bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A group of bronzes from Surbo: new evidence for Aegean contacts with Apulia during Mycenaean III B and C
Authors: Macnamara Ellen
Published: February 2017

In Taranto Archaeological Museum is a group of bronze objects, which are believed to have been found at Surbo, a village some 5 kilometres north of Lecce in Apulia. When Professor Drago was Director of the Museum, he heard of the existence of a group of bronzes, already partly dispersed: he bought the remaining bronzes but could gain no further information concerning the provenance or the dispersed objects. The Atto d'Immissione of Taranto Museum, No. 679, dated 20 March 1952, mentions seven objects under the Inventory Nos. 17140–17144 and lists the sword hilt, shaft-hole axes, hammer-heads and chisel. Under No. 17142, it describes ‘Una accetta a margini rialzati o coltello ascia. Cms. 2,3 × 0,7’. The measurement must be an error and the description might apply to the medial winged axe or to the spatulate axe. In view of this ambiguity, the eight bronze objects from Surbo, now grouped together in the Museum, are described here, noting that, if the spatulate axe could with confidence be omitted from the group, the remaining bronzes cohere well and an Apulian source is credible. It will be wise to keep these points in mind throughout the following discussion, where the bronzes will first be considered individually and then as a group.
The Tree-Ring Calibration of Radiocarbon: An Archaeological Evaluation
Authors: Renfrew Colin
Published: February 2017

It is now nearly twenty years since the first radiocarbon dates for the neolithic cultures of Europe astonished and perplexed prehistoric archaeologists by falling a millennium earlier than the existing chronologies had suggested. Since that time most (but not all) archaeologists have become reconciled to radiocarbon dating, and to a chronology for Europe based, at least for the neolithic period, on the radiocarbon dates which have become so widely accepted as now to be conventional.

But a second radiocarbon revolution is now taking place. The calibration of radiocarbon by tree-ring dating indicates that the now conventional radiocarbon dates are not early enough. Dates for the neolithic, and this time for the early bronze age also, will have to be set earlier by several centuries. The consequences of this second revolution for the picture we have of prehistoric Europe are in many ways more radical than those of the first. For this reason, perhaps, there has been a marked reluctance among some archaeologists to face the consequences of the new calibration, although an emerging concensus of opinion among botanists and physicists seems to favour it. The present article sets out to identify the three principal points of difference between the conventional chronology and that suggested by the tree-ring calibration of radiocarbon. It is argued that on independent archaeological evidence the new, calibrated, chronology can be seen to yield a plausible and coherent general picture. While many problems have yet to be clarified, there seems no reason why the new dating should not be welcomed as offering a stimulatingly fresh view of the prehistory of Europe.
Economic Forces Influencing Value-Added Food Industries: Implications for Southern Agriculture
Authors: Christy Ralph D. , Connor John M.
Published: February 2017

During the past few decades, U. S. agriculture has experienced remarkable gains in productivity and efficiency. While the number of farms has declined, the economic activities supporting production agriculture continue to comprise a major sector of the U. S. economy. The value-added food and fiber complex serves as an important link between production agriculture and the larger U. S. economy. Value-added products from agriculture have a retail value of more than $700 billion annually and engage about 20 percent of the U. S. labor force (ESCOP).
A Regional Analysis of Vegetable Production with Changing Demand for Row Crops Using Quadratic Programming
Authors: Epperson J.E. , Lei L.F.
Published: February 2017

The purpose of the study was to ascertain the competitive and complementary potential of fresh vegetable production relative to traditional row crop production using a regional partial equilibrium model. It seems clear from the analysis that vegetable crops are not destined in the near future to replace row crops in terms of land utilization. Nevertheless, vegetable crops appear to compete with and complement row crops well as evidenced by substantial increases in production as market share was assumed to increase. However, fresh vegetables cannot be considered as residual enterprises to which producers move when the demand for row crops declines. Even with a simulated 20 percent decrease in the demand for row crops, the acreage of fresh vegetables did not increase.
Attitudes Toward Government Involvement in Agriculture: Results of a National Survey
Authors: Duffy Patricia A. , Molnar Joseph J.
Published: February 2017

This study reports results from a nation-wide survey of public attitudes toward agriculture. The study focuses on attitudes toward government involvement in agriculture across regions of the county and residential categories.
A Commodity Market Simulation Game for Teaching Market Risk Management
Authors: Trapp James N.
Published: February 2017

The Market Risk Game is a computerized simulation game available for IBM PC and Apple II microcomputers that is designed to give realistic practice in making decisions in a risky market environment. It illustrates the use of hedging and put options to reduce risk in livestock and grain markets. It is best suited for individuals who have a basic understanding of commodity trading, but who need experience to solidify their knowledge to a functional level. Through the game, this is done without facing the risk of an actual investment or requiring the time involved in watching a market over an extended period.
Agricultural Output Supply and Input Demand Relationships with Endogenous Land Rents
Authors: Maligaya Arlyn R. , White Fred C.
Published: February 2017

