bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Commodity Programs and Control Theory
Authors: Richardson James W. , Ray Daryll E. 
Published: July 2006

AbstractThe decision‐making process for commodity programs in the United States is cast in terms of adaptive control theory, following the control framework outlined by Rausser. It is argued that the actual commodity program decision‐making process can be viewed as a sequential multiperiod control problem and that multiple period, open‐loop feedback control of a disaggregate policy simulation model can be used to assist agricultural policy makers. The empirical results present the first‐round application of a suggested sequential use of control techniques and demonstrate the feasibility of applying control procedures to a multicommodity, agricultural policy simulator.
Estimation of Recreation Benefits from Measured Utility Functions
Authors: Findlater P. A. , Sinden J. A. 
Published: July 2006

AbstractIndifference maps from two‐attribute utility functions can provide demand curves to value the benefits of the attributes or goods. The Ramsey model is one method to estimate the functions, and an alternative related method is presented in this paper. A comparative estimation of a given recreation benefit indicates that the alternative may be a significant improvement over Ramsey. The alternative is simpler and faster. It is applied, apparently successfully, to estimate a five‐good utility function. This function is then used as the objective function in a linear program to value changes in recreation benefit when substitute activities are introduced.
Common Property Externalities: Isolation, Assurance, and Resource Depletion in a Traditional Grazing Context
Authors: Runge Carlisle Ford 
Published: July 2006

AbstractInstitutional alternatives to common property externalities are wider than argued by private exclusive property rights advocates. The “tragedy of the commons” is not a prisoners' dilemma, characterized by the strict dominance of individual strategies. The nonseparable common property externality is an “assurance problem.” The assurance problem provides striking perspectives in analytical and policy terms. It redefines the problem of the commons as one of decision making under uncertainty. Institutional rules innovated by the group to reduce uncertainty and coordinate expectations can solve the problem of overexploitation. Rules come in many forms, and private property is only one.
A Sector Analysis of Alternative Income Support and Soil Conservation Policies
Authors: Boggess W. G. , Heady E. O. 
Published: July 2006

AbstractFor nearly five decades Congress has attempted to legislate both higher farm incomes and soil conservation. A national, interregional, demand‐endogenous, separable programming model is used to analyze the potential of alternative policies to achieve simultaneously the dual goals of increased farm income and reduced soil erosion. The analysis indicates that a conservation‐oriented land retirement policy can be designed to achieve an increase in net farm income equivalent to a traditional general land retirement policy, while simultaneously achieving significant reductions in gross soil erosion, chemical input use, and direct government program costs.
Testing for Nonnormality in Farm Net Returns
Authors: Buccola Steven T. 
Published: July 2006

AbstractCash returns from farming are expected to be nonnormally distributed under a wide range of joint price‐yield distributions. Adequate testing for such nonnormality requires use of proper whitening procedures as well as appropriate statistics. With tests and sample sizes commonly employed, a false imputation of normality often will be made. However, positive correlation between skewness and kurtosis reduces the likelihood of associated decision errors. These results are illustrated with data for irrigated alfalfa and dryland wheat.
Benefits from Price Stabilization to Producers and Processors: The Australian Buffer‐Stock Scheme for Wool
Authors: Hinchy Mike , Fisher Brian S. 
Published: July 2006

AbstractIn much of the stabilization literature emphasis has been placed on the impact of stabilization schemes on producers. However, such schemes may also have significant implications for processors and consumers. In this paper the Newbery and Stiglitz approach is extended to demonstrate the effects of both demand and supply instability using the Australian buffer‐stock scheme for wool as a case study. It is shown that both producers and processors are likely to gain from price stabilization.
Seasonality in the Consumer Response to Milk Advertising with Implications for Milk Promotion Policy
Authors: Kinnucan Henry , Forker Olan D. 
Published: July 2006

