What Future for the U.S. Reserve Programs?

Crop Production/Industries,

APPLYING LISA CONCEPTS ON SOUTHERN FARMS OR CHANGING FARM PHILOSOPHIES: DISCUSSION

Farm Management,

Potential Economic Impacts of the Managed Haying and Grazing Provision of CRP

According to the Executive Order 12866, a qualitative and quantitative assessment for any Federal mandate resulting in annual expenditures of $100 million or more is required. This study determines how many of the approximately 34.5 million acres of CRP land is brought back in economic use, how that use is allocated between grazing and haying, and the economic impact.CRP, land allocation, economic impact, Agricultural and Food Policy, Environmental Economics and Policy, Land Economics/Use, Research and Development/Tech Change/Emerging Technologies,

Fertilizer Demand for Biofuel and Cereal crop Production in the United States

The emergence of biofuel production has impacted almost all sectors of the agricultural industry and the general economy and has produced a large body of research into how increased production of biofuels will impact the agricultural sector and the general economy. All research is in agreement that total biomass production will be required to increase to meet food and fuel demands. The increase in biomass will, of necessity, require increased use of fertilizers. Research on fertilizer demand has been scarce over the last decade. Because of the recent increase in the demand for grain crops and livestock in an era with little excess capacity in commodity production, the pressure to increase output will fall to increased use of fertilizers. In addition, there is some evidence of increasing scarcity in the principle macro nutrients (eg phosphorus, nitrogen and potassium). Thus, there is an urgent need to initiate research into the demand for fertilizers to determine the economic implications of expanded crop and livestock production. This analysis can provide crop producers and policy makers with important information on the role of nutrients in the economics of expanding uses for the major grain and forage crops. Most researchers have focused on total fertilizer (N.P.K) demand for total crop production which does not capture the effects of individual fertilizers on the individual crops. This study focuses on nitrogen demand for biofuel and cereal crop production and the impact on crop prices in the United States using the method of feasible generalized least squares (FGLS) estimation by weighted least squares regression. The results show that nitrogen fertilizer is very much responsive to corn price, wheat price, nitrogen price, phosphate price, and potash price. Results also indicate that increase in nitrogen price decreases nitrogen demand while increases in the price of corn, wheat, and other fertilizers increases the demand for nitrogen fertilizer.Nitrogen demand, corn production, fertilizer prices, biofuel production., Agricultural and Food Policy, Production Economics, Resource /Energy Economics and Policy,

What is the Difference in Profit per Acre between Organic and Conventional Coffee?

The research addresses the economic problem of deforestation. A contributing factor to deforestation is coffee production. Coffee is an indigenous plant that is naturally occurring in the native tropical forests. However, conventional coffee is grown on cleared forest soil. In the native forest there is the potential for additional fruits (bananas, mangoes, avocados) and wood products while in the conventional coffee production system the only product is coffee. Conventional coffee production often causes deforestation and soil erosion while the organic coffee production system does not. In addition, the price risk associated with the coffee monoculture is high and has proven disastrous to the sustainability of coffee production in past years. Thus, determining the comparative cost and return between the two methods can provide important information for coffee producers. The purpose of the research is to determine the per acre profitability between conventional and organic coffee. This will be determined by researching the distribution of quantity on representative plots. This will help identify any size or scale economies. Determining the difference in profit per acre between organic and conventional coffee production included identifying and working with production stakeholders, engaging in fieldwork, site and case study selection, and determining measurable, non-market benefits and costs that pertain to environmental and community factors. This included, but is not limited to fertilization, water, pesticide use, and timber harvest.coffee, inputs, outputs, species variation, Costa Rica, organic, conventional, Agribusiness, Crop Production/Industries, Environmental Economics and Policy, International Relations/Trade, Risk and Uncertainty,

Analysis of Revenue Assurance Proposals

Financial Economics,

Methods for Estimating Economic Damages from Environmental Contamination

While significant attention has been given to the decrease in property values associated with environmental contamination (i.e., stigma effects), little attention has been given to the stigma impacts on the local community as a whole. In addition, most estimates of stigma damages have been performed within a community, using distance from contamination or comparing contamination and non contamination areas in the community. In this article we determine stigma damages by analyzing property values in comparable communities and develop the rationale for estimating the community impact associated with environmental contamination that extends beyond the impact on individual property owners. These impacts were estimated for the environmental contamination from zinc smelting in the municipality of Blackwell, Oklahoma. The impacts were measured in terms of lost ad valorem tax revenue using hedonic pricing and average treatment effects.environmental damages, environmental contamination, Environmental Economics and Policy, Q51,

Producers and Consumer attitudes toward Biotechnology in Ghana

Over 265 million people in Sub-Saharan Africa face malnutrition, chronic hunger, and poverty. One of the technologies that could help alleviate the perpetuating cycle of chronic hunger is biotechnology. Genetic modification (GM) has the potential to enhance agricultural productivity and improve Africa’s food security, but little is known about the potential benefits and costs of using genetically modified maize in Africa - Ghana. African and Ghanaian policy makers, farmers, and consumers often have difficulty accepting new technologies. Their reluctance is due to the investment required for new technology, - aversion to risk, the changes required to traditional production practices, and incomplete- knowledge of new technologies. This study elicits the knowledge, views, acceptability, preference, adaptability, and willingness-to-pay for genetically modified GM corn (maize). A survey instrument was used in two corn growing areas in the Ashanti Region of Ghana, to identify the barriers to the adoption of GM corn. The results of the study suggest that maize growers in the Ashanti region are willing to try GM maize, contrary to the current government restrictions.Producers and Consumer attitudes toward Biotechnology in Ghana, Agricultural and Food Policy, International Development, International Relations/Trade,

The Impact of Biofuel Mandates and Switchgrass Production on Hay Markets

The Renewable Fuel Standard mandate in the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 requires 16 billion gallons out of 36 billion gallons of ethanol be produced from cellulosic feedstocks in 2022, but the mandate was apparently enacted without critical assessments of the agricultural impacts of attempting to achieve energy independence. The feedstock production will likely compete with lands currently used for producing other traditional crops of which hay is likely to be affected the most since it has comparatively lower net returns. Thus ruminant production will consequently be affected greatly. This study uses ordinary least squares (OLS) to estimate and predict Oklahoma hay price which is used as objective value in linear programming (LP) model that determines the profitability options between hay and switchgrass production. The OLS results show that Oklahoma hay price is fairly stable, and hay is shipped across adjoining states. The LP results show that switchgrass production would be more profitable than hay and that switchgrass for biofuel production likely will bid land away from hay if biofuel production becomes fully operational.biofuel mandates, switchgrass production, hay production, hay markets., Agricultural and Food Policy, Environmental Economics and Policy, Production Economics, Research and Development/Tech Change/Emerging Technologies, Resource /Energy Economics and Policy,

Determinants of Students’ First Impressions of Instructors and Courses

Students evaluated instructors and courses in the first two weeks of the fall semester to determine the factors that form impressions in the early stages of the semester. Results indicate differences exist between upper and lower division courses with presentation of material and perceived workload as key factors that students use to form first impressions.Teaching/Communication/Extension/Profession,