Impact of Off-Farm Employment on Farmers’ Willingness to Grow Switchgrass and Miscanthus

Current study analyzed the socio-economic factors that impact farmers’ willingness to grow switchgrass and Miscanthus in Missouri and Iowa. The results of study show that current level of farmers’ willingness to grow either crop is low. Hence, there are barriers to accomplishing to goal of producing 21 billion gallons of cellulosic ethanol by 2022, as set by the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007. The results of the ordered probit regressions show that farmers with higher education levels and smaller farm sales are more willing to grow energy crops. The results of this study show that currently growing energy crops is more attractive to small farms as a source of crop diversification, rather than an alternative crop production in the big scale by large farms.Bioenergy, Cellulosic Ethanol, Switchgrass, Miscanthus, Ordered Probit, Agricultural and Food Policy, Environmental Economics and Policy, Resource /Energy Economics and Policy,

Impact of Farm Size and Uncertainty on Technology Disadoption

For policies that promote use of new technologies by farmers to be successful, it is important that farmers continue to use these technologies. Technology disadoption has not been analyzed in the literature widely and there is no theoretical model that analyzes technology disadoption. The objective of the current study is to provide a theoretical framework that explains the impact of farm size and uncertainty with respect to production technology on farmers’ decision to disadopt a new technology. Current study found that a negative relationship between farm size and disadoption technologies that were complement to other technologies that are used by larger farms. Also, the current study predicted that larger farmers are more likely to disadopt a new technology if a fixed replacement cost is required, where average replacement cost decreases with farm size. For the impact of technological uncertainty, the current paper found that if the variance of the profit from current technology or pratice increases, farmers become more likely to disadopt the current technology or the practices.Technology Disadoption, Farm Size, Uncertainty, Environmental Quality, Environmental Economics and Policy,

IMPACT OF OFF-FARM INCOME ON ADOPTION OF CONSERVATION PRACTICES

Off-farm income has recently been incorporated into the analysis of technology adoption, due to its increasing share in total farm household income in the U.S. Previous studies, however, found inconsistent results with respect to the impact of off-farm income on adoption of conservation practices. The contribution of the current study is to provide a conceptual model which shows that off-farm work has positive impact on adoption of capital incentive practices and negative impact on adoption labor intensive technologies. The results of multivariate probit regression confirms that adoption of injecting manure into the soil, which is a capital intensive practice, is positively and significantly impacted by off-farm work, and adoption of record keeping, which is a labor intensive practice, is negatively and significantly impacted by off-farm work.Resource /Energy Economics and Policy,

Disadoption of Agricultural Practices by Livestock Farmers

To be effective, policies that encourage farmers to use new technologies or practices need farmers both adopt and also keep using these technologies and practices. Adoption of new technologies has been widely analyzed in the literature. However, there is little known about the factors that cause farmers to keep using new technologies or quit using them. Using hazard function estimation, the current study investigates disadoption of Roundup Ready soybeans, injecting manure into the soil, and soil testing. The results of the current study show that over time farmers observe the true benefits and costs of these practices and they become more likely to disadopt these practices.Disadoption, New Technology, Hazard Function, Learning, Uncertainty, Agricultural and Food Policy, Environmental Economics and Policy,

Manure Application Rules and Environmental Considerations

Three manure application limits (N Limit, Annual P Limit and P Banking) were modeled with particular attention to the number of hours needed to appropriately distribute manure. The benefit and costs estimates indicated that P Banking was more profitable than N Limit which was more profitable than Annual P Limit. The number of hours required indicated that the Annual P Limit would not be completed within a two month window approximately 2 of 10 years. The increased number of hours for the Annual P Limit also increased the probability of a runoff event following manure application, relative to the other two scenarios. This work indicates that regulations that require Annual P Limits of manure cost the farmer and may have the unintended consequence of increasing runoff.manure, environment, policy, runoff, hours, acres, probability, rainfall, Environmental Economics and Policy, Farm Management, Livestock Production/Industries, Production Economics, Risk and Uncertainty,

Adoption of Phytase by Livestock Farmers

Phytase represents a potential win/win management practice for non-ruminant producers since it can reduce the need for phosphorous supplementation and also result in lower phosphorous runoff. Cost of phytase has decreased and cost of phosphorous has increased. The reported adoption rate for phytase for non-ruminants was 17.2 percent, however it is currently added to virtually all swine and poultry premixes by feed manufacturers due to the cost savings. People were more likely to say they use phytase if they think it is profitable, not time intensive, and improves water quality.manure, phytase, phosphorous, adoption, Environmental Economics and Policy, Livestock Production/Industries,

Exploring Destination Image Themes on Twitter, Before, During, and After Terror Attacks in Paris: An Application of Agenda Setting Theory