AbstractPermitting seasonal variation in the goodwill effect in measuring the impact of fluid milk advertising on milk sales in New York City improved the statistical significance of the estimating equation. The allocation of generic advertising dollars according to optimization rules during the period 1979–81 would have resulted in a 9 percent increase in returns to dairymen supplying the New York City market. Harmonic variables are used to account for seasonality, a Pascal distribution is used to account for the decay structure, and goodwill elasticities are estimated to indicate the impact of generic advertising on sales.
A Confusion of Agricultural Economists?—A Professional Interest Survey and Essay
Authors: Pope Rulon D. , Hallam Arne 
Published: July 2006

AbstractA random survey of members of the American Agricultural Economic Association is used to examine basic philosophical issues regarding the discipline of agricultural economics. In comparison to other studies of economists, much more diversity of response is found among agricultural economists.The data suggests important correlates between the pattern of responses and socioeconomic variables. Some variables which affect responses are: agricultural interests, age, school of graduation, area of specialization, and employment. Self‐interest, information differences, and empathy are among the possible explanations of the patterns of responses.
The Costs of Equal Land Distribution: The Case of the Israeli Moshavim
Authors: Berck Peter , Levy Amnon 
Published: July 2006

AbstractEqual land distribution achieved by government policy may adversely affect aggregate output. Israeli moshavim (cooperative villages) operate under an equal land allocation rule. This study assesses the production and distributional consequences of three alternative hypothetical allocation rules: a free market allocation, a value‐maximizing policy of distributing land to current farmers, and a policy that maximizes value‐added without discrimination based on nativity or ethnicity. Production and supply functions are estimated using sample data on Israeli family farms. Then the four allocation rules are simulated. The output loss from distributing land equally is found to be modest compared to the income inequality generated by the other rules.
A Note on Qualitative Forecast Evaluation
Authors: Naik Gopal , Leuthold Raymond M. 
Published: July 2006

AbstractTraditionally, the 2 × 2 contingency table method has been used for qualitative evaluation of forecasts. However, the conclusions drawn based on this method could be misleading because it does not account for the direction of the turning or no turning points. A 4 × 4 contingency table which overcomes this weakness and which gives more information on the qualitative performance of the forecast is suggested.
The Dual Structure of Incomplete Demand Systems
Authors: LaFrance Jeffrey T. , Hanemann W. Michael 
Published: July 2006

AbstractIntegrability of incomplete demand systems is discussed. The concepts of weak integrability, quasi‐expenditure function, quasi‐indirect utility function, and quasi‐utility function are defined. Their relationships to the expenditure function, indirect utility function, and utility function are developed. The dual structure of the quasi‐functions permits exact welfare analysis and reveals the conditional preference structure for the commodities of interest. New results relating the uniqueness and exactness of consumer's surplus to the structure of the expenditure and indirect utility functions are obtained.
Forecasting Halibut Biomass Using System Theoretic Time‐Series Methods
Authors: Criddle Keith R. , Havenner Arthur M. 
Published: July 2006

AbstractA new procedure introduced by Masanao Aoki uses the ideas of linear systems theory to identify and estimate time‐series models. A slightly modified version of this procedure is used to forecast halibut biomass in total and by regulatory area and subarea, and the out‐of‐sample forecasts are evaluated for eight years. All models produce highly accurate forecasts of biomass, with errors well within the bounds required for setting catch limits in the following year.
An Analysis of Growth of U.S. Farmland Prices, 1963–82
Authors: Alston Julian M. 
Published: July 2006

AbstractIncreases in expected inflation or real growth in net rental income to land have been proposed as alternative explanations of the dramatic real growth in U.S. farmland prices in the 1970s. In this paper the effect of inflation is shown to be theoretically ambiguous. An empirical analysis, using U.S. and international farmland prices, suggests that most of the real land price growth can be explained by real growth in net rental income to land. Increases in expected inflation have had a negative effect on real land prices, but the effect of inflation has been comparatively small.
A Spatial Analysis of Primary Health Care Markets in Rural Areas
Authors: Cowper Patricia A. , Kushman John E. 
Published: July 2006

