production Under Extreme Temperatures And Salinities, Joshua H. Kim

LSU Master's Theses

Off-bottom aquaculture of Eastern oysters (Crassostrea virginica) is a nascent industry that is increasingly supported by the use of triploid oysters, which grow faster than diploids. Despite their growth advantage, elevated triploid mortality compared to diploids under high temperature, low salinity, or a combination of these conditions challenge consistent triploid production. Identifying the environmental thresholds at which differential triploid mortality occurs and predicting its economic impact are important to informing decision-making in oyster aquaculture. The goal of this thesis was to compare the biological and economic performance of diploid and triploid oysters under high temperature and low salinity conditions. …

Working Capital And Cash Flow Tools To Improve Farm Business Performance, Matthew Stockton

Cornhusker Economics

The point of this short essay is to briefly review the need and purpose of both tools, hoping that such a review will help farm managers and operators use them to reach their higher potential and improve their businesses and lives. Working capital represents the businesses’ ability to deal with short-term conditions and its resilience conferred upon it as a result of past performance in accumulating liquid assets. The cash flow document provides the ebb and flow of liquid assets during the normal cycle of doing business, providing recognizable events, plans that can be scrutinized, and identifiable challenges. These tools, …

Intermountain West Florist Local Cut Flower Sourcing Preferences, Kynda R. Curtis, Makaylie Langford, Melanie Stock, Katherine Wagner, Cheyenne Reid, Victoria Xiong, Cody Zesiger

All Current Publications

This fact sheet, the second in a two-part series, outlines a study conducted in January 2024 with florists operating in the Intermountain West. It provides local cut flower growers with pertinent information on florist preferences for sourcing flowers locally. An online Qualtrics survey was conducted in January 2024 with florists in six Intermountain states, including Utah, Idaho, Nevada, Wyoming, Colorado, and Montana. A total of 1,412 florists were invited by email to complete the survey. A total of 205 florists responded to the survey, with 170 valid responses. The survey questions centered on various aspects of florist businesses, including their …

Intermountain West Florist Market Overview And Outlook, Kynda R. Curtis, Makaylie Langford, Melanie Stock, Katherine Wagner, Cheyenne Reid, Victoria Xiong, Cody Zesiger

All Current Publications

This fact sheet, the first in a two-part series from a January 2024 study, focuses on florist and market trends in the Intermountain West. The study provides local cut flower growers with pertinent information on the florist market such as current sourcing and flower expenditures, primary markets and annual sales, as well as current supplier challenges. Market trends regarding sales, flower variety, and color predictions are also discussed. This information will help growers identify current gaps in the florist market and explore ways to meet florist needs.

Intermountain West Wholesale Cut Flower Buyer Market Analysis, Kynda R. Curtis, Makaylie Langford, Melanie Stock, Katherine Wagner, Cheyenne Reid, Victoria Xiong, Cody Zesiger

All Current Publications

This fact sheet discusses the results of a study conducted in early 2024 with wholesale flower buyers operating in the Intermountain West. The study was intended to provide local cut flower growers with pertinent information on wholesale buyer preferences for sourcing flowers from the Intermountain West, including pricing, quantity, variety, and delivery preferences. The study also included wholesaler business details and current supplier challenges to assist growers in identifying market gaps and needs.

Coffee In Brasil: Sustainability And The Role Of Intermediaries, Livia Petzinger

Capstone Collection

ABSTRACT

Coffee is traded in a highly complex global value chain where countless sustainability initiatives have emerged to address social, economic, and environmental issues, challenges which persist due to dominance of the market structure by largescale traders and roasters. Specialty coffee and direct trade have emerged as alternative trade arrangements that promote high-quality coffee through the use of sustainable practices, transparency, and a shortened supply chain. This research analyzes the role that intermediaries in the Brazilian specialty coffee supply chain play in the implementation of sustainability initiatives asking what kinds of sustainability practices they implement and why, and how this …

Economic Contribution Of U.S. Aquaculture Farms, Ganesh Kumar, Shraddha Hegde, Jonathan Van Senten, Carole Engle, Noah Boldt, Matthew Parker, Kwamena Quagrainie, Benedict Posadas, Frank Asche, Madan Dey, Suja Aarattuthodi, Luke A. Roy, Russell Grice, Quentin Fong, Michael Schwarz

Department of Agricultural Economics Faculty Publications

Economics is the study of the allocation of scarce resources to meet human wants and needs and has a critical role to play in addressing challenges related to environmental sustainability, community resilience, and food security. In the context of aquaculture, the key to such a discussion is understanding the linkages of aquaculture farming businesses with other economic sectors and how policy decisions that affect aquaculture result in economic ripples throughout local, regional, and national economies. The only previous national estimates of the economic contributions of U.S. aquaculture are nearly 30 years old. The current study was based on comprehensive data …

Conservation Decision Making And Agricultural Land Leasing - An Experimental Investigation Of The Role Of Gender, Diya Ganguly, Simanti Banerjee, Christopher Gustafson

