bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Computing Equilibrium Solutions for Imperfectly Competitive Markets
Authors: Plessner Yakir
Published: July 2006

In most theoretical as well as empirical studies the conditions of free competition are assumed, and thus conclusions are subject to competitive behavior. In the real world, however, noncompetitive structures are quite common and deserve not less but, from several viewpoints, more attention than competitive ones. Assuming a linear demand system and constant returns to scale and using quadratic programming, it is shown how partial market equilibria for various leading firm and monopolistic structures can be computed. The operational usefulness of such computations is demonstrated via an application to an agricultural industry.
Price Elasticities from Panel Data: Meat, Poultry, and Fish
Authors: Purcell Joseph C. , Raunikar Robert
Published: July 2006

National aggregate time series data are not amenable to tracing the consumer response to price changes as these changes occur in the market. This paper is designed to stimulate interest in the development of alternative sources of data and modification in estimating procedures to more nearly approach reality in estimating price‐quantity relationships. The analysis was based on data obtained from a group of consuming units on quantities of meats purchased and prices paid. The procedure was designed to trace the consumer response to price changes approximately as they occurred over time.
Reservation Prices on Credit Use: A Measure of Response to Uncertainty
Authors: Barry Peter J. , Baker C. B.
Published: July 2006

Liquidity in the form of reserved credit is valuable to a business manager because it is available to counter uncertain expectations. This paper investigates the definition and method of estimating values or reservation prices associated with firm liquidity provided by unused credit. A multiperiod linear programming model is taken to reflect the behavior of decision makers in empirically observed situations. Credit reservation prices of decision makers were inferred by comparing growth information for real borrowers with growth information generated by the comparable model at alternative reservation prices. This method succeeded in associating a high credit reservation price with the conservative borrower and low credit reservation prices with a more liberal borrower.
Application of an Economic Model for Evaluating Government Program Costs for Rice
Authors: Grant Warren R.
Published: July 2006

Alternative Government rice programs are important to rice producers, rice consumers, rice related industries, and Government (taxpayers). Supporting the rice producer's income above that determined by a “free market” requires an income transfer from another segment of society. The “best method” of support could depend upon the “best source” of income to transfer to the rice farm sector. The direct payment plan transfers income from the taxpayer, the two‐price plan draws additional support from the domestic rice consumer, and the current program (an adaptation of a two‐price plan) obtains the additional income for transfer from both.
A Decision Theoretic Approach to Crop Disease Prediction and Control
Authors: Carlson Gerald A.
Published: July 2006

The pesticide application practices of California peach growers in controlling peach brown‐rot are used to demonstrate how Bayesian decision theory procedures can be used to arrive at optimal crop disease control practices. Subjective probabilities of disease loss intensity are measured and used in the decision model. Information from an analyst (this researcher) is combined with farmers' subjective probabilities of disease loss by means of Bayes' theorem. Optimal pesticide use actions are computed for three different objective functions—maximum subjective expected returns, mean‐standard deviation of returns, and maximum expected returns with a minimum income side condition.
Forecasting Wheat Yields: An Application of Parametric Time Series Modeling
Authors: Schmitz Andrew , Watts Donald G.
Published: July 2006

The purpose of this paper is to use a recent development in statisical theory known as parametric modeling to forecast wheat yields in the United States, Canada, Australia, and Argentina. The essence of this approach is that the data are used for identifying and estimating random components in the form of moving average and autoregressive processes. It does not identify and measure structural relationships as is attempted when forecasting with econometric models. Exponential smoothing is also used to forecast yields in the United States and Canada. The Thiel coefficient is then computed to determine the forecasting accuracy of parametric modeling compared with exponential smoothing.
Farm Operators Under the Negative Income Tax
Authors: Meyer Charles W. , Saupe William E.
Published: July 2006

Income maintenance programs such as the negative income tax have been extensively discussed, but thus far little has been written about their impact on farm operators. This paper focuses on the effects of alternative definitions of income, including imputed returns to assets, on the accounting practices of farmers, and on the eligibility of farm families for payments. The influence of income maintenance on decision making of farm operators is analyzed, and attention is called to the need for further study of the consequences of major welfare reforms on the farm economy.
Price Signal Refraction in Pork Processing
Authors: Ikerd John E. , Cramer Charles L.
Published: July 2006

A method of measuring pricing efficiency in objective, quantitative terms is presented. “Evaluation of pricing efficiency” has long been the terminology used in studies of pricing accuracy. The term “price signal refraction” as used here refers to the more specific, quantifiable, and testable concept dealt with in this article. The distortion of price signals passing through one or more levels of the market is analogous to the refraction of light rays. This study evaluated price refraction at one level of the pork market. Regression models were fitted to the individual carcass data from a sample of 300 carcasses. The data were subjected to objective statistical test. The findings indicated that price refraction attributable to weight was small and insignificant but refraction attributable to backfat was large and significant.
U.S. Import Demand for Green Coffee by Variety
Authors: Abaelu John Nduka , Manderscheid Lester V.
Published: July 2006