AbstractAn exponential spatial interaction model was used to analyze primary‐health‐care‐seeking patterns of rural consumers in northern California. A macrotheory of spatial interaction and a microtheory of consumer search were combined as a logically consistent rationale for the model. Ordinary least squares proved superior to nonlinear least squares and a limited dependent variable maximum likelihood technique in predicting health‐care‐seeking patterns. The model was used to address policy questions including the impact of removing local providers on patient flows to remaining providers and the market shares that could be expected by a new provider.
Political Economy of U.S. Sugar Policies
Authors: Lopez Rigoberto A. 
Published: July 2006

AbstractThis article examines political‐economic decision making with respect to U.S. sugar policies. It evaluates the responsiveness of target prices and import quotas levels to changes in (a) the economic surpluses of market participants and (b) the federal budget deficit. Results indicate a weak linkage between sugar producer surplus and subsequent target prices levels but a strong linkage between the federal budget deficit and subsequent import quota levels. The influences of sugar users, corn sweetener producers, and foreign countries are also examined.
Risk Aversion and the Recommended Hedging Ratio
Authors: Bond Gary E. , Thompson Stanley R. 
Published: July 2006

AbstractIndividual risk preferences can have important implications for commodity hedging decisions. Existing literature suggests that when cash and futures positions are treated as endogenous, the optimal hedge ratio is independent of the risk parameter. Under similar conditions we demonstrate that the existence of nonlinear transaction or storage costs makes the decision maker's attitude toward risk a relevant determinant of the size of the optimal hedge ratio.
The Effects of Supply Shifts on Producers' Surplus
Authors: Miller Gay Y. , Rosenblatt Joseph M. , Hushak Leroy J. 
Published: July 2006

AbstractChanges in the supply curve caused by technological improvements in production or changes in national policy may or may not benefit producers as a whole, depending on the type of shift in the supply curve. A structured analysis of different changes in the supply curve that model this situation is given, and the change in producers' surplus is examined depending on quantitative aspects of the supply and demand curves. For supply and demand curves that are linear or power functions, a small downward pivot of the supply curve will increase producers' surplus only if the equilibrium point is far enough into the elastic region of the demand curve, and any downward pivot of the supply curve will decrease producers' surplus if the equilibrium point is in the inelastic region of the demand curve. Similar results are obtained for the more general case of convex supply and demand curves.
The Reliability of Estimates of Environmental Benefits from Recreation Demand Models
Authors: Kling Catherine L. 
Published: July 2006

AbstractRecreation demand models are commonly employed tools of economists interested in valuing improvements in environmental amenities. Despite their importance, little comparative work has been undertaken to examine the ability of the models to accurately estimate welfare changes. A simulation study designed to compare the reliability of estimated welfare measures (compensating variation and consumer surplus) from several commonly employed recreation demand models is presented. Results of the study indicate that choice of functional form and model specification are important determinants of the resulting estimates of benefits.
Producer Attitudes Toward Peanut Market Alternatives: An Application of Multivariate Probit Joint Estimation
Authors: Fu Tsu‐tan , Epperson James E. , Terza Joseph V. , Fletcher Stanley M. 
Published: July 2006

AbstractAttitudes of peanut producers toward different market alternatives were analyzed assuming the absence of the government support program. A multivariate probit (joint estimation) model for ungrouped data was utilized to ascertain profiles of producers favoring private treaty markets and proposed organized markets. The joint estimation model allows for and measures correlation among market alternatives for greater accuracy in profile analysis. The analysis suggests considerable support for all three of the proposed organized markets. However, choice of alternatives should be considered by a group of potential traders selected on the basis of the profile analysis.
The Demand for Canadian Fats and Oils: A Case Study of Advertising Effectiveness
Authors: Goddard Ellen W. , Amuah Alex K. 
Published: July 2006

