bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Energy Conservation and Rebates in Commercial Food Enterprises
Authors: Train Kenneth E. , Strebel Judi E. 
Published: July 2006

AbstractState programs offer rebates to food enterprises for the installation of energy‐saving devices. This paper estimates the impact of rebates on the probability of installing a device and the resultant energy saving. Under reasonable ranges for energy costs and rates of return on devices, the benefits of a rebate program, calculated as the value of the energy savings that are attributable to the program, exceed the costs of the program and devices.
Optimal Control of Irrigation Scheduling Using a Random Time Frame
Authors: McGuckin J. Thomas , Mapel Craig , Lansford Robert , Sammis Ted 
Published: July 2006

AbstractA dynamic programming model of irrigation scheduling is developed which accounts for stochastic weather conditions, results in simple irrigation decision rules, and can be operated on current microcomputers. The model employs heat unit intervals instead of chronological time to define the dynamic equations of the crop‐soil system. Procedures are outlined for estimating the transition probabilities of climate within the heat unit intervals. When compared to maximum yield irrigation scheduling, the model increases net returns of corn, sorghum, and cotton by $@@‐@@10.00 to $@@‐@@30.00 per acre.
The Econometrics of Damage Control: Why Specification Matters
Authors: Lichtenberg Erik , Zilberman David 
Published: July 2006

AbstractThe contribution of damage control agents to production differs fundamentally from that of standard inputs (lands, labor, capital). This paper develops an econometric model based on the key characteristics of damage control agents and examines its properties. It demonstrates that standard production function specifications overestimate damage control agent productivity and have erroneous implications for the evolution of damage control agent productivity and use in response to changing environments (e.g., the spread of pest resistance). It also proposes several alternative specifications and discusses methods for estimating them.
A Comparison of Direct and Indirect Methods for Estimating Environmental Benefits
Authors: Smith V. Kerry , Desvousges William H. , Fisher Ann 
Published: July 2006

AbstractTwo classes of methods are currently available to estimate consumers' valuations of improvements in environmental resources—direct and indirect. This paper reports the results of a detailed comparison of the estimated recreational benefits associated with water quality improvements using one member of each class. The findings indicate that while the estimates are quite comparable, analyst judgment played a very important role in the development of both methods.
The Travel Cost Model for Lake Recreation: A Comparison of Two Methods for Incorporating Site Quality and Substitution Effects
Authors: Caulkins Peter P. , Bishop Richard C. , Bouwes Nicolaas W. 
Published: July 2006

AbstractThis paper empirically illustrates how different assumptions regarding recreationists' decision‐making behavior affect the predicted changes in recreational activity given a water quality improvement. A multinomial logit model, which reallocates visits away from other sites to the improved site, predicts a smaller outward shift of the recreationist's demand curve than the more traditional travel cost model, which does not assume any reallocation of visits among sites.
Integrated Pest Management Strategies for Approximately Optimal Control of Corn Rootworm and Soybean Cyst Nematode
Authors: Zacharias Thomas P. , Grube Arthur H. 
Published: July 2006

AbstractA dynamic programming model is used to determine approximately optimal management strategies for control of corn rootworm and soybean cyst nematode in Illinois. Decision alternatives for rootworm control include nontreatment, application of a soil insecticide, and rotation to soybeans. Alternatives for cyst nematode control are nontreatment, soil nematicide, resistant cultivars, and rotation to corn. State variables in the dynamic programming model are infestation levels of both pests, previous land use decisions, and expected product prices.
Profit Efficiency Among Basmati Rice Producers in Pakistan Punjab
Authors: Ali Mubarik , Flinn John C. 
Published: July 2006

AbstractFarm‐specific profit inefficiency among Basmati rice producers was estimated from a variable‐coefficient profit frontier. The mean level of inefficiency at farm resources and price levels was 28%, with a wide range (5%–87%). Average loss of profit was Rs 1,222 per hectare. Socioeconomic factors related to profit loss were the farm household's education, nonagricultural employment, and a credit constraint. Institutional determinants of profit loss were a water constraint and the late application of fertilizer. Punjab‐wide benefits of increasing farmer's profit efficiency are large; a 25% reduction in profit loss among Basmati rice producers may generate over Rs 240 million in extra profits each rice season.
The Determinants of Full‐Empty Truck Movements
Authors: Beilock Richard , Kilmer Richard L. 
Published: July 2006

