bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Preferred Futures 2020: Are Students Interested in Sustainable Futures?
Authors: Hicks David
Published: July 2016

This article begins by comparing public awareness and interest in sustainability with the views of experts in this field. Attention is then drawn to the need for people to be able to imagine their preferable futures before they can begin to work towards them. Futures workshops are cited as a means to this end and a pilot study is described which used this procedure to enable participants to identify the key elements of their desired futures. A preliminary assessment is made of the effectiveness of such a process and the saliency of sustainability in these images of preferred futures.
Environmental Education: Implementation in a NSW Department of School Education Region
Authors: Skamp Keith
Published: July 2016

Survey results are described for the perceived, implementation of the NSW Environmental Education Curriculum Statement in one School Region. Data provide a picture of the extent to which schools have documented Environmental Education policies and the amount and kind of implementation at school level. Reference is made to the use of field study centres, community involvement, and the extent and possible impact of professional development opportunities on these measures. Comparisons are made between the primary and secondary sectors. Professional development does appear to have had some impact, and the ‘across curricula’ approach seems to have had partial success. Reasons for the limited involvement of secondary schools are suggested. The extent of primary project work which was occurring appeared encouraging but there were unanswered questions about whole school programs. NSW Government initiatives such as Field Study Centres and the Greening of Schools program appeared to be playing important roles.
An environmental ethic for outdoor education: dilemma and resolution
Authors: McRap K.
Published: July 2016

Programs designed to promote the use of natural environments for leisure purposes need to be based on a sound and justifiable environmental ethic. This paper attempts to develop such an ethic. The general and basic ecological attitude, arguments relating to the need for human survival, other arguments which relate to human interests such as the need for beauty, recreation and scientific endeavours and utilitarian arguments relating to the needs of future generations are examined and are seen as being morally and practically inadequate.

The only justifiable environmental ethic is seen as one which has. as its central concept, the interdependent natural community in which the interests of all individual members of the community (including the interests of human beings) are regarded as secondary to the good of the total community. In the ethic, humans protect the natural environment because the entities of nature are “fellow-travellers”, members of the same moral community.
Why not education for the environment?
Authors: I.M. Robottom
Published: July 2016

At the inaugural national conference of the Australian Association for Environmental Education in Adelaide (October, 1980), it was clear that multiple interpretations existed of the key descriptor ‘environmental education’. At that conference, at earlier international conferences (e.g., Tbilisi, 1977) and in recent Australian curriculum materials (e.g., The Curriculum Development Centre's (CDC's) Environmental Education Project), the terms education about the environment, education in the environment, and education for the environment were and have been used to capture the various interpretations of environmental education. An explication of these terms is offered in the Environmental Education Project (CDC, 1981), and in Fensham (1979).

These terms seems to embrace the various facets to emerge in discourse about environmental education — they can, perhaps, be taken as representing the accepted dimensions of environmental education.
Insurance models and climate risk assessments in a historical context
Authors: Andersson Lars Fredrik , H. Keskitalo E. Carina
Published: July 2016

Adaptation to the consequences of climate change has developed into a growing field of concern for the insurance business. However, climate-related risk is not entirely a new field in insurance. Historically, a large number of insurance organisational choices and strategies have been used to mitigate the financial impact of extreme events and uncertainties associated with climate change. Taking the case of forests in Sweden, this article reviews the ways in which climate-related risks such as storm/wind and fire risks have been assured. The study shows that climate-related risks have generally increased over time and that major hazard events have been decisive for strategy and organisation choices. Twentieth-century developments show that corporate insurance coverage increased due to higher levels of anticipated risk, while self-insurance and public insurance were reduced. However, in more recent times the expansion of corporate insurance has stagnated. Increased premiums and tighter terms following historically extreme weather events have led government and forest owners to assume more climate risks.
Cow-Calf Producer Risk Preference Impacts on Retained Ownership Strategies
Authors: Pope Kelsey Frasier , Schroeder Ted C. , Langemeier Michael R. , Herbel Kevin L.
Published: July 2016

Considerable efforts have been made to provide cow-calf producers with information to help them make informed decisions about adding value to calves. Despite demonstrated market incentives to retain calves, many producers still sell right after weaning. We postulate this observed behavior is related to producer risk aversion. Our study concludes risk aversion is an important factor affecting calf retention as the most risk-averse producers have more than a 60% probability of selling calves at weaning and the most risk tolerant have less than a 20% probability of selling at weaning.
The Effects of North American Free Trade Agreement and United States Farm Policies on Illegal Immigration and Agricultural Trade
Authors: Luckstead Jeff , Devadoss Stephen , Rodriguez Abelardo
Published: July 2016