Total United States imports of green coffees were divided into three principal components: milds, brazils, and robustas. The aim was to clarify the demand relationships among the major coffee varieties traded internationally and the factors influencing coffee prices by variety. A nine‐equation model of the U. S. coffee market was constructed, consisting of import‐demand, export‐supply, and stock‐demand functions describing the structural mechanisms underlying the market for each of the three coffee varieties. Estimates of structural parameters were obtained by different estimation methods, but only three‐stage least‐squares results are reported in this article. Parameter estimates suggest that milds (the premium coffee variety) are normal economic goods, whereas brazils and robustas are inferior goods with respect to the U. S. economy. Income flexibility estimates at the mean were 0.39, −0.89, and −1.82, respectively, for milds, brazils, and robustas. Estimated price flexibilities at the mean were, for the three coffee varieties in the same order, −0.18, −0.21, and −0.36. These figures suggest that demand for individual coffee varieties is reasonably price‐elastic.
“Subsistence Agriculture”: Analytical Problems and Alternative Concepts
Authors: Miracle Marvin P.
Published: July 2006

This article argues that the concept of “subsistence agriculture”—widely encountered and long used in the literature—is not meaningful enough to be analytically useful as usually employed and should be abandoned. Particularly important for policy is the fact that use of the term “subsistence agriculture” leads to implicitly treating all small‐scale agriculture as a homogeneous residual made up of producers who vary little in their potential contribution to economic development. Data are presented which strongly suggest that small‐scale agriculture in less‐developed countries is not homogeneous so far as decision‐making situations are concerned. The second half of the article considers development of an alternative set of criteria for classifying small‐scale farmers that would reflect meaningful differences in decision‐making experience and decision‐making situations. A tentative set of such criteria for which data are now available, or could be developed with relative ease, are presented to illustrate the relevance of such a classification for development planning and policy.
Projecting the Size Distribution of Agricultural Firms—An Application of a Markov Process with Non‐Stationary Transition Probabilities
Authors: Hallberg M. C.
Published: July 2006

The first‐order Markov chain model is frequently used to project the future size distribution of firms in a particular industry. This model, however, is based on the rather restrictive assumption that the transition probabilities remain constant over time. This assumption was found to be inappropriate in the case of plants manufacturing frozen milk products in Pennsylvania during the period 1944–1963 and, if adopted, could lead to erroneous results as some actual predictions indicated. This article suggests a method, based on multiple regression techniques, of replacing the constant transition probabilities with probabilities which are a function of various factors including structural characteristics in the industry. The results of this procedure compared quite favorably with those of the assumption of constant probabilities.
Capitalized Values of Tobacco Allotments and the Rate of Return to Allotment Owners
Authors: Seagraves James A.
Published: July 2006

Tobacco allotments have been salable only along with the farms to which they are attached. Multiple regression allows one to isolate that part of total land value accounted for by allotments. Capitalized values of flue‐cured tobacco allotments were estimated for the period 1934–62. The ratio of annual earnings to these capitalized values, or the rate of return, fell from about .75 in the years 1944–46, when the program was first really effective, to a level of .16 for the period 1957–62. This decline reflects a dramatic increase in investor confidence in the future of the tobacco program and places tobacco allotments, which are widely thought to be highly profitable as monopoly rights go, in a class of relatively riskless investments. Government programs that reduce the risk of farm ownership are bound to increase the value of the assets and thereby reduce the rate of return. The rate of return allows us to predict the fall in capitalized value that will accompany future changes in expected income.
On Scientific Objectivity
Authors: Castle Emery N.
Published: July 2006

The research process is never devoid of value judgments. Nevertheless, motivation of the researcher does not necessarily render work unobjective in a scientific sense. Threats to scientific objectivity include the difficulty of changing a publicly expressed viewpoint, a vested interest in a particular theory, the desire to avoid controversy, and the desire for financial gain. The researcher must be careful, however, to avoid equating his own views with the “public interest” and condemning those with opposing views as lacking scientific objectivity.
Reflections on the Organization of Regional Research Activities
Authors: Harris Marshall , Hildreth R. J.
Published: July 2006

