Agricultural and Resource Economics Commons^™

Determining Farm Custom Rates, H. Douglas Jose

Cornhusker Economics

As I write this, there is still snow in some ditches and fence rows, and many fields look like they are just about right for rice planting rather than corn or soybeans. Nonetheless, spring fever has hit and the field work will soon be going at full throttle. This raises a frequently asked question: “What are custom rates this year?” The Nebraska Custom Rate Survey is conducted every two years, and we are in the process of analyzing the data from our 2010 survey. We will publish those numbers as soon as possible. At this point we are working on …

“Celebrating Our Heritage, Exploring Our Future”, Megan Voss, Regina Janousek

Cornhusker Economics

The 25th Women in Agriculture (WIA) Conference “Celebrating Our Heritage, Exploring Our Future” was held in Kearney, Nebraska on February 25-26, 2010. Hosted by the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Agricultural Economics Department, over 375 women participated in the event. A majority came from across the great state of Nebraska, but a few individuals made the trip from Colorado, Kansas, Iowa and South Dakota. Our evaluation data is incomplete at this time; however we have results compiled from 125 evaluations.

Analyzing Acre: Results For 2009 And Decisions For 2010, Bradley D. Lubben

Cornhusker Economics

In 2009, agricultural producers participating in federal farm programs had to decide between staying in the existing Direct and Counter-Cyclical Program (DCP), and the new Average Crop Revenue Election Program (ACRE). If producers chose to keep the DCP, their farm income safety net is strictly tied to crop prices, with a combination of marketing loans, counter-cyclical payments and direct payments. If producers chose the new ACRE program, they changed their farm income safety net to a combination of price and revenue. The new ACRE component is based on revenue and replaces the counter-cyclical payment. The other parts of the safety …

Cropland Values Rise While Rangeland Values Fall, Bruce B. Johnson, Ryan Lukassen, Tyler Rosener

Cornhusker Economics

Preliminary findings from the 2010 University of Nebraska-Lincoln Nebraska Farm Real Estate Survey show cropland values rising across the entire state over the past 12 months. This follows on the heels of a year of little to no value change for most of the state. For the year ending February 1, 2010, dryland cropland with no irrigation potential rose an average of 6.4 percent, while state-wide averages for gravity irrigated cropland and center pivot irrigated cropland climbed 5.2 and 6.1 percent, respectively (Table 1 on next page). Statewide, dryland cropland with potential to be developed for irrigation rose 7.3 percent …

Energy Restriction During Breeding Gilt Development: An Economic Analysis, Justin Cech, Darrell R. Mark, Roger K. Wilson

Cornhusker Economics

Swine production has increasingly become a lowmargin business. As costs of production have increased, producers are continuing to increase efficiency in both market pig production and gilt development. Restricting energy during gilt development reduces feeding costs and can enhance some productivity measures, but can also negatively impact other areas of production. Thus, the net economic returns from a restricted energy gilt development program are unclear. This study utilized gilt development and market pig production data for two genetic lines of hogs, LWxLR (a cross between industry Large White and Landrace) and L45X (a Nebraska line selected 23 generations for increased …

A Study Of The Economic Effects Of Imposing Fair Trade Coffee Consumption In San Francisco, Alexander Preston Magginetti

Agribusiness

Noting the rising sales of eco-friendly and fairly traded goods in the United States, this study examines the effects of implementing a policy that would limit the supply of non-fair-trade coffee in San Francisco. The goal of this policy would be to increase the sales of the fair-trade coffee market in the United States, and benefit fair-trade coffee growers by mandating the sale of fair-trade coffee in San Francisco. This study focuses on the economic effects of the policy on consumers and producers of fair-trade coffee, regular coffee, tea, and soda.

“Fair trade” began at the end of World War …

Evaluation Of Qualitative Aesthetics Of Wine Labels, Taryn Ann Barsotti

Agribusiness

This study was undertaken to determine the relationship between qualitative label aesthetics of wine labels and recommended price. The variables that were evaluated included Sonoma, Napa, Golden Mean, Font Uniformity, Color, Direction, Realistic, Abstract, Font Sizes, Font Styles, Pictures of Grapes/Vineyards, and Horizontal Label.

The report represents two important techniques when performing the analysis. A regression analysis and an analysis of variance have been performed to determine the relationship between particular variables and price.

It is concluded that there is a relationship between all test label aesthetics in wine labels and recommended price. This relationship is based on a ninety …

Monopoly, Regulation, And Innovation, Matt Bogard

Economics Faculty Publications

Recently the Justice department has started investigations into alleged anti-trust violations by Monsanto. This has helped fuel a lot of already hyped discontent with one of the world’s leaders in innovative solutions for sustainable agriculture. This article discusses how the regulatory environment could possibly have contributed to more concentration and power in the biotech industry. Increasing regulation would likely have the opposite effect of creating a level playing field in the agriculture industry. From AgWeb, March 27,2010 http://www.agweb.com/blog/Economic_Sense_190/Monopoly_Regulation__and_Innovation_10771/

Carbon Emission Control Policies Within China’S Power Generation Sector, Zhenyu Zhang, Karina Schoengold

Department of Agricultural Economics: Faculty Publications

The paper examines the potential for emissions control policy using the example of the power generation sector in China. The analytical model is developed using a joint production function, where carbon emissions and electricity are jointly produced using capital and fossil fuel inputs. Abatement of emissions can be achieved by investment in two types of capital – production capital that improves the production efficiency, or abatement capital that removes the emissions. The analytical model shows that economic growth can be achieved while still keeping the emission stock at a stable level. The results are estimated using data from China’s electricity …

