IMPACTS OF PRICE VARIABILITY ON MARKETING MARGINS AND PRODUCER VIABILITY IN THE TEXAS WHEAT INDUSTRY

The effects on marketing margins and Texas what producers of shifting from a period with stable prices to a period without stable prices were investigated using both econometric and simulation techniques. Empirical evidence reveals wheat export firms are risk averse and that either futures markets were unable to absorb increased price risk or futures markets absorbed increased price risk at a cost of $0.054 per bushel. Increased variability in prices and reduced farm program benefits substantially reduced the probability of Texas wheat producers receiving a reasonable return on equity and a reasonable rate of asset accumulation.Crop Production/Industries, Marketing,

Should Grain Elevator Managers Adopt Integrated Pest Management?

Insect infestation during storage and processing causes millions of dollars of wheat damage annually in the United States. Insect infestation reduces wheat storing processing profit as well as consumer confidence in wheat food products. Meanwhile, increased concerns about insecticide use have increase interest in Integrated Pest Management (IPM) strategies. This research compares the costs of IPM and chemical-based approaches to insect control to determine why most elevator managers have not adopted IPM practices.Agribusiness,

Optimal Grazing Termination Date for Dual-Purpose Winter Wheat Production

Dual-purpose winter wheat (fall-winter forage plus grain) production is an important economic enterprise in the southern Great Plains. Grazing termination to enable grain production is a critical decision. The objective is to determine the optimal grazing termination date for dual-purpose wheat. The value of knowing the occurrence of first hollow stem (FHS), a wheat growth threshold for grazing termination, is also determined. Results indicate that for most price situations grazing should be terminated at or before FHS. Marginal wheat returns from extended grazing were negative and the value of FHS information ranges from $1.50 to$10 per acre.dual-purpose, first hollow stem, plateau function, stocker cattle, value of information, wheat, Agribusiness, Agricultural Finance, Crop Production/Industries, Farm Management, Land Economics/Use, Livestock Production/Industries, Production Economics, Q12, Q16,

DERIVATION AND OPTIMIZATION OF A STOCHASTIC LIVESTOCK WEIGHT GAIN RESPONSE TO STOCKING DENSITY MODEL

Dual-purpose winter wheat production is an important economic enterprise in the southern Great Plains of the United States. Because of the complex interactions involved in producing wheat grain and beef gain from a single crop, stocking density is an important decision. The objective of the research is to determine the stocking density that maximizes expected net returns from dual-purpose winter wheat production. Statistical tests rejected a conventional linear-response plateau function in favor of a linear-response stochastic plateau function. The optimal stocking density of 1.48 steers per hectare (0.60 steers per acre) is 19% greater with a stochastic plateau than with a nonstochastic one.Livestock Production/Industries,

Evaluation of alternative techniques to determine pork carcass value

Three techniques for estimating the value of pork carcasses were evaluated: an optical probe, a real-time ultrasound scanner, and an electromagnetic scanner (EMSCAN). The ability of these techniques to predict carcass value was compared to the predictive ability of actual measures of backfat depth and longissimus muscle area taken with a ruler and a dot grid. Results indicated the EMSCAN model was the best predictor of carcass value. However, the optical probe, ultrasound, and the ruler/dot grid all provided information not contained in the EMSCAN model. The choice among ultrasound, the optical probe, and the ruler/dot grid depends on how the carcass will be used. There is no significant difference between ultrasound and the ruler/dot grid or the optical probe and the ruler/dot grid if the carcass is to be marketed in wholesale primal form, but the ruler/dot grid is superior if the ham and loin are to be sold as lean, boneless products. A model combining the EMSCAN and optical probe readings provided more accurate value predictions than either technique alone. A carcass value matrix for use in pricing pork carcasses was developed using readings from the optical probe. Carcass use has a substantial impact on value differences between fat and lean pigs.Not peer reviewedAgricultural Economic

Interpolated wave functions for nonadiabatic simulations with the fixed-node quantum Monte Carlo method

Simulating nonadiabatic effects with many-body wave function approaches is an open field with many challenges. Recent interest has been driven by new algorithmic developments and improved theoretical understanding of properties unique to electron-ion wave functions. Fixed-node diffusion Monte Caro is one technique that has shown promising results for simulating electron-ion systems. In particular, we focus on the CH molecule for which previous results suggested a relatively significant contribution to the energy from nonadiabatic effects. We propose a new wave function ansatz for diatomic systems which involves interpolating the determinant coefficients calculated from configuration interaction methods. We find this to be an improvement beyond previous wave function forms that have been considered. The calculated nonadiabatic contribution to the energy in the CH molecule is reduced compared to our previous results, but still remains the largest among the molecules under consideration.Comment: 7 pages, 3 figure

Surface Affinity of the Hydronium Ion: The Effective Fragment Potential and Umbrella Sampling

The surface affinity of the hydronium ion in water is investigated with umbrella sampling and classical molecular dynamics simulations, in which the system is described with the effective fragment potential (EFP). The solvated hydronium ion is also explored using second order perturbation theory for the hydronium ion and the empirical TIP5P potential for the waters. Umbrella sampling is used to analyze the surface affinity of the hydronium ion, varying the number of solvent water molecules from 32 to 256. Umbrella sampling with the EFP method predicts the hydronium ion to most probably lie about halfway between the center and edge of the water cluster, independent of the cluster size. Umbrella sampling using MP2 for the hydronium ion and TIP5P for the solvating waters predicts that the solvated proton most probably lies about 0.5–2.0 Å from the edge of the water cluster independent of the cluster size