EXPLANATION OF THE BASIC FORMULA PRICE PROVISIONS OF THE PROPOSED RULE

An important segment of milk marketing order reform involves replacing the current BFP. This working paper explains the background of the BFP issue, the options considered and the provisions of the proposed rule as related to the BFP issue.Marketing,

IMPACT OF ALTERNATIVE FARM PROGRAMS ON DIFFERENT SIZE COTTON FARMS IN THE TEXAS SOUTHERN HIGH PLAINS: A SIMULATION APPROACH

Eight Texas High Plains cotton farms, ranging in size from 189 acres to 5,570 acres, were simulated under six alternative farm program provisions to determine the likely structural impacts of these programs. The results indicate mid-size farms benefit more from farm programs than either small or large farms since the programs allow them to remain in business. Denying mid-size commercial farms access to the farm program would likely accelerate the trend towards a bimodal distribution of farm sizes on the High Plains.Agribusiness, Crop Production/Industries,

IMPACTS OF EPA DAIRY WASTE REGULATIONS ON FARM PROFITABILITY

Agricultural and Food Policy,

An Analysis of Whole Farm Revenue Safety Net Options in Agriculture

Despite many years of experience, the federal government continues to seek a farm program that holds the potential for providing a politically acceptable safety net for farmers. This study demonstrates that, with the 2002 Farm Bill, AMTA, and marketing loan provisions continuing, a whole farm revenue safety net has the potential for simplifying existing farm programs, while enhancing the financial position of US farmers. There remains the need for further analysis of the impacts of the options analyzed on supply response by farmers.Agricultural and Food Policy,

National Agricultural, Research, Extension, Education and Economics Advisory Board Southern Regional Listening Session - Small and Family Farms: Challenges and Needs Alcorn State University, Alcorn, Mississippi

The Agricultural and Food Policy Center’s (AFPC) primary purpose is to analyze the economic and financial impacts of alternative government policies on U.S. farming and ranching operations. This is accomplished through the maintenance of data necessary to simulate the economic and financial activities of more than 80 representative crop and livestock farms chosen from major production areas across the United States. Twenty of the 41 crop farms are located in the Southern region. A brief description of these crop farms and their location is summarized in Appendix A. The economic and financial observations reported in this paper are based on AFPC’s experience with the crop farms in the Southern region. The paper is organized into four sections. The first section summarizes the process used to develop the representative farms. The second section presents the crop farms in terms of total crop cash receipts and economic efficiency as measured by the ratio of total cash costs to receipts. The third section reports the economic and financial conclusions inferred by AFPC’s experience with these crop farms. The final section addresses research, education and policy implications drawn from the analysis.Agricultural and Food Policy,

American Agriculture: What We Can Expect - National Symposium on the Future of American Agriculture, University of Georgia: August 1999

The Agricultural and Food Policy Center (AFPC) of the Texas A&M University System is pleased to be invited to address this symposium addressing the future of U.S. agriculture. As a participant in the FAPRI consortium, AFPC monitors the economic conditions of U.S. agriculture at the farm and ranch level. To accomplish this, AFPC maintains approximately 80 crop, dairy, beef and pork representative farms throughout the nation. In the interest of time, this paper will focus only on the economic condition of the 41 feed grain/oilseeds, wheat, cotton and rice farms through the year 2002. Anyone interested in the livestock operations, or more detail on the crop farms, are directed to the AFPC web site at http://afpc1.tamu.edu. The publications included at this site provide greater detail about the process AFPC employs to develop the representative farms, their structure and their financial characteristics.Agribusiness, Agricultural and Food Policy,

MAXIMIZING EFFICIENCY IN AGRICULTURE

Productivity Analysis,

A FARM-LEVEL LOOK AT THE FUTURE OF AMERICAN AGRICULTURE

Relatively low crop prices over the past two years, as well as regional weather adversity, has been the catalyst for the passage of "ad hoc" emergency relief. This paper examines the economic and financial status of 41 representative panel farms over the 1999-2002 period. When forecasting through the life of the 1996 Farm Bill, the representative crop farms are assessed by Texas A&M's Agricultural and Food Policy Center to be in the weakest condition observed over the last decade for liquidity and the related need to refinance.agricultural policy, farm profitability, liquidity, Agricultural and Food Policy, Agricultural Finance,

EVALUATION OF THE PROPOSED RULE FOR SETTING CLASS III AND CLASS IV MILK PRICES UNDER FEDERAL MILK MARKETING ORDERS

Marketing,