Where The Ends Don’T Meet: Measuring Poverty And Self-Sufficiency Among Oregon’S Families, Melissa Rowe, Sheila A. Martin, Danan Gu, Webb Sprague

Institute of Metropolitan Studies Publications

This report uses the Self-Sufficiency Standard developed by Dr. Diana Pearce at the University of Washington to analyze the extent to which Oregon households earn enough money to meet their basic needs without a public subsidy. This standard, a vast improvement on the federal poverty level, accounts for differences in the cost of living based on family structure, age of children, and county of residence. Dr. Pearce has defined the income required to meet basic needs for every county in Oregon and a number of household types. A large number of Oregon households not considered poor by the federal poverty …

Tailoring Rural Community Web Sites To New Residents, Cheryl A, Burkhart-Kriesel, Randolph L. Cantrell

Cornhusker Economics

Recruiting and retaining new residents is critically important to communities that are experiencing either job growth or a declining population. City councils and village boards across the state often ask the question, “How can we bring in and keep new people today?” This issue has not gone unnoticed by the Nebraska Department of Economic Development or the University of Nebraska.

The American Recovery And Reinvestment Act Of 2009, Tina N. Barrett

Cornhusker Economics

President Obama signed the $787 billion economic stimulus package into law on February 17, 2009. What will this mean to individuals or to tax law for 2009?

Cost Of Production And Crop Insurance, Tina N. Barrett, Brad Heinrichs

Cornhusker Economics

As we approach the March 15 th deadline for signing up for Federal Crop Insurance there are many things to consider before producers make a decision. Obviously, the rates, weather scares, market volatility and “whatever I did last year” will play a part in producers’ decisions, but I think very few consider the real issue of their cost of production.

Nebraska Ethanol's Carbon Footprint, Richard K. Perrin, Diego Alvarez

Cornhusker Economics

If burning a gallon of ethanol emits less greenhouse gas or GHGs (CO₂, primarily), than the gasoline it replaces then it has a smaller carbon footprint than gasoline. Actually, it is the amount of fossil CO₂ emitted that matters, because CO₂ from fossil fuels represents "new" carbon in the atmosphere, whereas the CO₂ released by corn ethanol is recycled atmospheric carbon.

Trade Adjustment Assistance For Farmers Available 2010, David J. Goeller

Cornhusker Economics

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009 has re-authorized and modified the Trade Adjustment Assistance for Farmers program. The statute authorizes an appropriation of not more than $90 million per year for the next three fiscal years. The TAA for Farmers program helps producers of raw agricultural commodities (farmers, ranchers or fishermen) who have experienced significant declines in price or production, adjust to the changing economic environment brought on by import competition. The program provides benefits to eligible producers in the form of educational assistance, as well as up to $12,000 per producer in cash benefits to help …

Climate Change Response Strategy, Anne Bennett

Bulletins 4000 -

Climate change and policies introduced to reduce emissions will affect the agricultural sector and will lead to social and economic outcomes.

In addressing the Western Australian Government's priority plan for the agriculture and food sector, the Department of Agriculture and Food, Western Australia has a number of roles it can play to assist industry to adapt and respond to climate change.

This document provides a balanced and coordinated strategic direction for climate change activities by identifying and prioritising key actions to be achieved over the next five years. The strategy is split into four chapters: emissions abatement, carbon sinks, adapting …

Decoupling And Recoupling: Global Links To The Business Cycle; Cattle Market Fundamentals, John A. Sodney, Matthew Diersen

Economics Commentator (1972- 2016)

No abstract provided.

Variation Of Environmental Regulation Stringency Among The Top Ten U.S. Hog Producing States, Gibson Nene, Karina A, Schoengold

Cornhusker Economics

The U.S. hog industry, once primarily made up of small owner-operated crop-hog farms, has become dominated by large specialized operations characterized by low costs and improved technologies in livestock management. Such changes have triggered concerns over the dangers large Hog Feeding Operations (HFOs) are likely to pose to the environment. In 2007, the top ten states accounted for more than 85 percent of total U.S. hog production (Iowa (IA), North Carolina (NC), Minnesota (MN), Illinois (IL), Nebraska (NE), Indiana (IN), Missouri (MO), Oklahoma (OK), Ohio (OH), and Kansas (KS)). With such domination on production, these states are often the subject …

The U.S. Import Of Beef: Friend Or Foe To Domestic Beef Production?, Sunil P. Dhoubhadel, Matthew C. Stockton

Cornhusker Economics

Controversy surrounding the United States import of beef has been an issue since at least 1958, which marked the beginning of major imports from Australia (Edward, 1964). From the onset, U.S. beef producers have been concerned that beef imports would depress the prices they receive for their product. Consumer groups, on the other hand, have welcomed increased imports, expecting that increased competition would lower meat prices. As a result of these conflicting views, the past 50 years has seen the creation of various measures of legislation which control the volume of imports.

Landowner Wind Energy Associations, J. David Aiken

Cornhusker Economics

Many Nebraska farmers and rural landowners are receiving offers to purchase wind energy leases. However, landowners have little information regarding wind lease rates in Nebraska, and wind leases are relatively new in the state. Some rural advocates suggest that landowners pool their interests in what are called Landowner Wind Energy Associations (LWEAs). LWEA advantages include information pooling and the ability to solicit wind energy development proposals meeting LWEA specifications from wind energy developers. This newsletter takes a quick look at LWEA advantages, LWEA operating agreement provisions and LWEA wind energy development requests for proposal provisions.