Regional research in economics under the Research and Marketing Act of 1946 is at a crossroad. If certain organizational problems are not resolved, commitments by administrators and reseachers to regional research will continue to decline. The habits of thought of administrators, inherent weaknesses in the committee setup, and experience with focusing research on state and local problems made it easy to plan and conduct “regional” research with little regard to regional problems and team effort. Regional research should extend a warm welcome under an inspiring environment to well‐qualified researchers. Suggestions for improvement of regional research include: (1) experimentation with programs of regional research in contrast to a series of narrowly defined, uncoordinated, short‐term projects; (2) the appointment in some cases of regional coordinators to effectuate the policies and plans of regional committees; (3) the establishment of regional research centers with small staffs for certain types of projects; and (4) more flexibility in size and composition of regional committees.
The Lockset Method of Sequential Programming Applied to Routing Delivery and Pickup Trucks
Authors: Schruben Leonard W. , Clifton Ruth E.
Published: July 2006

The lockset method of sequential programming was used in this study to route feed delivery trucks and indicated potential distance savings of as much as 20 percent in comparison to the actual routes used by the business concerns. It was also found that in some cases the number of trucks required to make the deliveries could have been reduced from the number actually used, without changing the day of delivery. Feed manufacturing firms from New England to California supplied information on actual deliveries. An ex post routing of the same trucks to deliver the same quantities to the same receivers was made and the distance and number of trucks needed were compared with the distance and number of trucks actually used. Typical distance reductions were from 8 percent to 12 percent. In no case did the actual routing show fewer miles than the routes discovered by use of the lockset method. The system is computerized to enable a dispatcher to design delivery routes and issue loading instructions for each truck as soon as orders for a given day are known.
Toward Effective Standardization of Hams
Authors: Kendrick J. G. , Hassler J. B.
Published: July 2006

Orderly marketing requires standardized products. Current USDA inspection criteria prevent the packer from completely standardizing cured hams on the basis of protein and moisture content. It is argued that changes in the current cured meat inspection procedures might result in (1) a more standardized product for consumers and (2) more accurate price signals for farmers, which could increase the reward to those swine producers whose product is of high quality. If the inspection criteria were changed so that cured hams could be standardized on the basis of a moisture‐protein ratio of 3.79∶1, a simultaneous equation model indicates that the gross live‐weight price differential between swine producing high‐protein hams and those producing low‐protein hams could widen to $2.42 per hundredweight.
Price Elasticity of the Demand for Cigarettes in the United States
Authors: Lyon Herbert L. , Simon Julian L.
Published: July 2006

The retail price elasticity of demand for cigarettes is a particularly important parameter for social decisions at this time. Results from prior cigarette elasticity studies vary widely, ranging from −0.10 to −1.48. Temporal changes may explain some of this variation, but differences in research methods are more important. The quasi‐experimental approach used in this article yields an elasticity estimate (−0.511) free of many of the extraneous and irrelevant systematic influences that afflict time‐series and cross‐section methods. In addition, the length of run of the elasticity is known and explicit. The method provides built‐in protections against bias from trends in collinear variables and produces sensible estimates with reasonably small and measurable dispersion.
Demand for Farm Tractors in the United States and the United Kingdom
Authors: Rayner A. J. , Cowling Keith
Published: July 2006

Econometric studies of the demand for farm tractors in the United States and the United Kingdom are compared within a theoretical framework. The motivation behind the demand for tractor services appears to have been similar, the results being consistent with profit‐seeking behavior of farmers whose investment decisions are constrained by uncertainty and available finance. However, whereas the dominant explanatory variable in the United Kingdom has been the real price of tractors relative to agricultural wages, the dominant variable in the United States appears to have been the price of tractors relative to crop prices. In addition, in the United States farm size changes have affected the use of tractor stock and thus the demand for tractors, whereas in the United Kingdom this was not the case. An attempt is made to explain the differences in investment behavior by reference to differences in the structure of the labor force, farm size, and government agricultural price and taxation policies.
Measurement of Leakage by the Use of an Input—Output Model
Authors: Little Charles H. , Doeksen Gerald A.
Published: July 2006

Leakage due to the importation of goods and services is an important consideration in an impact analysis, since leakage reduces the multiplier effect. Through use of the input‐output technique, leakage coefficients can be estimated in order to determine the dampening effect of imports on sector multipliers. The only additional data requirement is information on the distribution of imports among the sectors of an economy. Leakage coefficients measure the indirect as well as the direct effects of the importation of goods and services. Leakage coefficients for changes in total output, income, and employment can be estimated from the standard input‐output model. Leakage coefficients are useful in research on area development, where measures of the total economy are needed. Estimates can be made of the “loss” of economic activity in a region due to imports and the “gain” which results from reducing imports. It is possible to estimate the reduction in leakage resulting from the elimination of part or all of the imports of one or more sectors of an economy.
Economics of Cost‐Share Leases in Less‐developed Countries
Authors: Adams Dale W , Rask Norman
Published: July 2006

