CHANGES IN SELECTED CHARACTERISTICS OF U.S. FARMS DURING THE 1970s AND EARLY 1980s: AN INVESTIGATION BASED ON CURRENT AND CONSTANT DOLLAR SALES CATEGORIES

Changes since 1970 in the distribution of selected farm characteristics among constant and current dollar farm sales categories were examined. In general, the same trends emerged but changes were less dramatic after adjusting for inflation. The increasing concentration of net farm income among farms with sales exceeding $500,000 was attributed in part to their continuing high ratio of gross farm income to expenses (approximately 145 percent). Farms with sales between$10,000 and $500,000 became more dependent on nonfarm income. This dependency is postulated to result from a farm income treadmill and use of nonfarm income to cope with the treadmill.Agribusiness,

DROUGHTS AND FARM POLICY

Agricultural and Food Policy,

The Revenue Program Option in the 2008 U.S. Farm Bill: Evaluating Performance Characteristics of the ACRE Program

Had only a farm program like the new ACRE state revenue program existed instead of the authorized 1996–2008 programs for corn, soybeans, and wheat, farm support expenditures would have occurred earlier but totaled less. In contrast, at the higher prices forecast for the three crops over the 2009–2012 crop years, spending per acre is expected to be higher for acres enrolled in the ACRE program than for acres enrolled in the traditional programs. These results reflect the different design features of the two programs: revenue versus price assistance and assistance levels that adjust with lagged market revenue versus fixed nominal support triggers. The design issues and policy questions raised for both domestic policy considerations and WTO compliance are discussed.farm policy, Food Conservation and Energy Act of 2008, Average Crop Revenue Election Program (ACRE), WTO domestic support commitments, Agricultural and Food Policy, International Relations/Trade,

PROFESSIONALISM TRUMPS PARTISANSHIP: LESSONS LEARNED ON HOW WE CONTINUALLY UPDATE OUR PRACTICE OF OBJECTIVITY AS ANALYSTS

On November 15, 2023, Dr. Barry Zulauf presented Professionalism Trumps Partisanship: Lessons Learned on How We Continually Update Our Practice of Objectivity as Analysts for this year’s West Coast Security Conference. The key points discussed were how legal standards for intelligence tradecraft were instituted in the following the 9/11 attacks and flawed WMD intelligence in Iraq; the enactment of the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act (IRTPA) to establish clear, unbiased standards and aid in objectivity; and recent attempts to politicize intelligence, particularly regarding foreign election interference.   Received: 01-07-2024 Revised: 01-26-202

Market Efficiency and Marketing to Enhance Income of Crop Producers

Recent changes in farm policy have renewed interest in using marketing strategies based on futures and options markets to enhance the income of field crop producers. This article reviews the literature surrounding the dominant academic theory of the behavior of futures and options markets, the efficient market hypothesis. The following conclusion is reached: while individuals can beat the market, few can consistently do so. This conclusion is consistent with Grossman and Stiglitz's model of market efficiency in which individuals who consistently earn trading returns have superior access to information or superior analytical ability. One implication is that, with few exceptions, the crop producers who survive will be those with the lowest cost of production since efforts to improve revenue through better marketing will have limited success. There do appear to be some successful marketing strategies. One is to base storage decisions on when a producer harvests the crop relative to the national harvest of the crop. Another is to base storage decisions on whether the current basis exceeds the cost of storage, and then to use hedging to assure an expected positive return.Market Efficiency, marketing strategies, futures, options

Preschool Precursors of Children's Peer Rejection during the Late School-Age Years: The Roles of Early Aggressive Behavior and Harsh Parental Discipline

Honors (Bachelor's)PsychologyUniversity of Michiganhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/91794/1/zulauf.pd

Rural Credit Crisis A Status Report

Exact date of working paper unknown