We analyze the effects of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and United States farm subsidies on U.S.-Mexican illegal immigration and agricultural trade. The theoretical analysis develops an integrated trade-migration model and shows that NAFTA and U.S. subsidies exacerbate the illegal labor flow and increase U.S. exports. The theoretical analysis is empirically implemented by simultaneous estimation and simulation analysis. The analysis shows that NAFTA increased the number of undocumented workers to U.S. agriculture and U.S. farm exports to Mexico by an average of 1573 and $6.82 billion, respectively. U.S. farm subsidy reduction decreases unauthorized entry marginally and U.S. farm exports by an average of $3.2 billion.
Measurement of Technical, Allocative, Economic, and Scale Efficiency of Rice Production in Arkansas Using Data Envelopment Analysis
Authors: Watkins K. Bradley , Hristovska Tatjana , Mazzanti Ralph , Wilson Charles E. , Schmidt Lance
Published: July 2016

Data envelopment analysis is used to calculate technical, allocative, economic, and scale efficiencies for fields enrolled in the University of Arkansas Rice Research Verification Program. The results reveal most fields have high technical and scale efficiencies, implying inputs are used in minimum levels necessary to achieve given output levels and fields are close to optimal in size. However, most fields exhibit allocative and economic inefficiencies and do not use inputs in the right combinations necessary to achieve cost minimization. Tobit analysis indicated allocative and economic efficiencies could be improved with better variety selection and better irrigation management.
Predicting State-Wide Votes on Ballot Initiatives to Ban Battery Cages and Gestation Crates
Authors: Smithson Katie , Corbin Max , Lusk Jayson L. , Norwood F. Bailey
Published: July 2016

After California voters decided in a state initiative to ban gestation crates and battery cages, some are asking whether other states will host similar initiatives and if they will pass. This study addresses this question by using voting data in California to predict how voters in other states would respond to a similar initiative. Results suggest that a number of states allow such initiatives and possess a demographic profile favorable to the initiative's passage. However, because these states host only a small portion of the livestock population, the impact of such initiatives on the well-being of farm animals is questionable.
Livestock Gross Margin–Dairy: An Assessment of Its Effectiveness as a Risk Management Tool and Its Potential to Induce Supply Expansion
Authors: Burdine Kenneth H. , Kusunose Yoko , Maynard Leigh J. , Blayney Don P. , Mosheim Roberto
Published: July 2016

An evaluation of the risk-reducing effectiveness of the Livestock Gross Margin–Dairy (LGM-Dairy) insurance program, using historical futures price data, predicts economically significant reductions in downside margin risk (24–41%) across multiple regions. Supply analysis based on the estimated risk reduction shows a small supply response, assuming minimal subsidization. A decomposition of the simulated indemnities into milk price and feed price components shows comovements in futures prices moderating the frequency and levels of indemnities.
Impacts of the Adoption of Genetically Engineered Crops on Farm Financial Performance
Authors: McBride William D. , El-Osta Hisham S.
Published: July 2016

The rapid adoption of genetically engineered (GE) crops by U.S. farmers suggests that these technologies have been perceived to improve farm financial performance. This study develops and applies an econometric model to data from corn and soybean producers in order to evaluate the financial impacts of the adoption of GE crops. Results indicate that the adoption of GE crops has had a limited impact on financial performance that varies by crop, type of technology, type of farm, and region of the nation. Factors other than the financial impacts appear to be important reasons for the rapid adoption of GE crops.
Lags in Real Property Revaluations and Estimates of Shortfalls in Property Tax Collections in North Carolina
Authors: Walden Michael L. , Denaux Zulal
Published: July 2016

Financing local public goods is a major issue in many communities, especially those that have experienced rapid growth. This paper analyzes problems associated with locally collected real property taxes where the real property tax base is only revaluated at long time intervals. Using counties in North Carolina as the subject of the analysis, we find that effective real property tax rates fall between revaluations. We calculate that a system of taxing market values of real property at a constant legislated tax rate would have yielded additional annual revenues of $320 million for North Carolina counties over 1980 to 1995.
Valuing the Changes in Herbicide Risks Resulting from Adoption of Roundup Ready Soybeans by U.S. Farmers: A Revealed-Preference Approach
Authors: Sydorovych Olha , Marra Michele
Published: July 2016

A revealed-preference–based approach is proposed for valuation of the environmental and human impacts of pesticides. It is assumed that farmers reveal their willingness to pay for improved pesticide safety by selecting a specific product out of the set of available alternatives based on their costs, effectiveness, and safety. The approach is applied to estimate the welfare impact of changed patterns of herbicide use on Roundup Ready soybeans. The results indicate that farmers associate positive values with safety improvements. The aggregate welfare impact of the reduced risk for the U.S. soybean farmers was estimated to be $90.3 million in 2001.
The Impact of the Kansas Wheat Breeding Program on Wheat Yields, 1911-2006
Authors: Nalley Lawton Lanier , Barkley Andrew , Chumley Forrest
Published: July 2016