AbstractA model is developed to explain full‐empty movement decisions for motor carriers. The model is estimated for movements to Florida of carriers serving the Florida produce/ornamentals industry. The results indicate that carriers act rationally, basing their decisions on a wide range of factors. The findings also suggest that regulatory restrictions continue to result in unnecessary empty movements.
Cooperation and Part‐Time Farming in the Israeli Moshav
Authors: Guttman Joel M. , Haruvi Nava 
Published: July 2006

AbstractA simultaneous equations model of the Israeli moshav, in which the levels of cooperative marketing, part‐time and full‐time farming, output and capital stock are endogenous, is developed and empirically estimated. In the process, hypotheses relating to the problem of voluntary collective action are tested.
Forecasting Vector Autoregressions with Bayesian Priors
Authors: Bessler David A. , Kling John L. 
Published: July 2006

AbstractThe paper explores the justification for, and application of, Bayesian priors in forecasting a vector autoregression. A nonsymmetric, random‐walk prior outperforms three alternative time‐series representations in forecasting five series of the U.S. hog market.
Long‐Run Profit Functions for Multiproduct Firms
Authors: Squires Dale 
Published: July 2006

AbstractA long‐run specification of the multiproduct profit function is developed from the restricted profit function. The multiproduct restricted profit function and the envelope condition are used to estimate the optimal, long‐run levels of the quasi‐fixed factor. Formulas for long‐run Marshallian elasticities of substitution and transformation, economies of scope, product‐specific and overall economies of scale, and economic measures of capacity utilization are developed for the translog functional form. The methodology is illustrated by a case study of the New England otter trawl industry.
A Hedonic Study of the Effects of Erosion Control and Drainage on Farmland Values
Authors: Palmquist Raymond B. , Danielson Leon E. 
Published: July 2006

AbstractValuing farmland improvements is important for individual farmers and policy makers. This paper demonstrates the use of a hedonic land value study to determine the value of erosion control and drainage using data from North Carolina. Land values are significantly affected by both potential erosivity and drainage requirements. This study's estimates are compared with estimates derived from a variety of other types of studies.
Interruptible Water Markets in the Pacific Northwest
Authors: Hamilton Joel R. , Whittlesey Norman K. , Halverson Philip 
Published: July 2006

AbstractThis paper analyzes the potential for using a market to shift water from irrigation to hydropower use in periods of low river flow in the Snake River basin of Idaho. The water could be used for irrigation in most years but in dry years would be very valuable for firming up electric power supplies. A model of crop growth and water use was utilized to estimate farmer responses and resulting farm income losses due to market‐restricted irrigation water supplies. Results indicate that estimated hydropower benefits are ten times greater than estimated lost farm income, so the proposed water market should be economically feasible.
Test‐Retest Reliability of the Contingent Valuation Method: A Comparison of General Population and Visitor Responses
Authors: Loomis John B. 
Published: July 2006

AbstractThe reliability of the contingent valuation method is evaluated by resurveying the same general households and visitors nine months after their original survey. Test‐retest correlations on willingness to pay are statistically significant and ranged from. 422 for the general population sample to. 782 for the visitor sample. Using a paired T‐test, there was no statistical difference between an individual's first and second reported willingness to pay. Chow tests comparing the original and resurvey willingness‐to‐pay functions showed no statistical difference at the .01 level. Reported willingness to pay is reasonably stable over the time period surveyed.
The Effect of Food Stamps on Food Expenditures: An Assessment of Findings From the Nationwide Food Consumption Survey
Authors: Devaney Barbara , Fraker Thomas 
Published: July 2006