Cornhusker Economics

This research investigated the impact of landowner gender and of the different types of contract leases offered by them to a male tenant, on the conservation (or non-conservation) choice made by the tenant. Specifically, we investigate if a) female and male landowners offer different rental contracts and b) whether tenants choose different actions based on the landowner’s gender. For this purpose, we implemented a controlled, gender-context-loaded economic experiment with university students, in which we tested contract and land use choice under different treatments for three types of rental contracts – fixed rent, fixed rent with penalty, and fixed rent with …

A Regional Analysis Of Climate Change Effects On Global Snow Crab Fishery, Jingjing Tao, Kwamena Quagrainie, Kenneth A. Foster, Nicole Olynk Widmar

Department of Agricultural Economics Faculty Publications

The snow crab fishery faces increasing vulnerability to environmental factors, yet the literature on the relationship between climate change and snow crab harvest remains limited. This study estimates snow crab harvest functions using climate change indicators with unbalanced panel data of snow crab production from the eastern Bering Sea (Alaska), the southern Gulf of St. Lawrence (Canada), the Sea of Japan, and the Barents Sea (Norway-Russia). The relationship between snow crab biomass, stock, and catch is analyzed and the endogeneity of stock in the harvest function is also addressed using climate change indicators as instrumental variables (IVs). The results show …

Economic Impact Of Cervid Farming In Kentucky, Hunter Groves

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Cervid farming, an agricultural endeavor, has gained prominence in Kentucky in recent years. The main objectives of this study were to estimate the economic contribution that the breeding sectors have on the state, measure the economic contribution of high-fence cervid hunting on the Commonwealth, and investigate the combined economic impact that the industry brings to the economy. The research provided a contextual background and explained the concept of cervid farming and the history of cervid farming. A literature review explored the existing body of knowledge on cervid farming from around the country and identified the gaps within current research. Methodologically, …

Rotary Spading To Ameliorate Soil Water Repellence, Department Of Primary Industries And Regional Development, Western Australia

Natural resources factsheets

One-off deep cultivation can reduce the severity of soil water repellence by mixing some of the repellent topsoil into the wettable subsoil and bringing wettable subsoil to the surface.

Rotary spading or deep cultivation increases water infiltration by providing pathways for water entry; diluting the water repellent soil with non-repellent soil; increasing the breakdown of soil organic matter causing water repellence; in some soil types, spading and other deep cultivation can lift subsoil with higher clay content to the surface.

Deep cultivation increases the risk of wind and water erosion. To minimise the risk of erosion, follow the guidelines on …

Developing A Controlled Traffic (Tramline) Farming System, Department Of Primary Industries And Regional Development, Western Australia

Grains and other field crops factsheets

Controlled traffic farming (CTF) is a farming system built on permanent wheel tracks where the crop zone and traffic lanes are permanently separated. It can improve profitability and sustainability.

Implements for seeding, spraying, spreading and harvesting have a particular span, or multiple of it, and all wheel tracks are confined to specific traffic lanes.

CTF increases profit by more yield, better grain quality, improved operation timeliness, and reduced costs. The environment can improve, with less nutrient leaching, less water erosion, better water infiltration, and less greenhouse gas emission. Implementation needs a clear, long-term plan, and prioritisation of soil health.

Another …

Evaluating Margin Protection (Mp) Crop Insurance As A Risk Management Tool For Rice Producers In Arkansas, Kaleem Azmat Chattha

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Agricultural producers bear many risks, including production risks stemming from uncertainty in weather and pest pressure and price risks arising from market volatility. Federal Crop Insurance has become one of the most popular tools to manage these risks. While yield and revenue crop insurance tend to be the most popular production and price risk management tools provided by the government, participation in Margin Protection insurance lags far behind despite providing production, crop price, and input price risk protection. This study aims to uncover whether Margin Protection crop insurance is an effective risk management tool by estimating the optimal coverage level …

Balancing The Scales: Evaluating Variables Of Greatest Impact To Profit Margins When Finishing Cattle, Ryan Bake

All Graduate Reports and Creative Projects, Fall 2023 to Present

This study examines the risk associated with finishing cattle in a feedlot, specifically in the context of historically high cattle prices and quality grade grid marketing systems that have not adjusted to these elevated prices. The analysis also looks at performance factors that drive profitability differences in pens of cattle in a commercial feedlot, and how market factors also impact profitability. Regression analysis determines the significance of performance variables such as days on feed, average daily gain, feed conversion rates, and carcass characteristics on pen profitability. The impact of cattle breeding and pre-feedlot management of the cattle are also considered …

Button Grass And Its Management, Department Of Primary Industries And Regional Development, Western Australia

Grains and other field crops factsheets

Button grass (Dactyloctenium radulans) is a native species found throughout Australia. It is a common summer weed species that depletes soil moisture and nutrients, reducing the yield potential of the subsequent crop. It also acts as a green bridge for crop pests and disease.

The rapid emergence and growth of button grass after rainfall makes it important for the Australian plague locust.

It can be a valuable pasture species in arid areas, although overgrazing of button grass can result in toxicity for sheep and cattle.