Economists have long recognized that output‐share leases result in inefficiencies in variable resource use. Cost‐share leases have been suggested as a way of overcoming this inefficiency. Only in rare cases, however, has cost sharing become a part of share leasing in less‐developed countries. It is argued in this article that in less‐developed countries landowners generally make more net income by not adopting cost‐share leases. The societal loss due to output‐share leasing, and several policy alternatives, in addition to cost‐sharing, which might help resolve this inefficiency problem, are discussed.
Why Peasant Farmers Borrow
Authors: Long Millard F.
Published: July 2006

Interest rates are high in the rural credit markets of poor countries. Yet it is often said that the rates of return on capital invested in traditional inputs is low. Under these conditions it would seem uneconomic for farmers to borrow; if funds are needed, farmers should sell assets. If the expected costs are greater than the expected benefits, farmers will not have as much incentive to borrow money. Indeed, the evidence suggests that in poor countries most farmers are free of debt. But there is great diversity; some farmers do have high marginal returns on capital; some borrow at low rates; seasonality influences the debt structure, as does the level of wealth; and transactions costs may make borrowing cheaper than selling assets. Introducing uncertainty reduces the chances that farmers will borrow.
Potential Effects of U.S. Commodity Grants to Other Countries
Authors: Deans Robert H.
Published: July 2006

Different types of local currency have been generated by U.S. commodity grants since the inception of P.L. 480 in 1954. As an aid instrument, these local currencies have good points, but they also have serious deficiencies which can be traced to the inherent nature of soft currencies and their legal ownership. The differing economic effects of U.S.‐owned and country‐owned local currencies became significant when P.L. 480 became a major source of U.S.‐owned local currencies. Before 1954, about 95 percent of local currency deposits were country‐owned; since then, 66 percent of these deposits have been U.S.‐owned. The monetary and real effects of these two types of local currency are examined, as are the implications for U.S. aid policy.
The Use of a Business Game for Teaching Farm Business Analysis to High School and Adult Students
Authors: Curtis Samuel M.
Published: July 2006

In a controlled teaching experiment that involved 25 high school and 8 adult farmer classes, two ways of using a business game for teaching farm business analysis were compared with more traditional instructional methods. A small Pennsylvania dairy farm was simulated. Each of the classes using simulation made five yearly management decisions at weekly intervals. The criterion measures were a subject‐matter and a decision‐ability test. Test results immediately after the course revealed no significant differences among the methods of instruction with high school classes. The adult students who used the simulation in conjunction with a related student resource handbook scored significantly higher on the decision‐ability test. The experiment demontrated that business games can be used to teach farm business analysis at the high school and adult farmer levels.
Population Growth and Agricultural Employment in Latin America, with Some U.S. Comparisons
Authors: Thiesenhusen William C.
Published: July 2006

Policy makers usually assume that the industrial sector will expeditiously absorb the growth of the labor force. But urbanization in Latin America is so far ahead of industrialization that continued advocacy of the type of agricultural modernization that encourages speedy off‐farm migration may merely add to urban unrest. The hacienda system seems to be near the root of the problem and it has an institutional parallel in the sharecropper South of the United States. The campesino and the cropper are, in some sense, analogous; and evidence is presented to show that latifundia‐type farming systems are not as able as family farms to (1) provide security of employment or adequate income necessary to keep workers in farming until a late enough stage of development, and (2) support an educational system that is capable of developing the skills needed for urban employment or for upgrading the rural labor force. The seriousness of the current movement to the cities in Latin America is accentuated since slums—the outward manifestation of underemployment and idleness —are growing faster than ours ever did. An agrarian reform policy of “contrived dualism” is briefly outlined; it may be the most inexpensive way to provide employment and increase effective demand, thus “buying time” for the industrial sector to catch up.
Determinants of Farm Family Income Inequality
Authors: Gardner Bruce L.
Published: July 2006

Income inequality is classified as “long run” when due to the distribution of resource ownership and “short run” when due to transitory disturbances or variations in returns to comparable resources. Owing to deficiencies of census size distributions of income, data pertaining to the distribution of human and non‐human resources are used to estimate long‐run inequality for each state. A cross‐sectional regression analysis of state differences in inequality and changes from 1949 to 1959 yields the following results: (1) labor market adjustments have been influential in reducing short‐run but not necessarily long‐run inequality; and (2) increases in the capital‐labor ratio, the average level of schooling, and research and extension are all associated with increasing dispersion of farm incomes, though also with increasing average incomes of farmers.
The Contribution of Foreign Assistance to Agricultural Development
Authors: Schutjer Wayne , Weigel Dale
Published: July 2006

