Agricultural and Resource Economics Commons^™

Sustainable Agriculture: A Time For Education, Kortnie Millhouse

Agricultural Education and Communication

This study used a fifteen-question survey to identify the articulation between education of water quality practices and the willingness to implement sustainable water quality techniques on farmland according to twenty-five agricultural operations residing on the Central Coast. Questions one through eight asked respondents to indicate their agreement or disagreement with various water quality assessment tools. Questions nine through twelve asked respondents to personally rate their operation’s level of water quality management on a scale from one to ten. Questions thirteen through fifteen were open-ended questions to generate responses about demographics. Consensus was reached that the higher the level of education …

Second Time Is A Charm: The Impact Of Correcting Missed Exam Questions On Student Learning, Christiane Schroeter, Steven V. Green, Erin Bess

Agribusiness

This study determined the learning benefit of correcting missed exam questions. The results show that in addition to exams being an assessment tool, they can also be used as a tool for student learning. The availability of this information will provide help considering design, development, and improvement of traditional assessment methods for student learning.

Nebraska Farm Real Estate Market Highlights 2009-2010, Bruce B. Johnson, Ryan Lukassen, Tyler Rosener

Nebraska Farm Real Estate Reports

NOTE: Due to UNL budget constraints, the following is an abbreviated version of the historical annual report series. It essentially maintains the key data sets and briefly highlights the recent findings. It is available as a down

Design, Planning, And Evaluation Of Upgraded Cattle Handling Facility, Lindsey Kaeli Tulloch

BioResource and Agricultural Engineering

This senior project discusses the design, planning, and evaluation of a livestock handling facility for Tulloch Ranches. The facility will be an upgrade to the facility currently used at the ranch in Pine Valley, California. The design parameters for the facility were narrowed down to the following: 1. Must reduce stress to animals during handling. 2. Must be cost effective to save labor and maintenance. 3. Must show improvement from the current set- up. The above parameters combine to form a system that enables the handlers of Tulloch Ranches to manage and work cattle in a more calm and humane …

Alma Del Vino Benefit Wine To A Fund For The Farm Workers Of San Luis Obispo County, Shane Christensen Hastings

Social Sciences

"Alma Del Vino" is a benefit that gives back 100% of the proceeds to a fund for the farm workers of San Luis Obispo County. Hard work and a dedicated work ethic has provided a bounty of fruits and vegetables grown from this fertile land, and has been the backbone in establishing a reputation for producing high quality wine fruit from this growing region. This wine is an opportunity to give back to those who work so hard, and are most in need.

Essays On Equity–Efficiency Trade Offs In Energy And Climate Policies, Juan P. Sesmero

Department of Agricultural Economics: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Economic efficiency and societal equity are two important goals of public policy. Energy and climate policies have the potential to affect both. Efficiency is increased by substituting low-carbon energy for fossil energy (mitigating an externality) while equity is served if such substitution enhances consumption opportunities of unfavored groups (low income households or future generations). However policies that are effective in reducing pollution may not be so effective in redistributing consumption and vice-versa. This dissertation explores potential trade-offs between equity and efficiency arising in energy and climate policies. Chapter 1 yields two important results. First, while effective in reducing pollution, energy …

A Comprehensive Index For Assessing Environmental Stress In Animals, Terry L. Mader, Leslie J. Johnson, John B. Gaghan Dr

Nebraska Cooperative Extension: Faculty and Staff Publications

Numerous models and indices exist that attempt to characterize the effect of environmental factors on the comfort of animals and humans. Heat and cold indices have been utilized to adjust ambient temperature (Ta) for the effects of relative humidity (RH) or wind speed (WS) or both for the purposes of obtaining a “feels-like” or apparent temperature. However, no model has been found that incorporates adjustments for RH, WS, and radiation (RAD) over conditions that encompass hot and cold environmental conditions. The objective of this study was to develop a comprehensive climate index (CCI) that has application under a wide range …

Leveraging Technology For The Future Of Nebraska: Creating A Statewide Broadband Plan, Charlotte Narjes, Rebecca J. Vogt, Connie Hancock

Cornhusker Economics

In Nebraska, some areas of the state S primarily in the most rural areas of the state S may be underserved or unserved in terms of broadband access. Rural areas of the state also lag in economic development and are experiencing population losses. Additionally, broadband adoption and Internet usage among certain income and population groups remains low. Increasing adoption of broadband and Information Technology (IT) services is one way to create economic opportunities, attract new residents to rural areas and address economic inequalities among population groups.

Eating Local And Supporting The Farm Community, Kuo-Liang Chang, George Langelett

Economics Commentator (1972- 2016)

No abstract provided.

North Central Risk Management Education Center, Cheryl Griffith

Cornhusker Economics

Today’s farmers and ranchers face an unprecedented risk environment. Extreme price volatility has impacted the cost of inputs for producers, as well as the prices they receive for farm commodities. Livestock producers in the dairy, hog and poultry sectors have faced liquidations due to declining profits stemming from high feed prices and reduced consumer demand. The price of fertilizer has increased nearly 400 percent in the past three years, while the price of a bushel of corn, after extreme fluctuations, has settled at roughly the same price as three years ago. In response to the world economic conditions, agricultural lenders …

Water Resources In Sub-Saharan Africa: The Case Of Mali, Ria Elise O'Brien

All Theses and Dissertations (ETDs)

The world is experiencing the first effects of the water crisis and its importance will become more prevalent in the next few decades. In this study, the case is made that there are steps that can be taken that can improve the standard of living for people by addressing the water needs of both rural and urban areas affected by the water crisis. If the standard of living was increased using the advice given in the thesis, Mali would then serve as an example for what could be done right in other arid areas.