This study analyzed supply functions for agricultural output and demand functions for factors of production for Georgia. These relationships were derived with duality theory from a normalized quadratic profit function. Land has been included in other duality studies as a fixed factor as opposed to an endogenous factor. In this study, the system of supply and demand equations was augmented with a supply equation for land, which allowed land rents to be an endogenous factor. Consequently, it was possible to measure the impact of output and input prices on land rents.
A Generalized Stochastic Dominance Program for the IBM PC
Authors: Goh Siew , Shih Chao-Chyuan , Cochran Mark J. , Raskin Rob
Published: February 2017

A microcomputer program to perform Generalized Stochastic Dominance (GSD), Quasi-Second Degree Dominance (SSD), and Quasi-First Degree Stochastic Dominance (FSD) is described. The program is designed to run on IBM-compatible personal computers with a Hercules or CGA graphics adapter. It is menu-driven and has options for GSD, quasi-FSD, quasi-SSD, graphics, and calculations of premiums associated with use of dominant distributions.
Market Information Systems: An Online Agricultural Market News Retrieval System
Authors: VanSickle John J. , Stevens Thomas J.
Published: February 2017

A minicomputer online information retrieval program is described that is designed to facilitate timely distribution of agricultural market news to state and county research and extension faculty. These faculty have designed programs that extend this information to clientele in their areas. An evaluation indicates that users find great value in this network. Usage has grown rapidly over the period the network has been available. This program is available and can be used by other states and clientele.
A Note on Alternative Market and Governmental Risk Transference Mechanisms
Authors: Fackler Paul L.
Published: February 2017

The major mechanisms for the transference of price and output risk by crop producers are examined. These include the use of futures and options contracts, government price-support and deficiency-payments programs, and crop insurance. Iso-revenue curves are used to highlight the distinctions between these alternatives.
Farm Level Corn Acreage Response Estimation
Authors: Nutt Perry J. , Reed Michael R. , Skees Jerry R.
Published: February 2017

This study reports results of an acreage supply equation using individual farm data and develops implications for bias introduced by use of aggregate data. The analysis shows that use of aggregate acreage response models underestimates the absolute value of price elasticities and the lagged adjustment process. Further, aggregated analyses cannot incorporate some variables found to be important in explaining from level acreage response.
Futures Markets and Firm Decisions Under Price, Production, and Financial Uncertainty
Authors: Alexander Vickie J. , Musser Wesley N. , Mason George
Published: February 2017

Incorporation of futures markets into the theory of the firm under uncertainty has received considerable attention in risk management. A theoretical model of optimal firm decisions in cash and futures markets considering price, production, and financial risks is presented. Production and marketing strategies for corn and soybeans in Georgia and Illinois are analyzed to determine the optimal amount of futures contracting which may be a hedge or a speculative position. A partial hedge is optimal for most situations for risk averse producers when the amount hedged is variable. With fixed quantity transactions, speculative and cash positions, but not hedging, tend to be E-V efficient.
Performance of Risk-Income Models Outside the Original Data Set
Authors: Atwood Joseph , Held Larry J. , Helmers Glenn A. , Watts Myles J.
Published: February 2017

Selected risk programming solutions (i.e., profit maximization, Target-MOTAD, and MOTAD) are tested in an economic environment outside the data set from which they were developed. Specifically, solutions are derived from either a longer 10-year (1965-74) or shorter 6-year estimation period (1969-74), and then, they are tested for consistent risk-income characteristics over a later 10-year period (1975-84). Risk solutions estimated from earlier periods perform well in the later test period in spite of different economic conditions between time periods. However, favorable performance may be related to the specific example used in this analysis. Further testing for other farm situations is needed before general conclusions can be reached.
Effects of Selected Tax Policies on Management and Growth of A Catfish Enterprise
Authors: Kinnucan Henry , Cacho Oscar , Hanson Gregory D.
Published: February 2017

A multiperiod programming model was used to simulate the effects of lower marginal income tax rates, the soil and water conservation deduction, and the cash tax accounting option on firm growth for a “representative” farm operating in the Alabama Black Belt region. Results show the lowered marginal income tax rates associated with the Economic Recovery Tax Act (ERTA) of 1981 provide a positive growth stimulus to the modeled firm as measured by accumulated net worth over a 10-year planning horizon. The soil and water conservation deduction in general provides greater tax relief to the modeled firm than either the ERTA income tax rate changes or the cash tax accounting provision. Important complementary and substitute relationships were found to exist between marginal income tax rates and the various tax provisions studied, implying care must be exercised when attempting to evaluate the impact on farm firms of changes in tax policy.
Statistical Significance and Stability of the Hog Cycle
Authors: Shonkwiler J. Scott , Spreen Thomas H.
Published: February 2017