In recent years, national and international aid agencies have allocated a considerable amount of resources to the agricultural sector of less developed countries. The purpose of the research reported in this article is to determine whether these resources have made an identifiable contribution to the recipients' agricultural production. To answer this question, a cross sectional sample of 13 major aid receiving countries was investigated. Changes in agricultural production between two three‐year periods (1960–1962 and 1964–66) were statistically related to the increase in land area cultivated, the increase in labor employed, and agricultural aid per hectare. The form of the statistical relationship was derived from a Cobb‐Douglas production function. Aid to agriculture was subdivided into three categories: (a) aid in financing agricultural inputs, such as fertilizer; (b) technical assistance; and (c) aid to finance facilities to produce agricultural inputs (e.g., fertilizer plants). The analysis showed that there was a statistically significant relationship between aid‐financed inputs and agricultural output. This type of aid explained nearly one‐third of the average 15 percent increase in agricultural output experienced by the 13 countries. On the other hand, there were no statistically significant relationships between the other two types of aid and agricultural production; but this is not surprising, considering the short period of time investigated.
A Conceptual Framework for Analyzing Economies of Vertical Integration
Authors: Logan Samuel H.
Published: July 2006

The objective of this paper is to develop a framework for quantitatively analyzing economic aspects of vertical integration by a firm. The model is based on a firm that possesses a multidimensional or lexicographic utility function in which some optimizing criteria are established for several variables. The two particular firm goals considered in this case are maximization of return on investment and reduction of short‐run risk. The effects of integration are considered first in terms of changes in costs under conditions of certainty and then in terms of changes in costs and/or uncertainty under imperfect market coordination. The latter situation occurs when the market mechanism is inadequate with respect to communicating the necessary or correct requirements of price and product specification.
Development of Soviet Agriculture under a Vintage Model of Production
Authors: Brubaker Earl R.
Published: July 2006

The purpose of this paper is to examine within the framework provided by a vintage model of productive activity the pertinent evidence on output, inputs, and the age of fixed capital to further understanding of the sources of growth (1928–62) in Soviet agricultural output. The basic procedure consists of tentatively accepting the embodiment hypothesis, which states that any positive growth in factor productivity is the consequence of improved quality of fixed capital. Data on the age of capital are taken as indicative of its technological quality, and implied rates of growth in such quality are computed as a residual. Conclusions drawn from strict acceptance of the hypothesis are tempered to account for additional qualitative evidence and for the possibility that equipment may be a more effective carrier than structures. Everything considered, it seems that the embodiment hypothesis can make a useful contribution to understanding Soviet agricultural development.
Estimating the Productivity of Agricultural Pesticides*
Authors: Headley J. C.
Published: July 2006

The controversy surrounding the use of agricultural pesticides has resulted in the examination of pest control technology and a need for estimates of the costs and benefits of pesticides. Estimates of the productivity of expenditures for agricultural pesticides are made from an aggregate production function analysis for 1963. The results indicate that chemical pesticides are a highly productive input, comparable to commercial fertilizer, and that the marginal value product of pesticides exceeds marginal factor cost by a considerable amount. These results are consistent with increasing sales volumes of pesticides and fertilizer nationally. Use of values determined through the market system to estimate benefits are a necessary part of evaluating chemical pest control. Up to the present time, no systematic effort has been made to estimate separately the productivity of pesticides. The findings point to a need for better data on the response of crops and livestock to pest control as well as a need for data on the external effects of chemical pesticides. Considerably more analysis and information are required to evaluate pesticide technology and to form good national policy in this area.
Simulation as a Method of Appraising Farm Programs
Authors: Tyner Fred H. , Tweeten Luther G.
Published: July 2006

Simulation has been used extensively in the management sciences as a complement to more conventional methods of analysis. The procedure has also been applied in analyses of various sectors of the agricultural industry. Simulation can include time lags, nonlinearities, and recursive or reactive effects—without the restrictive assumption of an “optimum” solution. Consequently, it should find increasing application in the study of the effects of farm program alternatives. Simulation is used in this article to portray the workings of an economic model of the U.S. agricultural industry for the years 1930–1960. One simulation describes the levels of key dependent variables throughout the period, as a measure of the model's predictive ability. These results are used to evaluate a second simulation, which assumes no government diversions of commodities or cropland acreage and no payments to farmers.
A Simulation Study of Population, Education, and Income Growth in Uganda
Authors: Foster Phillips , Yost Larry
Published: July 2006