AbstractThe fats and oils market in Canada is characterized by generic (butter) and brand (margarine, shortening, vegetable oils) advertising. In this study the economic interrelationships in the consumption of fats and oils are examined and the effectiveness of the advertising programs is evaluated. The two‐stage demand model used is made up of a single equation determining Canadian aggregate expenditure on fats and oils and an expenditure share system derived from a translog indirect utility function for each of four products; butter, margarine, shortening, and vegetable oils. The demand for individual fats and oils is significantly affected by lagged advertising expenditure levels, habit persistence and a time trend, as well as the traditional variables of price and expenditure.
Tax Policy and U.S. Agriculture: A General Equilibrium Analysis
Authors: Hertel Thomas W. , Tsigas Marinos E. 
Published: July 2006

AbstractThis article emloys a computable general equilibrium model to analyze the effects of eliminating farm and food tax preferences in 1977. Tax differentials on capital income, labor payments, and production and sales taxes are each examined. Results indicate that these combined preferences lowered food costs by about $@@‐@@4.5 billion while enhancing after‐tax returns to farm land, labor, and capital. The associated general equilibrium tax expenditure is estimated to have been between $@@‐@@5.5 and $@@‐@@6.6 billion.
Evaluating Institutional Alternatives for Managing an Interrelated Stream‐Aquifer System
Authors: Young Robert A. , Morel‐Seytoux Hubert J. , Daubert John T. 
Published: July 2006

AbstractFarmers relying on the South Platte River in northeastern Colorado for irrigation water have been found to be adversely affected by pumping from a groundwater deposit associated with the river. A simulation model of the hydrologic‐legal‐farmer decision system is developed and employed to analyze several institutional alternatives for managing the system. The “augmentation plan” approach recently developed by the state was shown to yield highest net incomes under both normal water supply and drought scenarios while protecting the prior rights of river water users. Anticipated opportunity costs of ground water use are internalized into pumpers' decisions.
Cross‐Compliance as a Soil Conservation Strategy: A Case Study
Authors: Batie Sandra S. , Sappington Alyson G. 
Published: July 2006

AbstractThe financial impacts of a hypothetical cross‐compliance program were estimated for seventy‐six farmers in Gibson County, Tennessee. Several federal program benefits were compared to the least‐cost method of achieving one of four different soil displacement limits to determine if the costs of voluntarily participating in a cross‐compliance program were greater than the benefits. If cost‐sharing were available, farmers would have a positive incentive to cross comply to 5 tons per acre per year on 57.3 percent of all fields. This figure rises to 90.9 percent compliance at 20 tons per acre per year.
Taxes, Farm Programs, and Competitive Advantage for U.S. and Canadian Farmers: A Case Study
Authors: Perry Gregory M. , Nixon Clair J. , Bunnage Kenneth J. 
Published: July 2006

AbstractThe objective of this study was to understand the impact of tax and social program policies on competitiveness in trade. A case study approach was used, comparing returns to representative wheat farms located in Montana and Alberta. The principal analytical tool was a financial simulation model. The results suggest farmers in Alberta have significant tax and social program advantages and that, for the base scenario, these advantages outweighed government farm program and production cost advantages enjoyed by the Montana farmer. Taxes and social program advantages became relatively less important with an increase in farm size.
Relationships among Labor, Bullock, and Tractor Inputs in Pakistan Agriculture
Authors: Ali Farman , Parikh Ashok 
Published: July 2006

AbstractThe purpose of this study is to examine relationships among different inputs on tractorized and non‐tractorized plots in the North West Frontier Province of Pakistan. The analysis is based on survey data for 1987–88 covering two seasons. A duality approach with a translog cost function is used to estimate cost and input shares. The estimated Allen elasticities of substitution, after correcting for sample selectivity bias, indicate that tractors are a substitute for human and animal labor. All the assumptions of the duality approach are fulfilled by the estimation procedure and the restrictions of theory are not rejected by the data.
The Supply of Off‐Farm Labor: A Random Coefficients Approach
Authors: Lass Daniel A. , Gempesaw Conrado M. 
Published: July 2006