This paper quantifies advances of the Kansas Agricultural Experiment Station (KAES) wheat breeding program for two time periods: (1) 1911 to 2006 and (2) 1977 to 2006. Using multiple regression, increases in yields of wheat varieties grown in Kansas are quantified, holding growing conditions and other improvements in productivity constant. Differences in KAES variety yields and those released by other public and private breeders are quantified. During the “new age” of wheat breeding (1977-2006), wheat breeding alone is found to have increased yields by 6.182 bushels per acre, or an average increase of 0.206 bushels per year.
Assessing Time-Varying Oligopoly and Oligopsony Power in the U.S. Paper Industry
Authors: Mei Bin , Sun Changyou
Published: July 2016

The U.S. paper industry has become increasingly concentrated and therefore been suspected of imperfect competition. In this study, the new empirical industrial organization approach is employed to measure the degree of oligopoly and oligopsony power in the U.S. paper industry simultaneously. The model is estimated by iterative three-stage least squares using annual data from 1955 to 2003. The results reveal that there has been significant oligopoly and oligopsony power in the U.S. paper industry, and the oligopoly power has been consistently lower than the oligopsony power.
European Union Import Demand for In-Shell Peanuts
Authors: Boonsaeng Tullaya , Fletcher Stanley M. , Carpio Carlos E.
Published: July 2016

This paper analyzes the European Union (EU) import demand for in-shell peanuts from three sources: the United States, China, and the rest of the world. We find that peanuts from different sources are differentiated by EU consumers. The expenditure elasticity is elastic for U.S. in-shell peanuts, which is associated with their higher quality. The conditional own price elasticities are more elastic for U.S. and Chinese in-shell peanuts. These findings have at least two implications. First, U.S. producers and exporters should direct efforts to ensure that in-shell peanuts exported to the EU are of the best possible quality, and, second, promotion efforts should stress the quality of U.S peanuts as an advertising tool.
Valuing Fed Cattle Using Objective Tenderness Measures
Authors: Riley John Michael , Schroeder Ted C. , Wheeler Tommy L. , Shackelford Stephen D. , Koohmaraie Mohammad
Published: July 2016

Beef tenderness is critical in consumer satisfaction with beef steak products. Current fed cattle valuation systems do not differentiate carcasses based upon tenderness variation. However, considerable research indicates consumers are willing to pay more for tender relative to tough beef steak. This article develops a tenderness-augmentation to current fed cattle grid pricing systems. Using a large set of actual carcasses, we determine that a tenderness-augmented price grid would reorder fed cattle value by on average nearly $5.00/cwt dressed relative to current valuation methods. Substantial opportunity is present to improve beef tenderness through new price signals to producers.
The Marketing Performance of Illinois and Kansas Wheat Farmers
Authors: Dietz Sarah N. , Aulerich Nicole M. , Irwin Scott H. , Good Darrel L.
Published: July 2016

The purpose of this paper is to analyze the marketing performance of wheat farmers in Illinois and Kansas over 1982-2004. The results show that farmer benchmark prices for wheat in Illinois and Kansas fall in the middle third of the price range about half to three-quarters of the time. Consistent with previous studies, this refutes the contention that Illinois and Kansas wheat farmers routinely market the bulk of their wheat crop in the bottom portion of the price range. Tests of the average difference between farmer and market benchmark prices are sensitive to the market benchmark considered. The marketing performance of wheat farmers in Illinois and Kansas is about equal to the market if a 24- or 20-month market benchmark is used, slightly above the market if a 12-month price benchmark is used, and significantly less than the market if the harvest benchmark is used. The sensitivity of marketing performance to the market benchmark considered is explained by the seasonal pattern of prices. While Illinois producers performed slightly better than their counterparts in Kansas, notable differences in performance across these two geographic areas is not observed.
Agricultural Profits and Farm Household Wealth: A Farm-level Analysis Using Repeated Cross Sections
Authors: Blank Steven C. , Erickson Kenneth W. , Nehring Richard , Hallahan Charles
Published: July 2016

This study examines the relationship between agricultural profits and farm household wealth across locations and farm sizes in U.S. agriculture. A multiperiod household model is used to develop hypotheses for testing. Results indicate that farmland has out-performed nonfarm investments over the past decade. Thus, households may want to keep their farmland to build wealth, even if it requires them to earn off-farm income. The analysis implies that decision will be made based on farm household wealth factors having little to do with agriculture.
Grain Contracting Strategies to Induce Delivery and Performance in Volatile Markets
Authors: Wilson William W. , Dahl Bruce
Published: July 2016

One of the impacts of higher prices along with greater volatility in futures and basis is that there is pressure for an escalation in cash contracting for grain. This volatility has resulted in an unprecedented level of contracting with growers in recent years. There is a wide array of cash contracts with varying terms. There is also a growing realization of growers not delivering on contracts, in part due to escalation in postcontract prices. These are evolving as major strategic issues for buyers and the marketing system, particularly as buyers seek to use such contracting strategies as an element of risk mitigation. There are three purposes of this article. First is to provide a broad survey of contract terms used in grain contracting with growers. Second, we illustrate some issues in contracting of some of the grains (durum, malting barley) in the upper Midwest. Third, we show some of the common contract clauses being adapted in these contracts. Finally, we summarize these issues with respect to industry implications.
Land Use Implications of Expanding Biofuel Demand
Authors: Dicks Michael R. , Campiche Jody , Ugarte Daniel De La Torre , Hellwinckel Chad , Bryant Henry L. , Richardson James W.
Published: July 2016