Cyclical fluctuations in prices and production have long characterized the United States hog industry. Recent evidence suggests that the length of the hog cycle has changed. In order to determine whether the change in cycle length is statistically significant, the bootstrap technique is employed to derive confidence intervals for point estimates of the hog cycle. Application of the bootstrap technique to time series models is discussed and empirical results are presented. It is concluded that the hog cycle is undergoing rather complicated changes based on cycle lengths that are calculated to be statistically different from zero.
A Stochastic Dominance Analysis of Alternative Marketing Strategies for Mixed Crop Farms in North Florida
Authors: Anaman Kwabena A. , Boggess William G.
Published: February 2017

Cumulative probability distributions of income for management scenarios involving four preharvest marketing strategies are subjected to stochastic dominance analysis to determine risk-efficient sets of strategies for different groups of farmers in North Florida. Results indicate that farmers should behave differently in their choice of marketing strategies according to their risk attitudes. Highly risk-averse farmers should prefer some forward contracting while low risk-averse and risk-loving farmers should prefer cash sales at harvest. Use of the futures markets leads to both higher income and greater risk than forward contracting but lower income and risk than cash sales.
An Advanced Method for Economic Threshold Determination: A Positive Approach
Authors: Talpaz Hovav , Frisbie Ray E.
Published: February 2017

Economic entomologists have historically concerned themselves with reducing or preventing insect damage. These goals have led to the “economic threshold” concept used by entomologists to define a pest population level at which controls should be initiated (National Research Council, pp. 240). Stern (1966) defined it as “… the pest population density at which control measures should be determined to prevent an increasing population from reaching the economic injury level.” A serious attempt was made by J.C. Headley to define the economic threshold as the “ … population (of pests) that produces incremental damage equal to the cost of preventing that damage” (Headley, p. 105). Although logically sound, Headley's model, designed to quantify its definition, fails to treat the time dimension properly as shown in Hall and Norgaard's two-variable model (Hall and Norgaard, pp. 199-201). This two-variable model holds only under rather strong assumptions (Borosh and Talpaz, pp. 642-643), and a priori considers only a situation with a single pesticide treatment policy. A multiple treatment case was developed (Talpaz and Borosh, pp. 769-775) with equal physiological time intervals between treatments, which may apply to some special cases. An interesting effort to introduce increasing pest resistance was made by Hueth and Regev (pp. 543-555).
Regional Input-Output Models Adjusted by Import-Export Survey Data
Authors: Miller Bill R. , Liu Peng Li
Published: February 2017

Regional analysis has been accepted as a subdiscipline of economics. The signal importance and outlines of the discipline were perhaps most clearly stated in a survey by Meyer in 1965: He asserted that the most characteristic feature of regional analysis was its pragmatic origin. Regional analytic models seem to have grown out of needs to understand and analyze regional problems, despite significant conceptual and data problems. Conceptually, all classical economic theory is involved. In addition, more modern dimensions of location and equilibrium of multiple economies must be confronted. Data problems are magnified by the spatial dimension, since the accounting series implied for most aggregate analysis is available only on a national basis.
Measuring Productivity Change in U.S. Agriculture
Authors: Lu Yao-Chi
Published: February 2017

To understand the sources of change in productivity, that appropriate public policy and programs can be developed to increase productivity growth, a reliable and updated measure is needed. The term “productivity” discussed here refers to total factor productivity, or the ratio of value of total agricultural output to that of all inputs used in agricultural production.

The first comprehensive work on the measurement of productivity change in U.S. agriculture was done by Loomis and Barton in 1961. Since then, this index has been updated annually as an offical USDA agricultural productivity index. The weakness of using index numbers lies in the arithmetic formula used. It implies a specific functional form of the production function that may not accurately describe the data. Thus, a need arises to consider an alternative estimate of productivity.
The Impact of Property Tax Equalization on Rural Property in Oklahoma
Authors: Drummond H. Evan
Published: February 2017

Public opinion surveys indicate that the local property tax is the least popular of all taxes paid by Americans, yet in almost every state such a tax is levied for the support of local government and/or public schools. The major economic argument against the property tax is its inequities — both vertical and horizontal. Several studies have focused on the vertical equity of property taxes in Oklahoma, but the question of horizontal equity remains unexplored. The research reported in this paper deals with the nature of horizontal inequities in the taxation of rural land in Oklahoma and with the impact of state-wide equalization on rural land values.
A Simulation Analysis of Alternative Target Price and Loan Rate Combinations
Authors: Ray Daryll E. , Ericksen Milton H. , Richardson James W.
Published: February 2017