AbstractA joint model of off‐farm labor decisions for farm operator and spouse is presented. Attention is given to operator and spouse participation decisions as well as associated problems of multiple sample selectivity biases. Two‐stage fixed and random coefficient methods, corrected for possible selectivity biases, are used to estimate supply function parameters. Results indicate that supply function parameters are random. Variation in important supply parameters is investigated. Results also illustrate the importance of spouse decisions on off‐farm labor supply function structure.
Computer Adoption Decision—Implications for Research and Extension: The Case of Texas Rice Producers
Authors: Jarvis Anne Marie 
Published: July 2006

AbstractThis study identifies the characteristics of Texas rice producers who have adopted computers relative to nonadopters. Primary survey data obtained in the spring of 1990 was examined using logit adoption. Thirty–seven percent of the respondents use computers in their business. The results indicate that as farm size and business complexity increase so does the probability of computer adoption. Some evidence that the adoption of computer technology differs from production technology surfaced. Producers' decisions to adopt a computer are associated with the actions of their peers and family. Encouraging computer user groups and computer training courses for producers could encourage the adoption of computer technology.
United States Export Subsidies in Wheat: Strategic Trade Policy or Expensive Beggar‐Thy‐Neighbor Tactic?
Authors: Anania Giovanni , Bohman Mary , Carter Colin A. 
Published: July 2006

AbstractThis paper examines the domestic and international impacts of the U.S. Export Enhancement Program (EEP) for wheat. EEP uses targeted in‐kind subsidies to expand U.S. exports and was designed specifically to compete with subsidized exports from the European Community (EC). We argue EEP cannot be welfare‐improving for the U.S., even considering strategic trade theory. We then model EEP as an in‐kind, constrained, targeted export subsidy and determine its price, quantity, and budgetary effects. Empirical results show that no exporting country gains from EEP and that the intended loser, the EC, is only slightly harmed. We find the export subsidies generate only a small increase in U.S. wheat exports. EEP is an expensive program; based on our estimates for 1988, government cost of additional wheat exports under EEP reached $@@‐@@469 per metric ton.
Engel's Law and Linear‐in‐Moments Aggregation
Authors: Chambers Robert G. , Pope Rulon D. 
Published: July 2006

AbstractAggregation of individual Engel curves is considered such that aggregate food demand depends on the moments of the distribution of income across individuals. Given that aggregate demand is the sum of individual demands, consistent aggregation imposes a structure called the Linear‐in‐Moments form. This form is used to test whether the mean and second moment of income must be used to capture aggregate food demand. Empirical analysis strongly supports the proposition that both the mean and variance of income are required. Hence, our results show that aggregate food demand under consistent aggregation is inherently sensitive to changes in the distribution of income.
Acreage Decisions under Marketing Quotas and Yield Uncertainty
Authors: Babcock Bruce A. 
Published: July 2006

AbstractA conceptual model examines how quotas and yield uncertainty affect acreage decisions. Production in excess of a quota can occur if the price for quota production is large relative to marginal costs. Increasing risk aversion increases expected production further if the risk of forfeiting quota revenue is given greater weight than avoiding production risk. Allowing quota carryover decreases production levels. Simulations indicate the most important factors determining expected production levels are (a) the existence of a carryover provision, (b) the price differential given to quota production relative to nonquota production, and (c) the level of marginal costs relative to the quota price.
Are Farrowing Intentions Rational Forecasts?
Authors: Runkle David E. 
Published: July 2006

AbstractThis paper tests whether quarterly data on hog farmers' sow‐farrowing intentions released in Hogs and Pigs are rational forecasts of actual farrowings. The empirical results show that neither one‐ nor two‐quarter‐ahead intentions are rational forecasts. Econometric methods and the implications of the empirical results for the rational expectations hypothesis are also discussed.