Paris, France is one of the most popular tourism destinations in the contemporary tourism industry. In November 2015, Paris experienced the deadliest terror attacks in its history. Newspapers and broadcast media spread the information through news, while masses have utilized social media to get instant information. The main purpose of this study is to explore how the destination image of the capital of France, Paris, is affected by the terror crisis. The study has explored user-generated social media data before, during, and after the November 2015 terror attacks in Paris to understand factors of the destination image. Correspondingly, by accessing online communication data, the study has explored agenda setters of the destination. Additionally, this research has gone one step further by utilizing destination image themes found in online communication, to look at the effects of time on sentiments towards a destination. Exploring perceptions of destination image through social media communication is a novel approach in tourism research. This research may enable tourism players to better understand destinations\u27 tourism products. As well, this perspective may help destination marketers in the future to overcome shifts in brand image during a terror crisis by understanding the relationship between sentiments towards destination image themes with respect to time. In sum, this study has stimulated better planning for sustainable brand image in tourism practices as an exemplary model for any destination. The study has been conducted using unstructured social media data and sequential mixed methods research design. First step was qualitative analysis using NVivo software, to understand the destination image themes. Second step was quantitative analysis of variables using SPSS software

Effect of antimicrobial agents on physical, chemical and microbiological characteristics of ready-to-eat bologna

The entire thesis text is included in the research.pdf file; the official abstract appears in the short.pdf file; a non-technical public abstract appears in the public.pdf file.Title from PDF of title page (University of Missouri--Columbia, viewed September 24, 2009).Thesis advisor: Dr. Andrew D. Clarke.M.S. University of Missouri--Columbia 2008.Quality and safety of ready-to-eat meat products can be altered by antimicrobial agents such as lactates and diacetates. This project evaluated the effect of Ional (1.5%, 2.5%, 3.5%), Ional LC (1.5%, 2.5%, 3.5%) and Optiform SD4 (2.5%) compared to a control on selected physical, chemical and microbiological characteristics of ready-to-eat vacuum-packaged bologna slices stored less at than 40C for up to 112 days of retail display. Water activity (aw), expressible moisture (WHC), pH, fat and moisture content, cooking yield, texture profile analysis, puncture test, Hunter color values, total aerobic plate count (PCA), yeast and mold count (YM), and lactobacilli count (MRS) were evaluated. WHC, pH and texture profile parameters were significantly different (P [less than] 0.05) between treatments. Bologna formulated with Optiform SD4 (2.5%) had the highest springiness and hardness values after control and it had highest puncture value. Water activity was not significantly different (P[greater than]0.05) between treatments. Furthermore, day of display had no significant affect on aw L value was significantly different for treatments, but Hunter a and b values were not.Includes bibliographical reference

Off-Farm Employment Effects on Adoption of Nutrient Management Practices

Off-farm income as a share of total farm household income has been increasing. Previous studies found inconsistent results regarding the impact of off-farm income on adoption of conservation practices. We test the hypothesis that off-farm employment has a positive impact on adoption of capital incentive practices and a negative impact on adoption of labor-intensive practices. The results confirm that adoption of injecting manure into the soil, a capital intensive practice, is positively and significantly impacted by off-farm employment of the operator. However, off-farm employment variables had no effect on adoption of record keeping.adoption, nutrient management, off-farm income, Environmental Economics and Policy, Livestock Production/Industries,

Use of citrus fiber in ground beef meatballs as a functional ingredient

In recent years, consumer's food choices have shifted towards healthy foods due to an increased concern about coronary heart disease and diabetes. Food products with high fat and cholesterol content have been associated with these health problems and consumption of processed meat products have been linked to these diseases. Research in developing healthy meat products is becoming more crucial. Therefore, the objective of this study was to determine the use of citrus fiber in ground beef meatballs as a functional ingredient. The study was conducted in four phases. In the first phase, presence of flavonoid compounds in a citrus fiber was measured by reverse-phase high-pressure liquid chromatography along with total polyphenol content, total carotenoid content and oxygen radical absorbance capacity. Results showed that citrus fiber used in this study had a trace amount of quercetin and kaempferol, and low concentrations of nobiletin, sinensetin, heptamethoxyflavone and tangeretin. For the second phase of the study, the impact of adding citrus fiber on quality attributes of ground beef meatballs were investigated. While addition of citrus fiber increased cooking yield and water holding capacity,did not change the pH of both raw and cooked meatballs. The third phase of the study determined the oxidative stability of ground beef meatballs made with different citrus fiber levels. The stability was evaluated using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Results showed that addition of citrus fiber caused oxidation in ground beef meatballs comparison to control treatments. In the final phase of the study, consumer preferences for citrus fiber added meatballs were tested.Results showed that consumers moderately liked the flavor, texture and over likeness of the meatballs made with citrus fiber. Also, addition of citrus fiber caused tenderness in the meatballs that use of citrus fiber in very lean meatball recipes can help with replacing fat and making tender meatballs