AbstractEstimates of the marginal propensity to consume food out of food stamp benefits based upon the low‐income supplement to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's “Nationwide Food Consumption Survey” are very sensitive to whether weighted or unweighted data are used in the analysis. Based on data from the 1977–78 survey, we estimated identical models of household food expenditures using unweighted and weighted data. Weighted estimates of the marginal propensity to consume food out of food stamps are approximately double the unweighted estimates, even when sample stratifiers are included in the model. A small number of cases with large sampling weights are responsible for almost all of the difference between the weighted and unweighted estimates.
The Political Economy of Extension Program Design: Institutional Maintenance Issues in the Organization and Delivery of Extension Programs
Authors: McDowell George R. 
Published: July 2006

AbstractBesides its educational function, extension is expected to generate political support for the land grant universities. The necessary conditions for extension programs to elicit political support are for them to (a) be a positive net benefit, (b) be clearly attributable to extension, (c) be feasible of political solicitation, and (d) have benefits of sufficient magnitude to motivate political action. The characteristics of programs that affect these conditions are the attributes of (a) incompatible use, (b) exclusion costs, and (c) joint impact. The instrument of program design that influences these attributes is the degree to which information is particularized to a specific audience.
The Estimation of Indifference Maps by Expected Utility Analysis
Authors: Bennett Jeff , Smith Ben 
Published: July 2006

AbstractThe indifference curve estimation procedure proposed and used by Sinden to value nonmarketed goods implicitly adopts the assumption that a two‐good utility function can be obtained by the simple addition of two single‐good utility functions. The results of two experiments indicate that using the strict additivity assumption is likely to bias the indifference maps so derived. While an alternative nonadditive technique is proposed, it is found that, as with Sinden's technique, it is subject to such a large degree of respondent inconsistency that doubt is cast on the usefulness of the results obtained and on the practicality of this general approach.
Welfare Measurements Using Contingent Valuation: A Comparison of Techniques
Authors: Boyle Kevin J. , Bishop Richard C. 
Published: July 2006

AbstractThree commonly used techniques of asking contingent valuation questions are compared: iterative bidding, payment cards, and dichotomous choice. The results reveal that no single contingent valuation technique is neutral in the elicitation of hicksian surplus and each technique has its strengths and weaknesses. The iterative bidding estimates contain a starting point bias, while the payment card and dichotomous choice estimates were influenced by the interviewers soliciting the contingent values. Finally, the analysis of dichotomous choice responses involves unresolved issues that warrant further investigation. On the other hand, dichotomous choice is the easiest technique to administer in a survey setting.
Long‐Run Comparative Statics Under Output and Land Price Uncertainty
Authors: Paris Quirino 
Published: July 2006

AbstractSeveral authors have noticed that, in the uncertain short run, the supply function may slope downward and the input demand functions may slope upward. These possibilities prevent the setup of unambiguous tests of rational behavior. In this article, testable hypotheses for the competitive firm operating in a price‐uncertain environment are derived assuming a long‐run horizon. Some of these hypotheses take the form of Slutsky‐type relations involving the relative input demand functions (the ratios of input to output quantities). Homogeneity restrictions involving input and output mean prices, in general, are absent under uncertainty. Conditions for restoring this homogeneity are also discussed. The main result is the rediscovery of the importance of relative quantities for the analysis of a long‐run equilibrium.
Negotiating Reductions in Agricultural Support: Implications of Technology and Factor Mobility
Authors: Hertel Thomas W. 
Published: July 2006

AbstractThis paper highlights the joint significance of agricultural technology and factor mobility in determining the impact of changing support policies. The impact of across‐the‐board reductions in farm support on output, exports, employment, and land values will vary systematically across countries, depending on their relative reliance on export, output, and input subsidies. Furthermore, considerable maneuvering room exists, even after an aggregate reduction in support is agreed upon. For example, the aggregate U.S. producer subsidy equivalent could be reduced, while leaving unchanged the demand for farm labor, by shifting the mix of remaining subsidies toward inputs which are complementary with labor.
The J‐Curve Effect and the U.S. Agricultural Trade Balance
Authors: Carter Colin A. , Pick Daniel H. 
Published: July 2006

