MATHEMATICAL FORMULAS FOR CALCULATING NET RETURNS FROM PARTICIPATION IN GOVERNMENT PROGRAMS, CRP, AND CROP INSURANCE ALTERNATIVES

The purpose of this report is to provide a revised version of the publication, "Mathematical Formulas for Calculating Net Returns from Participation in Government Commodity Programs including Marketing Loans" (Williams and Barnaby, 1994). The change in design of the government commodity programs and development of several crop insurance alternatives has been significant since the previous paper was published. The formulas for calculating net returns incorporate provisions from the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 and several crop insurance designs developed in the 1990s. Individuals conducting research or education programs will be able to use this revision for reference when estimating net returns for producers under current commodity program and crop insurance plan provisions.Agricultural Finance,

Poultry producer\u27s willingness to invest in on-farm carcass disposal

Foreign animal diseases (FAD) can cause substantial economic losses in production, consumption, and the supply chain. These diseases are typically highly pathogenic and lead to disruptions in normal business practices and to demands for higher investment in biosecurity practices. For poultry producers this can lead to changes in bird pick-ups, chick placements, and length of out time on farms as well as changes in day-to-day operations. When an FAD is reported, poultry producers that rely on off-premises carcass disposal (e.g., renderers or landfills) may be required to develop on-farm disposal capacity (e.g., incinerators or burial) rapidly if their operation falls within movement restriction zones. While preemptive planning is suggested, not all producers have an environmentally approved plan given disruptions in business continuity. This study estimated poultry producers’ willingness to pay (WTP) for on-farm carcass disposal methods for routine, non-catastrophic mortality during an FAD outbreak to understand what factors contribute to the investment decision. Poultry producers were surveyed about their operations’ characteristics, their disease perceptions, and were presented with a hypothetical disease scenario. The estimated mean WTP for additional disposal capacity was $15,651. Besides indicating that a market for on-farm carcass disposal exists, our findings also provide information that can be used when creating policy to simultaneously incentivize farm-level biosecurity and carcass disposal protocols while continuing to encourage disease reporting, which together, improves overall livestock disease management in the United States

Valuing the absence of feral swine in the United States: A partial equilibrium approach

Feral swine (also called wild pigs; Sus scrofa Linnaeus) are known to cause damage to crops among other types of property damage. This research addresses the lack of economic welfare estimates of wild pig imposed crop damages in the literature by estimating the value of wild pig removal with respect to five crops in nine southern U.S. states. An equilibrium displacement model was used to assess the changes in price and quantity that would result from eliminating damage to corn, soybeans, wheat, rice, and peanuts in these nine states. Changes in price and quantity were used to calculate the changes in producer and consumer welfare in both the short- and longrun. The total producer and consumer surplus gains were found to be $142 million in the short-run and$89 million in the long-run

Valuing the absence of feral swine in the United States: A partial equilibrium approach

Feral swine (also called wild pigs; Sus scrofa Linnaeus) are known to cause damage to crops among other types of property damage. This research addresses the lack of economic welfare estimates of wild pig imposed crop damages in the literature by estimating the value of wild pig removal with respect to five crops in nine southern U.S. states. An equilibrium displacement model was used to assess the changes in price and quantity that would result from eliminating damage to corn, soybeans, wheat, rice, and peanuts in these nine states. Changes in price and quantity were used to calculate the changes in producer and consumer welfare in both the short- and longrun. The total producer and consumer surplus gains were found to be $142 million in the short-run and$89 million in the long-run

Is social stress in the first half of life detrimental to later physical and mental health in both men and women?

This study examined gender differences in the associations between affection- and status-related stressors encountered in the first half of life and physical and mental health problems later on. Based on the theory of Social Production Functions (SPF) two hypotheses have been formulated, which were tested in a representative sample of 446 men and 514 women (aged 40–79). Main outcome measures were number of chronic somatic diseases and level of psychological distress. As expected, regression analyses showed no gender differences in the associations between affection-related stressors and physical and mental health problems later on. In contrast, but as also expected, status-related stressors encountered in the first half of life were associated with later physical and mental health for men only. It is concluded that the gender differences in the associations between earlier social stressors and later health problems may be more complex than the common assumption that men are only affected by status stress and women only by affection stress. This study contributes to the knowledge on gender differences concerning the link between social stress and health, and it indicates that social experiences encountered earlier in life are of importance for being healthy and happy in later life

Social Work Scholars Perceptions of Practice-Informed Research and Research Informed Practice

Despite a focus on applied social work research, there is a gap in research-informed practice and practice-informed research. This article presents the findings of an exploration study of tenured-track and non-tenured track faculty in CSWE accredited Social Work programs and their perceptions of practice-informed research and research-informed practice. Data were collected in two phases via electronic survey and a second phase of brief interviews. Forty-two participants completed the survey and seven interviews were conducted. This study found that there are clear tensions between the time it takes to engage the community and how that impacts the tenure and promotion process. Participants discussed strategies used to promote more community engaged research but overall, the environment of the traditional academic institution does not always foster this role, instead, social work scholars fold themselves into traditional research and dissemination methods that inhibit community-engagement and innovation in the development of social work programs and practices. Future research is needed in understanding how nontraditional disseminations methods impact and/or invite more collaboration between practitioners and scholars. Additionally, a wide-scale evaluation of the impact of promotion and tenure on the development of social work programs and practices is needed

Evaluation of Colorado State University's Wheat Breeding Program, An: economic impacts on wheat yields

Includes bibliographical references (page 11).Colorado State University's (CSU) Wheat Breeding and Genetics Program will celebrate its' 50th anniversary in 2013. Having released more than 30 different varieties since its' 1963 inception, the program has played an integral part in developing and releasing varieties of wheat appropriate for the growing conditions of Colorado. The role of the CSU program has become even more evident in recent times. According to the USDA's Colorado Agricultural Statistics Service (2012), CSU-bred wheat cultivars now account for over 60 percent of Colorado's 2.6 million acres of wheat