Increases in educational level tend to increase income. Higher community income in tum can enable more resources to be put into education. However, increases in population tend to spread scarce educational resources over more children, thereby inhibiting the rise in level of living that can come through increasing the educational investment in each individual. This paper analyzes for a developing economy how changes in birth and death rates affect population growth and educational and economic development. A simulation model of these demographic, educational, and economic processes, based on empirical data from the Buganda tribe in Uganda, is used to study the extent and timing of the responses. Both the method and the empirical results should have relevance for readers concerned with growth and development.
“Disguised” Unemployment Once Again: East Pakistan, 1951–1961
Authors: Robinson Warren C.
Published: July 2006

The concept of “disguised” unemployment plays an important role in development theorizing, yet its empirical content is uncertain. This paper studies the problem in rural East Pakistan, a densely‐populated rice‐producing area of South Asia. It is shown, using data on output and workers per acre and cropped acreage, that between 1951 and 1961 the degree of “disguised” unemployment increased sharply, amounting to some 20 percent of the 1961 labor force. This is attributed to the rapid population growth, which had begun two decades earlier, plus the fixed supply of other factors. The labor surplus that developed seems to have been largely “disguised” through work‐sharing, that is, a reduction in average hours worked per worker.
The Effect of Technology on the Farm Labor Market
Authors: Bauer Larry L.
Published: July 2006

The primary purpose of this paper was to estimate the time path of the effect of technology, as measured by research and extension expenditures, on the farm labor market. A distributed lag function was estimated by incorporating the concept of rational distributed lag functions, as developed by Dale Jorgenson, into a simultaneous equation model of the farm labor market. The estimated lag distribution, even though quite long, had a “hump” as hypothesized. The implicit production function implied a positive payoff to the economy from research and extension expenditures.
Differential Assessment of Farmland on the Rural‐Urban Fringe
Authors: Hady Thomas F.
Published: July 2006

Urban pressures on farm real estate taxes have led, in the last decade, to adoption of differential assessment of farmland in at least 16 states. Broadly speaking, the laws fall into three categories: Preferential assessment, deferred taxation, and restrictive agreements. The laws are analyzed both from the standpoint of tax policy and from the standpoint of development policy. In neither case is it possible, given the present state of knowledge, to conclude firmly that the laws are desirable or undesirable. The analysis does, however, suggest a number of potential problems which should be analyzed before decisions are made.
Price and Output Response of Marketed Surplus of Foodgrains: A Cross‐Sectional Study of Some North Indian Villages
Authors: Bardhan Kalpana
Published: July 2006

If foodgrains producers are also the major consumers, price elasticity of production and price elasticity of marketed surplus should be distinguished. While the former is likely to be positive, the latter may theoretically assume either sign, and this introduces a complication in deriving the long‐run price elasticity of marketed surplus. Village‐level, cross‐sectional data are used to get a direct regression estimate of the short‐run price elasticity of marketed surplus for northwest India. The estimate seems to indicate negative elasticity. Other variables with statistically significant influence on marketed surplus are production level of foodgrains and income from milk.
Computer Software for Farm Management Extension
Authors: Candler Wilfred , Boehlje Michael , Saathoff Robert
Published: July 2006

The authors describe their recent experience in designing computer programs for use in farm management extension. They argue that the software (that is, computer programs) needs of extension are more demanding than the corresponding needs for research and that this explains the slow adoption of computer technology in the extension field. Although the development of appropriate computer programs can involve a major initial investment, this is nevertheless the only way to get the variable (and average) cost of computer advice to farmers down to an economic level.
The Existence of Broiler Cycles: An Application of Spectral Analysis
Authors: Rausser Gordon C. , Cargill Thomas F.
Published: July 2006

The broiler industry has experienced rapid growth, instability, and structural change during the postwar period. A time‐series analysis of important industry variables is presented. Auto‐spectral methods are employed to investigate hypothesized 30‐month cycles, while cross‐spectral methods are utilized to determine if significant lead‐lag relationships exist between the various time series. Moreover, these methods, as well as complex demodulation, are used in an attempt to determine the effects of vertical integration. The results cast doubt on the hypothesis that regular cycles of approximately 30 months characterize the broiler industry and suggest that time differences (lead‐lag relationships) among various time series are not generally significant. The possible effects of vertical integration generally conform to intuitive notions.
Tax in Kind to Reduce Supply and Increase Income without Government Payments and Marketing Quotas
Authors: Heady Earl O.
Published: July 2006

Theoretically, a tax in kind can be used to reduce supply and increase net farm income. Applied through a share payment to government, private marginal costs are increased and supply is decreased. The government also has a food fund to be used for aid or similar purposes. The mechanism requires neither government payments nor compulsory market quotas to lessen supply. However, compulsory sharing is necessary to prevent “free riders.” Variants of the mechanism would include a gross sales tax collected in conjunction with income taxes. The mechanism provides a policy alternative with interesting potentials in income distribution.
Optimum Dairy Plant Location with Economies of Size and Market‐Share Restrictions
Authors: Kloth Donald W. , Blakley Leo V.
Published: July 2006