AbstractAccording to the J‐curve theory, following a currency depreciation, there will be an initial deterioration of the trade balance before an improvement is realized. This paper finds empirical evidence indicating the first segment of the J‐curve does exist for the U.S. agricultural trade balance. A 10% depreciation of the U.S. dollar is estimated to lead a deterioration of the agricultural trade balance that will last for about nine months.
Multiproduct Supply and Input Demand in U.S. Agriculture
Authors: Shumway C. Richard , Saez Roberto R. , Gottret Pablo E. 
Published: July 2006

AbstractTwo sets of U.S. agricultural output supply and input demand relationships, including cross‐price effects, are reported for five commodity groups and four variable input groups for the 1951–82 period. They are obtained by direct econometric estimation on U.S. data and by geographic aggregation from published econometric estimates for each of ten regions comprising the contiguous forty–eight states. The supply and demand formulations are specified on the assumptions of competitive behavior and an underlying normalized quadratic profit function. The effects of upward‐sloping input supply curves are examined at the national level.
The Biological Control of Cassava Mealybug in Africa
Authors: Norgaard Richard B. 
Published: July 2006

AbstractCassava, brought from South America 300 years ago free of its pests, became a major subsistence crop in Africa. A mealybug was mistakenly introduced in the early 1970s. By the 1980s the mealybug was a major pest. The International Institute of Tropical Agriculture found a parasitic wasp in South America and reared and released it in Africa. Conservatively estimated, the benefit‐cost ratio for this program is 149 to 1. This success indicates that biological control can play an important role in pest management.
Distributional Welfare Implications of an Irrigation Water Subsidy
Authors: Foster William E. , Calvin Linda S. , Johns Grace M. , Rottschaefer Patricia 
Published: July 2006

AbstractThe distributional welfare implications of a subsidy for irrigation water for California rice producers are analyzed. A more general equilibrium approach than that used in previous studies is taken in order to determine the effects of subsidy on consumers, subsidized producers, and unsubsidized producers. The two important policy conclusions of the results are that unsubsidized producers bear part of the cost of a subsidy through lower prices, and that consumers (taxpayers) may gain by sponsoring increased production through a selective subsidy.
The Effects of Well Depth and Land Quality on the Choice of Irrigation Technology
Authors: Caswell Margriet F. , Zilberman David 
Published: July 2006

AbstractThis paper introduces a framework to study the effects of farm characteristics (land quality and well depth) and irrigation technology characteristics (application effectiveness and pressurization requirement) on a farmer's choice of irrigation system. Conditions indicating how the adoption of drip or sprinkler irrigation affects water and energy demands are presented as well as conditions under which these technologies are likely to be adopted. Two functional forms for the production function (quadratic and Cobb‐Douglas) are presented with realistic values of key parameters. The empirical analysis demonstrates the importance of using forms which are consistent with the classical three stages of production.
The Benefits of Pollution Control: The Case of Ozone and U.S. Agriculture
Authors: Adams R. M. , Hamilton S. A. , McCarl B. A. 
Published: July 2006

AbstractThe adverse effects of ozone and other air pollutants on crop yields are well documented. This paper reports on an assessment of the benefits to agriculture arising from reductions in ambient ozone pollution. Estimates are derived using recent plant science data as input for a spatial equilibrium model of U.S. agriculture. Sensitivity of benefit estimates to biological and economic sources of uncertainty is also investigated. Results suggest that the benefits of a 25 percent reduction in ambient ozone are substantial, amounting to $@@‐@@1.7 billion. The robustness of these estimates varies across alternative assumptions concerning response data and export markets.
Prices and Quality Effects in Cross‐Sectional Demand Analysis
Authors: Cox Thomas L. , Wohlgenant Michael K. 
Published: July 2006