During the first 4 months of 1975, Congress considered a number of amendments to the Agricultural and Consumer Protection Act of 1973. The amendments were principally directed toward raising loan rates and target prices for major U.S. crops and support rates for dairy. Pressure for raising target prices and loan rates was largely due to substantial increases in input prices occurring since the enactment of the August, 1973 Act. Between July of 1973 and December of 1974, the index of prices paid for production items, interest, taxes and wage rates increased by 22 percent. Farmers and farm leaders expressed fear that high yields, coupled with the full production stance of the Administration,, could throw the crop sector into a cost-price squeeze, depressing farm income. Given these circumstances, proponents of the amendments argued that target prices and loan rates under the Act of 1973 gave farmers inadequate protection from low prices.
Objectives, Motives, Business Style, and Personal History — How They Relate to Managerial Success
Authors: Oehrtman Robert L.
Published: February 2017

Management of agricultural business firms, such as grain and supply cooperatives, is becoming increasingly complex. Such complexity is a result of growth in size and intricacy of cooperatives over the last decade or more, and of processes of expansion of traditional functions and adoption of new ones. Currently, there is little research information available about the management function, and even less which is specific to agricultural business firms. Several studies have shown that the most important reason a cooperative fails is probably management. Yet, there is seldom any testing of senior management performance.
The Adequacy of the Independence of Markets Assumption in Interregional Competition Models
Authors: Bateman W. Lanny
Published: February 2017

An important function of agricultural economics is to determine the competitive potential for beginning or expanding production of a commodity in a specified area. This problem is approached through budgeting techniques and/or more sophisticated models such as linear or reactive programming. Many examples using LP or reactive programming algorithms are available. In two recent studies, reactive models were used to examine the market for potatoes and sweet cherries. These studies provided an insight into the relative competitive position among producing areas and among consuming centers. To reach a solution, the competitive assumption of LP or reactive models requires independence of supply functions for producing regions and demand functions for consuming markets. Thus, frequently the demand price for a given commodity in a market is estimated as a function of volume in that market and perhaps time, income or other variables. The resulting equation is used by inserting the mean value of all explanatory variables except volume, resulting in an equation that has price as a function of volume, plus a constant, and is compatible reactive programming.
Private Labeling of Milk and the Impact on Market Structure
Authors: Beck Robert L. , Alvis Ronald G.
Published: February 2017

Branding, as a means of product differentiation, is a practice of long standing in the food industry. Historically, food manufacturers have used brands as a means of gaining a larger share of the market while avoiding the consequences of direct price competition. Merchandising food, particularly dairy products, under private label brands, however, is a practice of more recent origin.

Introduction of private label brands of dairy products can be traced to that period of the 1920s when private label brands of evaporated milk first appeared in some markets. This was followed by private label brands of butter in the 1930s and fluid milk and ice cream during the 1950s.
Economic Impact of Federal Marketing Orders — The Florida Winter Tomato Case
Authors: Brooker John R. , Pearson James L.
Published: February 2017

Marketing agreements and orders have been used for several decades by various commodity groups in an effort to stabilize and increase the level of farm income. These programs are tools to be used in a “self-help” fashion. They do not automatically solve an industry's marketing problems. For instance, if an industry has continuous interseasonal supply control difficulties, a marketing agreement may actually aggravate the problem it was intended to solve. However, intraseasonal volume controls can relieve short-run imbalances in supply while not adversely affecting consumers. Merging long-run and short-run perspectives is the problem that creates difficulty in program evaluation.
Estimating Effects of Agricultural Research and Extension Expenditures on Productivity: A Translog Production Function Approach
Authors: Lyu Syu-Jyun Larry , White Fred C. , Lu Yao-Chi
Published: February 2017

The effects of agricultural research and extension expenditures on productivity in the United States are estimated during the period 1949-81 using data for ten production regions. The large time-series cross-sectional data base allows the translog production function to be estimated directly. Results from the translog and Cobb-Douglas production functions are compared. The results indicate that use of the Cobb-Douglas production function would overestimate the internal rate of return of agricultural research and extension expenditures in the United States and eight production regions. The total marginal product and internal rate of return for the United States are $8.11 and 66 percent, respectively.
Comparative Rents for Farmland and Timberland in a Subregion of the South
Authors: Hardie Ian W.
Published: February 2017

This study compares equivalent annual rents for two alternative land uses in a region where farming and timber plantations coexist. The comparison is motivated by the possibility that rising timber prices may stimulate timber processors to compete for farmland. Prices, costs, and market rents are assumed to first follow existing trends and then to reach steady state values. Market rents are projected and capitalized for agriculture. Internal soil rents are capitalized for timber. The results show timber to have a comparative advantage on high fertility sites and suggest that timber might become a competitive land use at the intensive margin of the region's farmland base.
Productivity Growth in the Florida Fresh Winter Vegetable Industry
Authors: Taylor Timothy G. , Wilkowske Gary H.
Published: February 2017

Results indicate that productivity growth has been a prime factor in Florida's ability to retain a competitive position in the United States domestic fresh winter vegetable market. Total factor productivity indexes and productivity growth rates are estimated for the production of four major vegetable crops in one or more of four production areas in Florida. Florida producers have exhibited substantial productivity growth over the 1969-70 to 1981-82 period.
Irrigation Water Supply as a Bioeconomic Process
Authors: Lynne Gary D. , Boggess William G. , Portier Kenneth M.
Published: February 2017