The Renewable Fuel Standard mandates in the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 will require 36 billion gallons of ethanol to be produced in 2022. The mandates require that 16 of the 36 billion gallons must be produced from cellulosic feedstocks. The potential land use implications resulting from these mandates were examined using two methods, the POLYSYS model and a general equilibrium model. Results of the POLYSYS analysis indicated that 72.1 million tons of corn stover, 23.5 million tons of wheat straw, and 24.7 million acres would be used to produce 109 million tons of switchgrass in 2025 to meet the mandate. Results of the CGE analysis indicated that 10.9 billion bushels of corn grain, 71 million tons of corn stover, and 56,200 tons of switchgrass is needed to meet the mandate.
Biofuels: Potential Production Capacity, Effects on Grain and Livestock Sectors, and Implications for Food Prices and Consumers
Authors: Hayes Dermot , Babcock Bruce , Fabiosa Jacinto , Tokgoz Simla , Elobeid Amani , Yu Tun-Hsiang , Dong Fengxia , Hart Chad , Chavez Eddie , Pan Suwen , Carriquiry Miguel , Dumortier Jerome
Published: July 2016

We examined four evolution paths of the biofuel sector using a partial equilibrium world agricultural sector model in CARD that includes the new RFS in the 2007 EISA, a two-way relationship between fossil energy and biofuel markets, and a new trend toward corn oil extraction in ethanol plants. At one extreme, one scenario eliminates all support to the biofuel sector when the energy price is low, while the other extreme assumes no distribution bottleneck in ethanol demand growth when the energy price is high. The third scenario considers a pure market force driving ethanol demand growth because of the high energy price, while the last is a policy-induced shock with removal of the biofuel tax credit when the energy price is high. Standard results hold where the biofuel sector expands with higher energy price, raising the prices of most agricultural commodities through demand side adjustment channels for primary feedstocks and supply side adjustment channels for substitute crops and livestock. On the other hand, the biofuel sector shrinks coupled with opposite impacts on agricultural commodities with the removal of all support including the tax credit. Also, we find that given distribution bottlenecks, cellulosic ethanol crowds marketing channels resulting in a corn-based ethanol price that is discounted. The blenders' credit and consumption mandates provide a price floor for ethanol and for corn. Finally, the tight linkage between the energy and agricultural sectors resulting from the expanding biofuel sector may raise the possibility of spillover effects of OPEC's market power on the agricultural sector.
Lump Sum versus Annuity: Choices of Kentucky Farmers during the Tobacco Buyout Program
Authors: Pushkarskaya Helen , Marshall Maria I.
Published: July 2016

Our study uses the data collected during the implementation of the tobacco buyout program in Kentucky to evaluate how rural households, diverse in income, age, family structure, location, education level, and other characteristics, made a choice between annuities and a lump-sum payment. Subjects in our field experiment did not have to retire or change their employment, as did subjects in many field studies of the choice between annuities and lump-sum payments, which allowed us to evaluate the relationship between the option choice and a decision whether to exit the tobacco market. Our results suggest that while discounted utility theory gives acceptable predictions of the farmers' behavior, other factors have to be taken into consideration. First, there are consistent biases that describe individual intertemporal behavior, such as availability bias or acquiescence bias. Second, there is a certain degree of heterogeneity in individual intertemporal preferences that correlates with their personal characteristics, such as education and production status. Third, our analysis revealed that the decision to exit the tobacco market positively correlated with the decision to take a lump-sum payment.
Farming Exit Decision by Age Group: Analysis of Tobacco Buyout Impact in Kentucky
Authors: Pushkarskaya Helen , Vedenov Dmitry
Published: July 2016

This article analyzes factors that affected the decision to exit tobacco production in the wake of the tobacco buyout program using the data collected through a survey of Kentucky tobacco farmers. Using the Heuristic logistic regression model, we find that the decision to exit tobacco growing was affected by efficiency considerations, availability of off-farm employment, and exit barriers. Availability of off-farm employment had the strongest effect on farmers younger than 46, while the effect of variables measuring efficiency and exit barriers seemed to be more uniform across age groups. Based on the results we suggest several policy interventions.
Best Management Practices to Enhance Water Quality: Who is Adopting Them?
Authors: Ghazalian Pascal L. , Larue Bruno , West Gale E.
Published: July 2016

