Record-Keeping Technology Adoption in the Louisiana Dairy Industry

Louisiana farmers were surveyed to determine their adoption of information and record-keeping technologies, including the internet, DHIA, use of financial measures, and frequency of use of computerized records. Factors influencing adoption included having a family successor, overall technology adoption propensity, diversification, off-farm income, college degree, and others.Livestock Production/Industries, Research and Development/Tech Change/Emerging Technologies,

AN EXPERIMENT IN RETAIL FRESH SEAFOOD MERCHANDISING

Examines alternative merchandising techniques for fresh seafood and recommends improved practices designed to improve profitability in supermarkets.Agribusiness,

GOALS OF BEEF CATTLE AND DAIRY PRODUCERS: A COMPARISON OF THE FUZZY PAIR-WISE METHOD AND SIMPLE RANKING PROCEDURE

Beef and dairy producers' goal hierarchies over seven goals are compared using fuzzy pair-wise comparison and simple ranking methods. Results show the two methods do not provide similar goal rankings. Producers place greater importance on some goals than others, but are not in agreement as to the relative importance of goals.Livestock Production/Industries,

CASK regulates CaMKII autophosphorylation in neuronal growth, calcium signaling, and learning

Calcium (Ca2+)/calmodulin (CaM)-dependent kinase II (CaMKII) activity plays a fundamental role in learning and memory. A key feature of CaMKII in memory formation is its ability to be regulated by autophosphorylation, which switches its activity on and off during synaptic plasticity. The synaptic scaffolding protein CASK (calcium (Ca2+)/calmodulin (CaM) associated serine kinase) is also important for learning and memory, as mutations in CASK result in intellectual disability and neurological defects in humans. We show that in Drosophila larvae, CASK interacts with CaMKII to control neuronal growth and calcium signalling. Furthermore, deletion of the CaMK-like and L27 domains of CASK (CASK β null) or expression of overactive CaMKII (T287D) produced similar effects on synaptic growth and Ca2+ signalling. CASK overexpression rescues the effects of CaMKII overactivity, consistent with the notion that CASK and CaMKII act in a common pathway that controls these neuronal processes. The reduction in Ca2+ signalling observed in the CASK β null mutant caused a decrease in vesicle trafficking at synapses. In addition, the decrease in Ca2+ signalling in CASK mutants was associated with an increase in Ether-à-go-go (EAG) potassium (K+) channel localisation to synapses. Reducing EAG restored the decrease in Ca2+ signalling observed in CASK mutants to the level of wildtype, suggesting that CASK regulates Ca2+ signalling via EAG. CASK knockdown reduced both appetitive associative learning and odour evoked Ca2+ responses in Drosophila mushroom bodies, which are the learning centres of Drosophila. Expression of human CASK in Drosophila rescued the effect of CASK deletion on the activity state of CaMKII, suggesting that human CASK may also regulate CaMKII autophosphorylation

Beef Producer Preferences and Purchase Decisions for Livestock Price Insurance

Personal interviews were conducted with beef cattle producers in Louisiana to determine their preferences and purchase decisions for livestock price insurance. Conjoint analysis was utilized to determine the importance of selected attributes of insurance policies for these producers. The characteristics of producers who prefer given attributes were also identified. Producers rated products given four economic situations to evaluate. A two-limit tobit model was used to estimate the part worth utility values for each attribute. Univariate probit models were estimated to evaluate the influence of producer characteristics on purchase decisions.conjoint, livestock price insurance, ordered probit, two-limit tobit, Agribusiness, Demand and Price Analysis, Livestock Production/Industries,

PROJECTED COSTS AND RETURNS FOR BEEF CATTLE, DAIRY PRODUCTION, SWINE PRODUCTION AND FORAGE CROPS IN LOUISIANA, 1997

Data for this report are based on Louisiana Agricultural Experiment Station research results and selected surveys. The procedure used in this report was to apply new machinery and other current input price data to production practice data. Production practice and performance data for beef cattle and associated forage crops are based on surveys of beef cattle producers supplemented with research records for beef herds maintained at six branch stations of the Louisiana Agricultural Experiment Station.Production practice data for dairy production are based on unpublished survey data, Cooperative Extension Service recommendations and records from the LSU dairy herd.Farm Management,

The Economics of Organic Versus Conventional Cow-calf Production

Costs, returns, and profitability of cow-calf farms that are organic or transitioning to organic are compared with those of cow-calf farms that are non-organic. A method of matching samples is used for the comparison. Results suggest higher cost of organic production due to higher unpaid labor, taxes and insurance, and overhead costs.Matching Samples, Profit, Costs, Farm Management, Production Economics,

THE EFFECT OF RISK AND AUTONOMY ON INDEPENDENT HOG PRODUCERS' CONTRACTING DECISIONS

The introduction of vertical coordination in the hog industry has provided producers with new business arrangements for raising hogs. While some researchers have elicited utility functions for hog producers on the basis of income risk, none have addressed autonomy, a factor which appears to be important in business arrangement selection for independent family hog operations. In this study, a method is developed for eliciting a multi-attribute function with attributes of income and autonomy. Utility functions are elicited for a group of Minnesota farrow-to-finish hog producers. For these producers, autonomy dominated risk as the most important attribute in business arrangement selection.Livestock Production/Industries,