Significant economies are possible under optimum organizations of the U. S. dairy industry, but models that minimize industry costs with a single firm in each market overestimate the potential savings. The effects of market‐share restrictions for processing firms are estimated. Costs are higher than under single‐firm organizations but remain below levels for the current plant‐size environment. The major interregional effect of the restrictions is on the regional identity of the firms processing milk for local markets, not on the total quantity of milk transported between regions. With market‐share restrictions, more milk is processed locally.
On Multistage Multiproduct Production Functions
Authors: Mundlak Yair , Razin Assaf
Published: July 2006

To avoid the problem of product aggregation, the production process is formulated as F(a) = G(v) where a and v are vectors of products and factors respectively. F(a) is further specified as a multistage CES function and estimated by using the first‐order conditions and duality relations. Some general questions of judging the results and the adequacy of grouping are discussed.
Impact of Water Recreational Development on Rural Property Values
Authors: Schutjer W. A. , Hallberg M. C.
Published: July 2006

Public investment in water‐based recreation facilities is made to increase the recreation potential of an area and to improve the economic resource base of the area. Estimates of the impact of one such investment on the structure of the land market and on property values were made for a rural area in Pennsylvania. The findings of the study support the general hypothesis that investment in water‐based recreation facilities does significantly influence the value of rural property and the structure of the rural land market. Property characteristics and subdivision activity on surrounding properties had to be considered in addition to distance from the recreational development to measure the impact of this public investment.
Implications of Changes in the Methods of Wholesaling Meat Products
Authors: Stout Thomas T. , Hawkins Murray H.
Published: July 2006

Both the meat procurement methods used by retail food stores and the associated pricing arrangements have undergone fundamental changes in recent years. These changes mark significant adjustments in market conduct in the wholesale meat trade. Although much of the change that is occurring is in response to structural and technological changes in the industry, the rate of change seems accelerated by the growth of meat programs. Programs represent a primitive but rapidly evolving systems‐approach to meat procurement, distribution, and merchandising. Detailed product specifications, increased purchase by description direct from meat packers, formula pricing, and central warehousing figure prominently among the changes accompanying program development. The pressures which result from these changes impinge upon conventional attitudes and procedures in meat packing and in livestock production and marketing.
Cost and Price Effects of Concentration Restrictions in the Plant Location Problem
Authors: Bobst B. W. , Waananen M. V.
Published: July 2006

Restrictions which prevent monopolization of spatial markets are imposed on the plant location problem for agricultural processing industries. The antitrust laws are assumed to be the source of these restrictions. Restricted and unrestricted solutions for an example problem and for the fluid milk processing industry in the state of Washington are compared. The restraints are shown to alter spatial organizations in such a way as to increase industry costs, but they also reduce the latitude for spatial price discrimination which may exist in unrestricted organizations.
An Analysis of Cooperative Bargaining in the Processing Tomato Industry
Authors: Babb E. M. , Belden S. A. , Saathoff C. R.
Published: July 2006

This article analyzes factors which affected the bargaining process and outcome of negotiations for the processing tomato industry in Indiana and Ohio during the 1966 growing season. Data obtained from Indiana and Ohio tomato processors, grower representatives, and growers was used to reconstruct the bargaining process to determine what factors were considered in establishing contract objectives, to determine various factors each party thought affected bargaining strength and the outcome of negotiations, and to measure attitudes about bargaining.

Substantial differences were found between the parties' conception of supply and demand response and those estimated statistically. Processors and grower representatives underestimated supply response and consumers' response to higher prices. Significant differences between grower and processor attitudes toward bargaining were identified. Processors were primarily concerned about quality factors and growers with price. This suggests that a “trading off” of concessions would benefit both parties.
Production Economics, Farm Management, and Extension
Authors: Williams Donald B.
Published: July 2006

Perusal of the literature of agricultural economics and some exposure to the work of personnel engaged in agricultural extension suggest the need to review relationships between the disciplines of production economics, farm management, and extension. This need arises because each of the disciplines might be expected to have significant effects on the scope, methodology, and usefulness of the others. My purpose is to try to set in perspective some of the differences in viewpoint that have emerged between different participants in agricultural economics and agricultural extension. This perspective may help to point the way to release from some aspects of the new orthodoxy within agricultural economics, whic is discussed in the paper.
An Aggregate Model of Agriculture—Empirical Estimates and Some Policy Implications
Authors: Egbert Alvin C.
Published: July 2006