This study investigates the determinants affecting producers' adoption of some Best Management Practices (BMPs). Priors about the signs of certain variables are explicitly accounted for by testing for inequality restrictions through importance sampling. Education, gender, age, and on-farm residence are found to have significant effects on the adoption of some BMPs. Farms with larger animal production are more apt to implement manure management practices, crop rotation, and riparian buffer strips. Also, farms with larger cultivated acres are more inclined to implement herbicide control practices, crop rotation, and riparian buffer strips. Belonging to an agro-environment club has a positive impact for most BMPs.
A Comparison of Actual and Hypothetical Willingness to Pay of Parents and Non-Parents for Protecting Infant Health: The Case of Nitrates in Drinking Water
Authors: Loomis John , Bell Paul , Cooney Helen , Asmus Cheryl
Published: July 2016

We estimate adults' willingness to pay (WTP) to reduce health risks to their own or other families' infants to test for altruism. A conjoint analysis of adults paying for bottled water found marginal WTP for reduction in risk of shock, brain damage, and mortality in the cash treatment of $2, $3.70, and $9.43, respectively. In the hypothetical market these amounts were $14, $26, and $66, indicating substantial hypothetical bias, although not unexpected due to the topic of infant health. Statistical tests confirm a high degree of altruism in our WTP results, and altruism held even when real money was involved.
Consumer Preferences for Animal Welfare Attributes: The Case of Gestation Crates
Authors: Tonsor Glynn T. , Olynk Nicole , Wolf Christopher
Published: July 2016

Animal welfare concerns are having dramatic impacts on food and livestock markets. Here we examine consumer preferences for pork products with a focus on use of gestation crates. We examine underlying consumer valuations of pork attributes while considering preference heterogeneity as well as voluntary and legislative alternatives in producing gestation crate-free pork. Our results suggest that prohibiting swine producers from using gestation crates fails to improve consumer welfare in the presence of a labeling scheme documenting voluntary disadoption of gestation crates. Consumers are found to implicitly associate animal welfare attributes with smaller farms. Preference heterogeneity drives notably diverse consumer welfare impacts when pork produced with use of gestation crates is no longer available for consumption.
LL601 Contamination and Its Impact on U.S. Rice Prices
Authors: Li Yarui , Wailes Eric J. , McKenzie Andrew , Thomsen Michael
Published: July 2016

LL601 is a genetically modified rice variety and unapproved for commercial use. Its presence was found in commercial shipments of U.S. rice in 2006. This article explores its impact on prices and volume marketed for both the United States and Thailand, the major export competitor. The results show a significantly adverse but short duration effect on the U.S. rice market and little to no effect on the Thai rice market.
Irrigation Restriction and Biomass Market Interactions: The Case of the Alluvial Aquifer
Authors: Popp Michael , Nalley Lanier , Vickery Gina
Published: July 2016

The U.S. Geological Survey has determined that irrigation in Arkansas' Delta is unsustainable. This study examines how irrigation restrictions would affect county net returns to crop production. It also considers the effect of planting less water-intensive bioenergy crops—switchgrass and forage sorghum—in the event biofuel markets become a reality. Results suggest that sustainable irrigation restrictions without bioenergy crops would decrease producer returns by 28% in the region. Introducing these alternative crops would both reduce groundwater use and may restore state producer returns, albeit with significant spatial income redistribution to crop production throughout the state.
Optimal Grazing Termination Date for Dual-Purpose Winter Wheat Production
Authors: Taylor Karen W. , Epplin Francis M. , Brorsen B. Wade , Fieser Brian G. , Horn Gerald W.
Published: July 2016

Dual-purpose winter wheat (fall-winter forage plus grain) production is an important economic enterprise in the southern Great Plains. Grazing termination to enable grain production is a critical decision. The objective is to determine the optimal grazing termination date for dual-purpose wheat. The value of knowing the occurrence of first hollow stem (FHS), a wheat growth threshold for grazing termination, is also determined. Results indicate that for most price situations grazing should be terminated at or before FHS. Marginal wheat returns from extended grazing were negative and the value of FHS information ranges from $1.50 to $10 per acre.
Exits Among U.S. Burley Tobacco Growers After the End of the Federal Tobacco Program
Authors: Tiller Kelly J. , Feleke Shiferaw T. , Starnes Jane H.
Published: July 2016

This study explores the relationship between family/farm characteristics and the probability of exiting burley tobacco farming in Tennessee, North Carolina, and Virginia. Following the termination of the federal tobacco program in 2004, 54% of burley tobacco-growing households in Tennessee, North Carolina, and Virginia. exited burley tobacco farming by 2006. Tobacco yield, tobacco farm cash receipts, tobacco price, off-farm employment, and farm size are the most dominant variables discriminating between exiting and surviving tobacco farms. Data for this study came from a mail survey of burley tobacco producers in Tennessee, Virginia, and North Carolina in May 2006.
Estimating a Demand System with Seasonally Differenced Data
Authors: Harri Ardian , Brorsen B. Wade , Muhammad Andrew , Anderson John D.
Published: July 2016