AbstractA conceptual clarification of the sources and meaning of cross‐sectional price variability is used to motivate a theoretical and econometric framework for the estimation of cross‐sectional demand functions. Quality effects are distinguished from supply‐related price variability to identify cross‐sectional demand for disaggregated food commodities. An empirical application using data from the 1977–78 Nationwide Food Consumption Survey indicates that parameter differences resulting from a failure to adjust cross‐sectional prices for quality effects are likely to be small for relatively homogenous, disaggregated food commodities.
Household Consumption of Food‐Away‐From‐Home: Total Expenditure and by Type of Food Facility
Authors: McCracken Vicki A. , Brandt Jon A. 
Published: July 2006

AbstractConsistent with prior expectations based on household production theory, household income, time value, size and composition, and the environment in which production and consumption occurred were all important determinants of total household expenditures on food‐away‐from‐home. However, the importance of these factors varied by type of food facility: conventional restaurants, fast‐food facilities, and other commercial establishments. Decomposition of the tobit elasticities indicated the differential importance of market participation effects of household size, income, and time value by level of the variable and by type of food facility.
Preferences of Citizens for Agricultural Policies: Evidence from a National Survey
Authors: Variyam Jayachandran N. , Jordan Jeffrey L. , Epperson James E. 
Published: July 2006

AbstractThe increasing costs of agricultural programs is raising concern about the future direction of agricultural policies. Data from a nationwide survey on public attitudes toward agriculture are used to examine the structure of citizens' preferences for government involvement in agriculture and especially for policies to protect family farms. Estimates of the influence of economic and sociodemographic variables on policy preferences are computed using a multiple‐indicator model. Signs and magnitudes of estimated coefficients lend support to the self‐interest theory of voter behavior. Results question economic arguments suggesting altruistic motives as a cause of redistributionary agricultural policies.
Optimal Scheduling in Shrimp Mariculture: A Stochastic Growing Inventory Problem
Authors: Hochman Eithan , Leung PingSun , Rowland Lawrence W. , Wyban James A. 
Published: July 2006

AbstractAppropriate management tools are required for the successful introduction of advanced intensive technology in shrimp mariculture. This paper presents a stochastic dynamic decision model for evaluating the potential of the round pond technology practiced at the Oceanic Institute in Hawaii. The model provides the optimal stocking and harvesting schedules for a shrimp pond using a set of intra‐ and interseasonal decision rules. These rules are expressed as cutoff revenues when both prices and weights are considered random and as cutoff prices and cutoff weights when only prices or weights are considered random. The pond is not harvested if the current realized revenue is less than the cutoff revenue. The model simulates optimal scheduling using a set of 1986 shrimp prices for the case of random prices. Net profits are approximately doubled using the optimal schedules compared to conventional fixed scheduling schemes. The model also evaluates the economics of controlled environment.
Alternative Estimates of Fed Beef Supply Response to Risk
Authors: Antonovitz Frances , Green Richard 
Published: July 2006

AbstractSupply response models for fed beef incorporating risk by including both the mean and variance of output price are developed, estimated, and compared. Six different estimates of the mean and variance are obtained from futures prices; ARIMA processes; and naive, adaptive, and rational expectations models. Empirical estimates are compared using nonnested testing procedures and indicate that the choice of the expectations model significantly influences elasticity estimates and whether supply response is positive or negative. Empirical evidence does not support any one model in particular, suggesting that expectations are heterogenous rather than homogenous.
Federalism, Opportunism, and Multilateral Trade Negotiations in Agriculture
Authors: Ruppel Fred J. , Boadu Fred O. , Peterson E. Wesley F. 
Published: July 2006

AbstractWhen federalist nations are signatories to international economic agreements, potential problems arise because of the inherent conflicts between federal law and legitimate state interests. This paper presents a conceptual framework for analyzing problems surrounding negotiation, ratification, and implementation of international agreements when federations are signatories. The economic model isolates three factors (the variance of state net benefits under an agreement, individual states' opportunity costs associated with the agreement, and state‐supported opportunism) as cost‐increasing impediments to the successful institution of international economic agreements and highlights opportunism containment as fundamental to credible commitments in international agreements.