The qualitative nature of the U.S. national farm price and income dilemma has long been generally but rather vaguely known. Contemporary econometric analysis can identify more precisely the magnitudes and interrelations that compose and surround this perplexing dilemma. This article undertakes to go beyond the established approach of measuring supply and demand price elasticities to the equally important and perhaps more productive identification and measurement of the relevant supply and demand shifters. By projecting magnitudes to 1985, long‐run policy implications of prospective changes can be examined with greater acuity.
An Analysis of the 1964 Wheat Option
Authors: Moszer Max
Published: July 2006

Wheat farmers operate in a quasi free market in which guaranteed price minima are available upon satisfaction of governmental imposed preconditions. A method is developed with which farmers can evaluate the profitability of available alternatives. In general, there must be sufficient land so that the acreage of wheat relative to the allotment exceeds the ratio of the loan rate to the expected free market price. These break even criteria can be used by policy planners to evaluate proposed programs and to determine their efficacy before their implementation. Ideally, programs should be structured so that the most profitable alternative for the farmer is also the one that will achieve the policy goal. An analysis of statewide aggregate data confirms the theoretical conclusion, based on this methodology, that full participation without additional voluntary diversion was the most profitable alternative open to the wheat farmer in 1964.
Estimation of Performance Functions for Budgeting and Simulation Studies
Authors: Candler Wilfred , Cartwright Wayne
Published: July 2006

This paper discusses the use of ideas from experimental design, and regression analysis, to increase the generality of result obtained from budgeting and simulation studies.
Control and Suppression of Surface Relief Gratings in Liquid‐Crystalline Perfluoroalkyl–Azobenzene Polymers
Authors: You F. , Paik M. Y. , Häckel M. , Kador L. , Kropp D. , Schmidt H.‐W. , Ober C. K.
Published: July 2006

Semifluorinated azobenzene liquid‐crystalline side‐chain polymers with different perfluoroalkyl lengths are used to develop surface relief gratings (SRGs). With sufficient fluorinated side‐chain lengths, surface relief gratings could be completely suppressed due to the self‐assembled liquid‐crystalline order at the surface. This indicates that there is a surface‐dependent nature to SRG formation. The SRG formation from the semifluorinated azobenzene liquid‐crystalline side‐chain polymers is compared to methoxy‐terminated azobenzene side‐chain polymers, and results show that the perfluoroalkyl–azobenzene polymers require a longer formation time than the methoxy‐terminated polymers.
Bridged Nanocrystals in Biominerals and Their Biomimetics: Classical Yet Modern Crystal Growth on the Nanoscale
Authors: Oaki Y. , Kotachi A. , Miura T. , Imai H.
Published: July 2006

We demonstrate nanoscale architectures in real biominerals and their biomimetics. Mimicking biomineralization, that is, crystal design in association with organic molecules, has been demonstrated in recent years. Although the macroscopic morphologies in real biominerals and biomimetics have been extensively studied, the nanoscopic structures in terms of the crystal growth are still not fully understood. We show that both materials form oriented architectures of bridged nanocrystals with incorporated organic polymers. The growth of nanocrystals by association with polymers is a significant step for the understanding and developing of crystal growth. The strategy could be applied to various systems in nanoscale crystal growth leading to functional materials.
De Novo Design, Synthesis, and Characterization of Quinoproteins
Authors: Li Wen‐Wu , Hellwig Petra , Ritter Michaela , Haehnel Wolfgang
Published: July 2006

Quinones and quinoproteins are essential redox components and enzymes in biological systems. Here, we report the de novo design, synthesis, and properties of model four‐α‐helix bundle quinoproteins. The proteins were designed and constructed from three different helices with 21 or 22 amino acid residues by chemoselective ligation to a cyclic decapeptide template. A free cysteine unit is placed at the hydrophobic core of the protein for binding of ubiquinone‐0 and menaquinone‐0 through a thioether bond. The quinoproteins with molecular weights of 11–12 kDa were characterized by electrospray ionization mass spectrometry, UV/Vis spectroscopy, size‐exclusion chromatography, circular dichroism measurements, 1H NMR spectroscopy, cyclic voltammetry, and redox‐induced FTIR difference spectroscopy. The midpoint redox potentials at pH 8 in aqueous solution Em,8 of thioether conjugates with N‐acetyl cysteine methyl ester were 89 mV and −63 mV and with a synthetic protein 229 mV and 249 mV versus standard hydrogen electrode (SHE) for ubiquinone‐0 and menaquinone‐0, respectively. Detailed redox‐induced FTIR difference spectroscopic studies of the model compounds and quinoproteins show the special resonance features for CO bands at 1656–1660 and 1655–1665 cm−1 due to the sulfur substitution to ubiquinone‐0 and menaquinone‐0, respectively. The construction of model quinoproteins represents a significant step toward more complex artificial redox systems.