Several recent papers have used annual changes and monthly data to estimate demand systems. Such use of overlapping data introduces a moving average error term. This paper shows how to obtain consistent and asymptotically efficient estimates of a demand system using seasonally differenced data. Monte Carlo simulations and an empirical application to the estimation of the U.S. meat demand are used to compare the proposed estimator with alternative estimators. Once the correct estimator is used, there is no advantage to using overlapping data in estimating a demand system.
An Empirical Investigation of Interproduct Relationships Between Domestic and Imported Seafood in the U.S.
Authors: Lee Youngjae , Kennedy P. Lynn
Published: July 2016

This study seeks to identify interproduct relationships between domestic catfish and a representative selection of imported seafood. In doing so, this study uses multivariate cointegration and structural analyses. Multivariate cointegration analysis suggests that six imported seafood product groupings form a common market with domestic catfish. Structural analysis reveals that 1) domestic and imported catfish are net and gross quantity substitutes; 2) domestic catfish and imported seafood are normal goods; 3) six imported seafood products are identified as gross quantity substitutes for domestic catfish; and 4) according to the derived Allais coefficients, interaction intensities of imported seafood for domestic catfish (from greatest to least) are as follows: tuna, shrimp, salmon, tilapia, catfish, and trout.
Effectiveness of Two Water Conservation Policies: An Integrated Modeling Approach
Authors: Das Biswa R. , Willis David B. , Johnson Jeffrey
Published: July 2016

Agriculture in the Texas High Plains depends entirely on the Ogallala Aquifer. Texas enacted water conservation legislation to address declining reserves in the aquifer. We developed an integrated regional water policy model that links a hydrology model with an economic optimization model to estimate policy impacts with respect to economic cost and water conservation. Testing the effectiveness of two policies, a groundwater extraction tax and extraction quotas, we observe that neither significantly inhibits groundwater use. Although both policies conserve similar amounts of groundwater, the regional cost of the tax policy to agriculture is more than the quota policy.
U.S. Consumers' Valuation of Quality Attributes in Beef Products
Authors: Abidoye Babatunde O. , Bulut Harun , Lawrence John D. , Mennecke Brian , Townsend Anthony M.
Published: July 2016

A sample of U.S. consumers were surveyed in a choice based experiment in the Fall of 2005 and Spring 2006 to elicit Consumers' preferences for quality attributes in beef products. Based on the resulting data, a random coefficients logit model is estimated, and Consumers' willingness to pay for these quality attributes in beef products is obtained. The results indicate that consumers have strong valuation for traceability, grass-fed, and U.S. origin attributes in a standard rib-eye steak and are willing to pay a premium for these attributes.
A Whole Farm Analysis of the Influence of Auto-Steer Navigation on Net Returns, Risk, and Production Practices
Authors: Shockley Jordan M. , Dillon Carl R. , Stombaugh Timothy S.
Published: July 2016

A whole farm economic analysis was conducted to provide a detailed assessment into the economic, risk, and production implications due to the adoption of auto-steer navigation. It was determined that auto-steer navigation was profitable for a grain farmer in Kentucky with net returns increasing up to 0.90% ($3.35/acre). Additionally, the technology could be used in reducing production risk. Adoption of the technology also alters production practices for optimal use.
Crop Supply Response under Risk: Impacts of Emerging Issues on Southeastern U.S. Agriculture
Authors: Liang Yan , Miller J. Corey , Harri Ardian , Coble Keith H.
Published: July 2016

In this paper we consider factors that affect both crop prices and yields in order to examine supply responses of major crops in the Southeast. Due to the variable nature of crop production in the Southeast, previous studies that ignore price and yield risk may fail to capture one of the salient features of the region's agriculture. Our results indicate supply elasticity values for corn, cotton, and soybeans of approximately 0.670, 0.506, and 0.195, respectively. Compared with the results of studies in other regions, corn and cotton acres respond more to price changes and soybean acres respond less to price changes.
The Effect of Social Capital on the Choice to Use Sustainable Agricultural Practices
Authors: Munasib Abdul B.A. , Jordan Jeffrey L.
Published: July 2016

We investigate whether social capital in the form of community involvement affects farmers' choice to use sustainable agricultural practices. Using associational memberships as a measure of community involvement we study its effects on agricultural practices among Georgia farmers. Our findings show that, first, community involvement had a positive effect on the decision to adopt sustainable agricultural practices, and, secondly, it also had a positive effect on the extent to which farmers adopt these practices. These findings establish an additional dimension to the benefits that would accrue to policies that promote social interaction and civic engagement in rural areas.
Impact of Mandatory Price Reporting on Hog Market Integration
Authors: Franken Jason R.V. , Parcell Joe L. , Tonsor Glynn T.
Published: July 2016