Variance Risk Premiums And Predictive Power Of Alternative Forward Variances In The Corn Market, Zhiguang Wang, Scott Fausti, Bashir Qasmi

Economics Staff Paper Series (1969 - 2017)

We propose a fear index for corn using the variance swap rate synthesized from out-of-the-money call and put options as a measure of implied variance. Previous studies estimate implied variance based on Black (1976) model or forecast variance using the GARCH models. Our implied variance approach, based on variance swap rate, is model independent. We compute the daily 60-day variance risk premiums based on the difference between the realized variance and implied variance for the period from 1987 to 2009. We find negative and time-varying variance risk premiums in the corn market. Our results contrast with Egelkraut, Garcia, and Sherrick …

Attracting And Retaining Workers In Rural Communities, Rebecca J. Vogt, Cheryl Burkhart-Kriesel, Randolph L. Cantrell, Charlotte Narjes

Cornhusker Economics

Many rural communities focus their development efforts on job creation. In the non-metropolitan portions of the Northern Great Plains, job creation efforts in the first half of this decade were quite successful. According to the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA, 2005), 167 of the 223 non-metropolitan counties in Nebraska, North Dakota and South Dakota saw an actual aggregate increase in total jobs (full and part-time) of 28,734, between the years 2001 and 2005.

Understanding And Researching The U.S. Farm Bill, Bert Chapman

Libraries Research Publications

This presentation provides a detailed overview of the process involved in the U.S. Government's preparation of farm legislation every five years. It covers the multiple steps and actors involved in the legislative process and lists critical information resources on this topic.

2010 Legislative Summary, J. David Aiken

Cornhusker Economics

What were some of the major issues addressed in the 2010 Legislature? Water, fences, wind energy and the state budget.

What happened with water? The main bill was LB862, which extends the $10/acre irrigated acre tax to all Natural Resource Districts (NRDs) that are preparing an integrated water management plan. Formerly, this authority had been extended only to Republican Basin NRDs, but the Nebraska Supreme Court ruled that limitation unconstitutional. The Unicameral also repealed the water checkoff on corn and sorghum, and opened up the integrated management plan process to all NRDs. LB862 may help NRDs get closer to where …

Fostering Food Market Development In Zambia, Gelson Tembo, Antony Chapoto, Thomas Jayne, Michael Weber

Zambia Social Science Journal

This article assesses major features of the Zambian agricultural market that have led to the underdevelopment of the staple food marketing system, reviews existing empirical evidence explaining the variable performance of the maize sub-sector, and suggests potential corrective measures. As smallholder farmers in agricultural markets are considered to be vitally important to the attainment of food security, special attention is placed on how the current system affects these farmers, and on how to foster improved participation. The role and potential of new generation cooperatives is also considered.We identify seven major areas in need of serious and coordinated attention if the …

The Violences Of Capitalism: Privatization And Land Tenure In Uganda, Minnesota, And Mexico, Nicole S. Kligerman

Latin American Studies Honors Projects

This project analyzes the relationship between land privatization and violence in societies that previously employed non-capitalist land tenure systems. Exploring the cases of the Dakota in Minnesota, the Acholi in Northern Uganda, and indigenous communities in southern Mexico, I examine how the state forcibly incorporated collective land systems into capitalism through a combination of physical, structural, and intra-community violences. This results in the disintegration of previous means of agricultural production and the accompanying community-based cultural systems. Communities resist this process, however, as they battle for natural resource sovereignty and sustainable peace in their homelands.

Evaluating Native Wheatgrasses For Restoration Of Sagebrush Steppes, Jayanti Ray Mukherjee

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Pseudoroegneria spicata and Elymus wawawaiensis are two native perennial bunchgrasses of North America's Intermountain West. Frequent drought, past overgrazing practices, subsequent weed invasions, and increased wildfire frequency have combined to severely degrade natural landscapes in the region, leading to a decline in the abundance of native vegetation. Being formerly widespread throughout the region, P. spicata is a favorite for restoration purposes in the Intermountain West. Elymus wawawaiensis, which occupies a more restricted distribution in the Intermountain West, is often used as a restoration surrogate for P. spicata. However, since most restoration sites are outside the native range of …

Energy Restriction During Development In Breeding Gilts: An Economic Analysis, Justin Cech

Department of Agricultural Economics: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Swine production has become a low-margin business. As costs of production have increased, producers are continuing to increase efficiency in market pig production and gilt development. Restricting energy intake during gilt development could have a positive impact on a producer’s bottom line, but few studies have economically analyzed production differences caused by energy restriction. This study utilized gilt development and market pig production data from biological studies that included a 2x2 factorial arrangement of half-sibling maternal lines (LWxLR and L45X) entering two gilt development programs. In one program, gilts were fed on an ad libitum basis. In the other, gilts …

The Comparison Of Five Different Cattle Feeding Enterprises: A Stochastic Simulation On Expected Returns And The Effects Of Lrp Insurance, Caleb H. Bott

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This was a study on the Utah cattle industry which compared five different feeding enterprises. These feeding enterprises included feeding cull cows, finishing beef yearling steers, finishing Holstein yearling steers, backgrounding beef steer calves, and backgrounding Holstein steer calves. The main purpose of this study was to determine which feeding enterprise was the most profitable for Utah cattle producers.

Another objective of the study was to determine if LRP insurance lowered the volatility in the returns to these feeding enterprises. In order to answer these two questions of interest, a historical analysis of Utah cattle and feed prices was conducted …