Irrigation water is produced within the irrigation subprocess of a farm. Water supply is identified for effective field water, which sets the upper bound on water available for plant use. Georgescu-Roegen process analysis concepts are merged with the neoclassical theory of cost as the underlying framework. The approach is illustrated for a permanent overhead system used in a Florida citrus grove. The marginal cost for the 2.54 centimeters application depth dominates all other depths for the higher water levels. Process analysis is an important analytical tool for increasing understanding of the features of irrigation water supply.
Value of Irrigation Water in the Middle Atlantic States: An Econometric Approach
Authors: Madariaga Bruce , McConnell Kenneth E.
Published: February 2017

Estimation of the economic value of irrigation water is complicated by a lack of data on the price or marginal cost of water. Through econometric estimation of an aggregate total value product function, this paper obtains marginal irrigation water value estimates for the Middle Atlantic region. Additionally, the impact of temperature and soil conditions on aggregate production within the region is estimated. Ridge regression and covariance analysis are employed to deal with problems of multicollinearity and simultaneous equation bias, respectively. Estimates indicate a substantial and growing return to irrigation within the region.
The Impact of Alternative Payment Arrangements on the Performance of Florida Sugarcane Cooperatives
Authors: Lopez Rigoberto A. , Spreen Thomas H.
Published: February 2017

Payment arrangements among members of a cooperative play a critical role in the performance of the cooperative. The impact of three payment systems is assessed for Florida sugarcane cooperatives through a bi-level programming model which incorporates both individual and collective behavior.
Producer Gas Fueled Irrigation: Evaluating the Potential of a Technology
Authors: Kiker Clyde , Bauman Eric
Published: February 2017

Development and commercialization of technologies that utilize on-farm energy sources are beset by uncertainty. Producer gas, a technology that allows wood to be converted to a gaseous fuel which can power internal combustion engines, is evaluated for irrigation systems using simulation modeling and stochastic efficiency analysis. For many market conditions, producer gas stochastically dominates diesel fuel for powering a center pivot irrigation system in terms of lower cost. Commercial potential exists, but experience with pilot installations is required to further reduce uncertainty.
IO/EAM: An Input-Output Economic Assessment Model
Authors: Jordan Jeffrey L. , Brooks Rusty
Published: February 2017

This paper describes a microcomputer software package, IO/EAM: An Input-Output Economic Assessment Model, which was developed at the University of Georgia through a joint extension-research effort. The package is a menudriven, user friendly program that is designed to be used by county extension agents, researchers, and other extension personnel to estimate the economic impact of changes in county economies. The program employs an input-output model that provides users with a locally based, easily updated source of economic intelligence. Use of input-output techniques allows users to estimate the impact of changes in county economies on an industry-by-industry basis and to account for the interdependencies among these industries in a county.
Risk-Return Assessment of Irrigation Decisions in Humid Regions: An Extension
Authors: Tew Bernard V. , Boggess William G.
Published: February 2017

The risk effects of irrigation scheduling in a sub-humid climate have been well documented recently using approximations of the variance of net returns. A method to determine the exact variance of net returns assuming only multivariant normality is presented. The approximation technique in contrast to the method presented in this research was shown to have a non-uniform effect on the variance of net returns of each schedule.
Applying Lisa Concepts on Southern Farms
Authors: Ikerd John E.
Published: February 2017

The term LISA was coined in 1988 as an acronym to identify a federally funded research and education program designed to address the public issue of agriculture and the environment (USDA-CSRS, p. 2). LISA is made up of two related, but different, concepts: low input and sustainable agriculture. This combination reflects a compromise between two different perspectives of the environmental issues confronting agriculture.

The low input perspective is that farmers must reduce their use of commercial chemical inputs as a means of reducing environmental and ecological risks. The sustainable agriculture perspective is that long-run productivity and utility of agriculture depend ultimately on our ability to keep farms both ecologically sound and economically viable. Reduced reliance on commercial inputs is seen as one means of addressing the ecological risks that could threaten long-run sustainability.
Economic Malaise Slows Reform: A Review of Current Conditions in the Soviet Union
Authors: Skold Karl D.
Published: February 2017

In January of 1990, Moscovites were introduced to “Big Maks” and “Kartofel fries” with the opening of a new McDonald's franchise in the heart of Moscow. A short time later, article six of the Soviet constitution was amended to remove the Communist Party's legal monopoly on power. By the end of 1990, McDonald's had surpassed the Lenin Mausoleum as the prime attraction in Moscow. The line for “Big Maks” is now longer than the line for viewing the preserved founder of the Soviet communist state. Between these events a cavalcade of economic and political events occurred. The pace of new announcements and decrees quickened during the last half of 1990 as the economy began to crumble.
Cow-Calf Producers' Perceived Profit Maximization Objective: A Logit Analysis
Authors: Young Katherine D. , Shumway C. Richard
Published: February 2017