This research examines whether mandatory price reporting (MPR) impacted price relationships among U.S. hog markets. Markets are cointegrated before and after MPR enactment, but not fully integrated in either period. Terminal markets adjust to shocks in the Iowa-Southern Minnesota market more quickly and Iowa-Southern Minnesota prices adjust to shocks in terminal markets more slowly following MPR enactment. Granger causality tests indicate a causal flow from terminal markets to Iowa-Southern Minnesota prices before MPR and a causal reversal after MPR enactment. These results likely reflect decreases in volume of negotiated sales, particularly in terminal markets, and greater reliance on mandatorily reported prices for market information.
Statewide Water Planning: The Georgia Experience
Authors: Mullen Jeffrey D.
Published: July 2016

Several states in the southeast have acknowledged the need for statewide water planning but have yet to act. In contrast, Georgia is on the cusp of completing the Georgia Comprehensive Statewide Water Management Plan (SWMP). The SWMP provides for resource assessments, forecasts, and regional water planning. Over the past three years, an extensive effort has been made to implement the SWMP. This article describes the planning process undertaken in Georgia. Several of the recommended practices are also highlighted and critiqued with respect to their potential to affect aggregate water use in the state.
The Production of Economic Knowledge in Urban and Rural Areas: The Role of Student, Teacher, and School Characteristics
Authors: Butters Roger , Asarta Carlos , Thompson Eric
Published: July 2016

Many states are adopting economic education standards for the K-12 curriculum, mandating economic education courses in rural and urban schools. We examine economic education outcomes for rural and urban students using test scores gathered during a national high school academic competition and by estimating a production function for economic education. We find only limited differences between the education production function in urban and rural settings and lower average scores for rural students. To close this gap, results suggest that rural schools should place economic content in the senior-year curriculum and provide teachers with increased postgraduate training in economics.
Impact of Income and Different Generation Cohorts on Nursery Products and Landscaping Project Spending
Authors: Jin Lu , Wohlgenant Michael K. , Safley Charles D.
Published: July 2016

Socioeconomic factors influencing consumer demand for nursery products and landscape projects were investigated using consumer survey data collected from North Carolina in 2008. Tobit models were estimated for censored dependent variables, budget expenditure shares on nursery products, and landscape spending. The most significant factors influencing the share of income spent on nursery products were age and household income. The elderly and baby boomers tend to spend less on bedding plants, perennials, and outdoor hardscapes than Generations X and Y. The income elasticities suggest that the amount spent on outdoor living projects is sensitive to changes in household income, whereas spending in vegetable plants and chemicals is less responsive to income.
Multidisciplinary Research: Implications for Agricultural and Applied Economists
Authors: Mooney Siân , Young Douglas , Cobourn Kelly , Islam Samia
Published: July 2016

We detail the rewards and barriers to participating in multidisciplinary research (MDR) using a 2011 survey of applied economists at U.S. universities. We compare these findings with an earlier 1993 survey to assess if rewards and barriers have changed over time. Different administrative levels of U.S. universities are sending contradictory signals regarding rewards from MDR. External funding agencies convey positive signals. Although the scope and breadth of questions addressed by applied economists are changing over time, institutional incentives and reward structures are not keeping pace with these changes. Progress toward adapting to new professional demands has been slow.
Domestic and Trade Implications of Leafy Green Marketing Agreement Type Policies and the Food Safety Modernization Act for the Southern Produce Industry
Authors: Paggi Mechel S. , Yamazaki Fumiko , Ribera Luis , Palma Marco , Knutson Ron
Published: July 2016

Protecting the safety of the U.S. food supply is a shared responsibility. Accomplishing that task requires the efforts of multiple government agencies combined with private sector participation. Despite the best efforts of the public-private partnership, the presence of microbial contamination incidents continues to raise questions regarding the safety of the U.S. food supply. As a result, there have been increased efforts to take measures to enhance food safety by the government and industry groups. The passage of the Food Safety Modernization Act establishes an increasing role for government in establishing and enforcing food safety standards. This new initiative is designed to address food from domestic and foreign origins. These U.S. government initiatives combined with the labyrinth of food safety standards promoted by international organizations, foreign governments, private-sector retail food sales, food processors, and producers have a common foundation. All of these standards generally apply to four basic biohazards areas: soil, water, animals, and people. However, they all have an effect on the costs that producers and other members of the industry face as they attempt to implement and/or document the multitude of activities required for compliance. This article provides an overview of the evolution of food safety standards related to the fresh produce industry. An example of their potential consequences on the profitability of southern region vegetable producers is provided and the potential impact on import suppliers is discussed.
Implications of U.S. Trade Agreements and U.S. Nutrition Policies for Produce Production, Demand, and Trade
Authors: Palma Marco A. , Ribera Luis A. , Bessler David
Published: July 2016

This study used aggregated data for fresh vegetables and fresh fruits to analyze how trade flows in the fresh produce industry have changed under trade agreements and to assess the potential implications to nutrition policies in the United States. The first part of the analysis uses a Bai-Perron test to endogenously determine any structural break points in vegetable and fruit trade movements and prices. Directed acyclic graphs and historical decompositions are used to establish causal patterns on innovations from vector autoregression models fitted to annual observations of trade flows, prices, and income. The results showed that trade agreements have had significant impacts to the produce industry. Income was a major determinant of domestic fruit production and imports.
Discussion: Future Domestic and International Competitiveness of the Southern Fruit and Vegetable Industry
Authors: Fonsah Esendugue G. , Awondo Sebastain Nde
Published: July 2016

