The economic feasibility of producing biodiesel from soybean oil in Missouri [abstract]

Abstract only availableFaculty Mentor: Dr. Joe Parcell, Agricultural EconomicsMissouri soybean farmers have recently taken an interest in producing biodiesel from their commodity product. Two successful corn ethanol plants in Missouri have enticed soybean producers to find a value added product to increase their profits. If soybean farmers could successfully create a profitable producer-owned biodiesel plant, then not only could they increase their own income per bushel of soybeans but also increase local soybean price through the additional demand for the commodity in the area. This would provide supplemental income to a historically small-margined industry. But, is biodiesel production economically feasible in Missouri? The objective of this research is to investigate whether biodiesel production is an economically feasible investment and to determine the amount of government subsidies required to make producer investment in biodiesel production profitable.CAFNR On-Campus Research Internship Progra

How to Find “Missing” Genes

AbstractAssigning function to “new” proteins is frequently the rate-determining step for deciphering metabolic pathways and regulatory networks. Osterman and Begley break down this barrier by demonstrating that comparative analyses of microbial genomes is a powerful strategy for identifying pathway components

The Effect of Evaluator\u27s Mood and Type of Accountability on Performance Appraisal Evaluations: A Study of the Affect Infusion Model

The purpose of this study was to test the theoretical framework of Forgas’ (1995) Affect Infusion Model on the extent to which mood and type of accountability (no, process, and outcome) influenced information search strategies and judgment outcomes. Information boards (e.g. Billings & Scherer, 1991; Payne, 1976) were utilized to examine the amount of information searched and the performance ratings made of hypothetical teaching assistants. A 2 (mood) X 3 (accountability) between-factors design was used to examine the data. Seventy four undergraduate students were randomly assigned to one of six groups: positive mood/no-accountability, positive mood/ outcome accountability, positive mood/ process accountability, negative mood/ no- accountability, negative mood/outcome accountability, and negative mood/ process accountability. Participants in the outcome accountability condition, regardless of mood, were expected to utilize a motivated processing strategy; participants in the process accountability, regardless of mood, condition were expected to utilize a substantive processing strategy; participants in the no accountability condition, regardless of mood, were expected to utilize a heuristic processing strategy. Participants in the outcome accountability and process accountability conditions were expected to search significantly more information compared to participants in the no-accountability condition. However, for the process accountability and the no accountability conditions, participants in the positive mood condition were expected to rate teaching assistants more positively compared to participants in the negative mood condition, but for participants in the outcome accountability condition, no difference in performance ratings were expected. The results of the investigation do not support the predictions made

Analysis of the average crop revenue election program, a representative farm approach

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 on November 17, 2009).Thesis advisor: Dr. Patrick Westhoff.M.S. University of Missouri--Columbia 2009.The Average Crop Revenue Election (ACRE) program was created in the Food, Conservation and Energy Act of 2008. The program is intended to help offset years of low market revenues for agricultural producers. However, those who enroll in ACRE must forego portions of traditional payments. This study was conducted to determine what types of farms are good candidates for the ACRE program and the sensitivity of those results to input parameters and program provisions. These objectives were accomplished by creating four model farms representing typical, full-time operations. This resulted in representative farms in the following counties: McLean, Illinois; Sumner, Kansas; Hale, Texas; and Boliver, Mississippi. One thousand stochastic prices and yields were generated for each crop on each representative farm. Correlations were imposed on the variables to create the appropriate interactions between prices and yields. The results of the Monte Carlo simulations show that cotton producers are unlikely to benefit from the ACRE program, as the payments foregone to enroll in this new program are very high. Additionally, states with lower price/yield correlation tend to receive ACRE payments more often. Furthermore, 2009 is shown to be the best year to enroll under the assumed price path. Altering the price path can change the ACRE enrollment decision as demonstrated in the analysis. Likewise, the optimal producer decision is shown to be sensitive to the base acres on each representative farm. Finally, the analysis reveals that ACRE benefits are dependent on the program's payment rate restrictions.Includes bibliographical references

HOW MUCH VALUE IS THERE IN A PRODUCER BRANDED BRED HEIFER PROGRAM?

Agricultural producers are pursuing many methods by which to add value. Typically, some type of change in commodity form is used to add value. However, there exist methods by which added value occurs through intensive management practices, particularly in seedstock production. We investigated the brand premium to a producer-owned quality-based bred heifer program. Results indicated that producers garner in access of a $100/head premium, while potentially reducing future search/advertising costs through building brand loyalty.Livestock Production/Industries,

Three essays regarding U.S. crop policy and risk

Agricultural policy is an important component of risk management in U.S. agriculture. This dissertation focuses on various aspects of this topic. In the first essay, we find that baselines generated for policy analysis can serve as viable forecasts of season average farm prices. Specifically, simple alternatives of a time-series model and a futures-based forecast failed to perform better or contain all of the information for corn and soybean prices in the baselines. The result is that the baselines provide a resource to the public beyond just their use for scenario analysis. Crop underinsurance is examined in the second essay. Producers purchase some crop insurance options that expected utility theory (EUT) suggests they should not select. The essay examines several of the explanations that have been proposed for this outcome and finds that a budget constraint, asymmetric information and cumulative prospect theory under the correct condition are plausible explanations. Analysis from a survey finds that producers in the Plains and the South are more likely to underinsure. Furthermore, producers more sensitive to premiums are less likely to underinsure. The survey used in the second essay also revealed that 64 percent of respondents believe that they lose money on crop insurance over time. Given program design and past performance, this result is surprising. The third essay examines this result and finds that a recent indemnity is a significant factor in explaining this outcome, which is evidence of recency bias in the perception of crop insurance. However, we fail to find this perception is related to actual crop insurance decisions.Includes bibliographical references

Can sequence determine function?

The functional annotation of proteins identified in genome sequencing projects is based on similarities to homologs in the databases. As a result of the possible strategies for divergent evolution, homologous enzymes frequently do not catalyze the same reaction, and we conclude that assignment of function from sequence information alone should be viewed with some skepticism

Baseline Outlook for Missouri Representative Farms 2006-2010

This report presents a five-year outlook for the set of 36 Missouri representative farms using the FAPRI 2006 U.S. Baseline.This material is based on work supported by the Cooperative State Research Education and Extension Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, under agreement no. 2004-34228-14502

Days suitable for fieldwork in Missouri (2016)

The number of days available to complete land-based agricultural activities influences decisions about inputs, such as variety/hybrid planted and pesticide used, and machinery. The limited fieldwork days available for completing crucial tasks -- such as tillage, planting and harvest -- require careful management

Fieldwork days and machinery capacity (2007)

One of the more difficult decisions for farm managers is determining the appropriate machinery performance level to match the workload. The vagaries of weather, the narrow window of time to complete critical fieldwork, and the relatively high capital cost of equipment add complexity to an important decision. In this guide, the probability of not completing fieldwork in a timely fashion is used as a way to quantify the risk of incurring excess costs due to weather uncertainty. Without climatic data it is difficult to estimate the extent of risk exposure or to judge whether a farm is over or under capacity