A logistic regression (logit) model was developed to examine how socioeconomic characteristics of cow-calf producers influenced their perceptions of themselves as profit maximizers. Amount of pasture acreage, percent of income earned from the cow-calf operation, and desire to increase net worth and efficiently use labor significantly increased the producer's probability of claiming to be in the business primarily to maximize profits. Some sociological reasons for owning cattle significantly reduced the probability of the producer claiming to be a profit maximizer while others significantly increased the probability.
The Effects of Firm Size and Production Cost Levels on Dynamically Optimal After-Tax Cotton Storage and Hedging Decisions
Authors: Tronstad Russell
Published: February 2017

Farm size and production costs are varied in a six state variable stochastic dynamic programming model that quantifies monthly hedging, storage, and cash cotton sale decisions for an Alabama cotton producer. State variables considered are: (1) cash cotton price; (2) basis level; (3) before-tax income level; (4) cotton holdings; (5) futures position; and (6) value of futures position. Results indicate that when farm size and production cost level differ, marketing decisions diverge the most for cash cotton sales at the end of the tax year and lower range of cash price (less than $.65/lb.), basis (less than -$.05/lb.), and before-tax income (less than $0.00) states.
Economic Risk Efficiency of Boll Weevil Eradication
Authors: Szmedra Philip I. , McClendon Ronald W. , Wetzstein Michael E.
Published: February 2017

The purpose of this study was to determine the economic risk efficiency of implementing a boll weevil (Anthonomus grandis [Boheman]) eradication (BWE) program in cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) producing regions of the Mississippi Delta. Alternative producer pest management practices and program cost sharing were incorporated into a biophysical cotton simulation model. Participation in a BWE program along with strict adherence to Cooperative Extension Service pest management guidelines proved to be the risk efficient practice.
Price Transmission in the Catfish Industry with Specific Emphasis on the Role of Processing Cooperatives
Authors: Nyankori James C. O.
Published: February 2017

The paper presents the implications of farmer-owned processing cooperatives for pricing in the catfish industry and tests hypotheses about the nature of price transmission in the catfish industry. The results of the linear feedback model indicate that causal relationships exist between farm and wholesale prices in the catfish industry. The direction of causality for both frozen and processed whole catfish run from farm to wholesale level.
Determinants of Restructured Farm Loan Performance
Authors: Pederson Glenn , Rao Ananth , Boehlje Michael
Published: February 2017

A probabilistic model is applied to cross-sectional data to identify determinants of post-restructure performance of Federal Land Bank loans. The results indicate that restructured loans were sensitive to factors that determine the debt repayment burden and the repayment ability of the restructured farm operations. Loan performance is found to be relatively more sensitive to the levels of the post-restructure interest rate and cash farm income than to the financial structure and leverage position of the restructured farm. The relationships between the post-restructure interest rate, cash farm income level, and the probability of loan performance are illustrated.
The Demand for Butter, Margarine, and Oils: A Nonparametric Test for Evidence of Structural Change
Authors: Jensen Kim , Bevins Scott
Published: February 2017

The objective of this study was to determine whether structural change in the demand for butter, margarine, and salad and cooking oils occurred between 1967 and 1986. A nonparametric method, which does not require that a functional form be imposed on the data, was used to test for violations from stable, well-behaved preferences. Violations were found, but they were small in magnitude. Therefore, the results failed to show strong evidence that consumption patterns for butter, margarine, and oils were inconsistent with stable preferences.
An Evaluation of Consumer Pesticide Residue Concerns and Risk Information Sources
Authors: Byrne Patrick J. , Gempesaw Conrado M. , Toensmeyer Ulrich C.
Published: February 2017

Marginal probability effects of demographic variables on consumer concerns about pesticide residues were assessed as well as the likelihood of consumer beliefs given different channels of information on produce safety and risks. This was done using maximum likelihood estimation (MLE) of ordered logit models. The empirical results showed that pesticide residue concern levels appeared to be lower for more highly educated and high income households. Safety information from the academic community was found to have the highest likelihood of acceptance by consumers.
Cost Effectiveness of Alternative Subsidy Strategies for Soil Erosion Control
Authors: Park William M. , Sawyer David G.
Published: February 2017

This article reports on analyses of the cost effectiveness of three soil erosion control policy alternatives, specifically 1) uniform-rate cost sharing, 2) variable-rate cost sharing, and 3) fixed subsidy payments per unit reduction in erosion. A brief discussion of the place of these alternative subsidy strategies within the context of the current policy environment is presented. Integer programming is employed to simulate adoption of “best management practices” (BMPs) on a set of representative farms in a case study water-shed in response to these alternative subsidy strategies. Conclusions and policy implications are outlined.
Energy Use in U.S. Agriculture: Early Adjustment to the 1973-74 Price Shock
Authors: Gowdy John M. , Miller Jack L. , Kherbachi Hamid
Published: February 2017

Using input-output tables for 1972 and 1977 we examine direct and indirect energy use in the production of fourteen U.S. agricultural products. We find that between 1972 and 1977 energy use increased in absolute terms but decreased in terms of Btus required per dollar of output.