Remarkable changes have occurred over the years in the domestic and international economic environment of the fruit and vegetable industry. These changes are partly driven by the North American Free Trade Agreement, nutrition policies, and development and enforcement of new food safety standards. The articles in this invited session examined the effect of these drivers and their implication on the future competitiveness of the southern fruit and vegetable industry.
Direct-to-Consumer Sales of Farm Products: Producers and Supply Chains in the Southeast
Authors: Ahearn Mary , Sterns James
Published: July 2016

Given the geography and agroclimatic conditions of the Southeast, coupled with continued population expansion from in-migration, local foods markets may be a promising niche market for some farms in the region. The Southeast has more small farms than any other U.S. region. Using farm-level data, we address the question of how successful southeastern farms engaged in direct sales to consumers differ from other farms. We also include a case study of a marketing association in the panhandle of Florida. In both analyses, we focus on the role of the supply chain for direct sales in explaining farm returns.
Discussion: Challenges of Entering and Succeeding in Southeastern Agriculture: Access to Credit, Supply Chains, and Consumers
Authors: Lange Kelly
Published: July 2016

The three articles in this invited paper session investigate challenges and opportunities for agricultural producers in the southeastern United States. Two of the articles focus on the increasing demand for locally produced food and offer insight into potential marketing opportunities that this growing demand may provide for beginning or young farmers. The third article centers on financing options that are available to beginning farmers and evaluates the use of Aggie Bonds as a financing source for beginning farmers.
Does Futures Speculation Destabilize Spot Prices? New Evidence for Commodity Markets
Authors: Bohl Martin T. , Stephan Patrick M.
Published: July 2016

Motivated by repeated price spikes and crashes over the last decade, we investigate whether the growing market shares of futures speculators destabilize commodity spot prices. We approximate conditional volatility and analyze how it is affected by speculative open interest. In this context, we split our sample into two equally long subperiods and document whether the speculative impact on conditional volatility increases. With respect to six heavily traded agricultural and energy commodities, we do not find robust evidence that this is the case. We thus conclude that the financialization of raw material markets does not make them more volatile.
Agriculture's Seat at Big Policy Tables
Authors: Bradford Garnett L.
Published: July 2016

Agricultural policy in the U.S. is examined in a metaphorical context. It is likened to securing a place at a large family dinner table. Until the early 1970s effective and relatively comprehensive agricultural policy shifts could be largely effected through the “USDA dinner table,” (and its affiliates). Today, meaningful agricultural policy is crafted and implemented at a number of other big policy tables, e.g., energy and the environment, education, health and human services.
Change and Conflict in Land and Water Use: Resource Valuation in Conflict Resolution among Competing Users
Authors: Hatch L. U. , Hanson T. R.
Published: July 2016

Conflicts among competing resource users have become more frequent in the Southeast. Political and legal processes and economic values will play major roles in negotiations to resolve competing resource uses. Resource economists can contribute to resource conflict resolution in several ways, such as facilitating negotiation, asserting importance of institutional mechanisms, analyzing incentives, and evaluating resources.
The Land-Grant University in the 21st Century
Authors: Martin Michael V.
Published: July 2016

There are many in political and higher education circles who have come to believe that land-grant universities have lost their relevance. It is said too frequently that the land-grant tradition no longer fits 21st century realities. The purpose of this paper is to argue energetically that land-grant universities, the land grant model, and the land-grant tradition have never been more relevant nor more important.
Fed Cattle Profit Determinants Under Grid Pricing
Authors: McDonald R. Allen , Schroeder Ted C.
Published: July 2016

This study determines the relative effects of price, cattle quality, and feeding performance factors on profit per head for fed cattle marketed via a grid structure. Two different data sets of cattle that were marketed in two different grid pricing systems are used in the analysis with comparisons of results made between grids. Grid base price and feeder cattle price are the most important determinants of profit over time in both grids. However, considering only nonprice variables, the cumulative quality of cattle in a pen is also an important profit determinant.
Industrialization and Contracting in U.S. Agriculture
Authors: Ahearn Mary Clare , Korb Penni , Banker David
Published: July 2016

This paper examines the industrialization process of U.S. agriculture by examining the trends in the number of farms, the concentration of production during the last decade, and the dynamics of farm survivability, entry, and exit underlying aggregate statistics. We next examine vertical coordination as part of the industrialization process and highlight contracting in the poultry industry. The analysis provides evidence that production is continuing to be concentrated on a smaller number of farms at a relatively rapid rate, in spite of the stability in the number of farms. Although contracting clearly dominates the broiler industry, it is less prevalent in egg and turkey production, where other forms of vertical coordination are likely established.