Although this trend is encouraging in terms of the long-run ability of U.S. agriculture to adjust to higher energy prices, the following caveats should be mentioned; (1) a large part of the decrease in primary energy intensity is attributable to one sector, meat animals, (2) there was a substantial increase in electricity intensity in almost all sectors, and (3) there was an increase in the use of energy embodied in fertilizers and agricultural chemicals in the very important food grain and feed sectors.
Farm Level Dynamic Analysis of Soil Conservation: An Application to the Piedmont Area of Virginia
Authors: Segarra Eduardo , Taylor Daniel B.
Published: February 2017

A conceptual optimal control theory model which considers farm level decision making with respect to soil management is developed. A simplified version of the theoretical model is applied to the Piedmont area of Virginia. The model includes the productivity impacts of both soil erosion and technological progress. Both the theoretical model and its empirical application are improvements over previous efforts. Results suggest that farmers in the study area can achieve substantial reductions in soil erosion by adopting alternative farming practices.
Optimal Organization of a Statewide Livestock Auction Market System: The Case of Tennessee
Authors: McClain Emily A. , McLemore Dan L.
Published: February 2017

Optimal sizes, number, and locations of Tennessee livestock auction markets were identified as those which minimize the combined costs of assembling and marketing livestock for the state using a separable programming model. The model includes transportation costs, economies of size in market operation, a proxy for reductions in buyers' operating costs attributable to increasing market volumes, and livestock production density, both in and around the state. The model is sufficiently comprehensive and descriptive to be of practical use by policy makers who influence industry change. Results indicate that a reduction in market numbers would lower combined costs.
Economic Survivability of Mississippi Rice Farms: A Deterministic Simulation Approach
Authors: Salassi Michael E. , Eddleman Bobby R. , Hamill James G.
Published: February 2017

This study evaluates the economic survivability of rice farms in the Delta area of Mississippi. A general whole-farm simulation model, FLIPSIM V, is used to simulate the operations of representative rice farms over a 10-year period. Although farm size did not change for any of the representative farms considered, the financial structure of these farms changed considerably. Crop mix was found to cause significant differences in the economic growth and financial viability of rice farms in the region.
Consumer Preferences for Local Versus Out-Of-State Grown Selected Fresh Produce: The Case of Knoxville, Tennessee
Authors: Eastwood David B. , Brooker John R. , Orr Robert H.
Published: February 2017

Consumer behavior with respect to purchase regularity, satisfaction, origin, and willingness to pay for selected local versus non-Tennessee grown fresh produce is examined. Except for origin, consumer behavior with respect to the above is affected by income, household size and age distribution, race, age of respondent, college education, and occupation. The pattern of significant variables changed by commodity. Tomatoes, followed by peaches, had the greatest local market potential. Local promotion of other products may be more difficult. Results suggested consumers have no strong preferences for or against locally grown fresh produce. The prices of locally grown commodities in Knoxville should be less than or equal to those of comparable quality non-Tennessee commodities.
Agricultural Economics Research and The Experiment Station System
Authors: Debertin David L. , Bradford Garnett L.
Published: February 2017

This paper discusses the role of agricultural economics research within the land-grant university system. Fundamental differences between research in the biological sciences and the social sciences are delineated. Implications of these differences for experiment station research programs are discussed. Recommendations are made which have potential for enhancing the role of agricultural economics within colleges of agriculture.
Agribusiness In A Global Economy: Challenges For An Evolving Profession
Authors: Cook Michael L.
Published: February 2017

In a revised definition of the Davis-Goldberg concept of agribusiness, Sonka and Hudson suggest that the food and agribusiness sector might be thought of as a sequence of interrelated subsectors made up of: (1) genetics and seedstock firms, (2) input suppliers, (3) agricultural producers, (4) merchandisers or first handlers, (5) processors, (6) retailers, and (7) consumers. In applying this ubiquitous definition to global data, Goldberg (1991a) estimates that the food and agribusiness system is the largest economic sector in the world economy representing 50 percent of the global labor force, 50 percent of global assets, and 50 percent of global consumer expenditures.
Free Trade Impacts On U.S. And Southern Agriculture
Authors: Burfisher Mary E. , House Robert M. , Langley Suchada V.
Published: February 2017

In June 1991, the United States and Mexico agreed to work toward the formation of a free trade area (FTA), in which trade barriers between the two countries will be gradually reduced and eUrninated. An FTA is expected to deepen a trade relationship that has always been important to the two countries, and which has been expanded by the unilateral trade liberalization initiated by Mexico in 1983. A U.S. Mexico FTA will be an important development for U.S. agriculture. In 1990, Mexico ranked among the top four markets for U.S. agricultural exports nd imports. Mexico's share of U.S. agricultural trade has increased since the mid-1980s, and could expand further if trade barriers are removed.
Multiproduct Production Choices And Pesticide Regulation In Georgia
Authors: McIntosh Christopher S. , Williams Albert A.
Published: February 2017

An increasing emphasis on surface and groundwater quality and food safety may result in some form of pesticide regulations. A restricted profit function model of Georgia agriculture is used to examine the short-run effects of 2 and 5 percent reductions in all pesticides. Point estimates of short-run impacts, along with their 90 percent confidence intervals are presented.
Estimates Of Government Intervention Levels In U.S. Peanut Markets
Authors: Miller Bill R. , Mabbs-Zeno Carl
Published: February 2017

Unilateral liberalization of U.S. peanut policy was evaluated using a model of U.S. and world peanut supply and demand. Under the proposed policy, world peanut price would rise slightly to $.20 per pound at the U.S. farm level. U.S. production would decline by 578 million pounds per year and would be offset by imports of 582 million pounds. U.S. net farm income would fall by $405 million per year. Lost income per farm would be $21,000 per year while the average outlay of consumers would decrease by $.84 per person at farm level price. Government expenditures would be virtually unchanged because of the market orientation of current policy.
Selecting The “Best” Prediction Model: An Application To Agricultural Cooperatives
Authors: Rambaldi Alicia N. , Zapata Hector O. , Christy Ralph D.
Published: February 2017

A credit scoring function incorporating statistical selection criteria was proposed to evaluate the credit worthiness of agricultural cooperative loans in the Fifth Farm Credit District. In-sample (1981-1986) and out-of-sample (1988) prediction performance of the selected models were evaluated using rank transformation discriminant analysis, logit, and probit. Results indicate superior out-of-sample performance for the management oriented approach relative to classification of unacceptable loans, and poor performance of the rank transformation in out-of-sample prediction.
The U.S. Wheat And Corn Programs: Some Domestic Welfare And International Trade Implications
Authors: Carey Kathleen
Published: February 2017

This paper explores changes in traditional commodity programs from the perspective of domestic welfare. A theoretical model was developed which describes domestic welfare changes that follow from policies consistent with reductions in international price distortions. The model was applied to the 1985 Farm Bill. This provided an historical example of a policy change that simultaneously improves domestic welfare and reduces protectionism.
Quasi-Experimental Designs For Measuring Impacts Of Developmental Highways In Rural Areas
Authors: Broder Josef M. , Taylor Teresa D. , McNamara Kevin T.
Published: February 2017

Quasi-experimental techniques were developed to provide decision-making tools for documenting the impacts of developmental highways in rural areas. Regression discontinuity analysis (RDA) with limited observations was used to compare economic changes in highway counties to those in adjacent and non-adjacent control counties. The RDA models found statistically significant changes in population, per capita income, and taxable sales related to highway development. The study found that some counties benefitted from developmental highways, some were unchanged, while some experienced economic decline. RDA models with adjacent controls had better explanatory powers while those with non-adjacent controls were more sensitive to highway-related changes in economic activity. When significant non-highway activities were present, adjacent control models may have understated highway-related impacts, while non-adjacent control models may have overstated these impacts. Arguments for using adjacent and non-adjacent experimental designs are discussed.
Transmittance in a thin aluminum layer at nanosecond pulsed laser ablation
Authors: Senatsky Y.V. , Bykovsky N.E. , Pershin S.M. , Samokhin A.A.
Published: February 2017

Since the beginning of the 1960s and up to the present time, laser ablation from metal surfaces under the action of short light pulses has been the topic of many researches. One of the first objects in the early ablation experiments presented thin metal films evaporated by radiation, which were used in lasers with nanosecond pulses as optical gates for Q-switching in resonators or for decoupling in amplifiers. Bleaching of the gates based on metal layers with a time constant τt ≈ 10−8 s observed in a number of experiments, was usually considered as a result of a simple evaporation of matter. We analyze the data of the experiments with a mylar tape [≈0.05 µm aluminum (Al) layer on ≈20 µm lavsan substrate] used as a gate for optical isolation in one of the first Nd: glass laser facilities with a power of ≈1 GW. That gate was irradiated by pulses of Q-switched oscillators: pulse duration 10−7–10−8 s, intensity 107–108 W/cm2. A jump in the transmittance of the expanding Al layer was registered (from ≈0.1 to 50% at τt ≈ 10−9 s). The present study shows that one should consider the metal–insulator phase transition in a superheated liquid metal layer as the mechanism of the fast (up to 10–10–10–11 s) increase in the transmittance of the Al film gate at nanosecond-pulsed laser ablation.