The Ethanolization of Agriculture and the Roles of Agricultural Economists

Agricultural and Food Policy, Resource /Energy Economics and Policy,

Will the Mississippi and Louisiana Dairy Industry Survive Hurricane Katrina?

The Mississippi and Louisiana dairy industry was devastated by Hurricane Katrina when 400+ farms were severely damaged. These producers face difficult choices between repairing damages (estimated at $120,000/farm) or ceasing operations. An estimated 25-30 percent of impacted farms may quit milking, which reduces the critical mass needed to sustain this industry.Livestock Production/Industries,

Financial Analysis of Implementing an Anaerobic Digester and Free Stall Barn System on a Mississippi Dairy Farm

The installation of an anaerobic digestion system and a free stall barn on a Mississippi dairy farm is only feasible with the presence of a cost-share plan. A 60% cost-share plan is the minimum amount of support a farmer must receive in order to install both facilities.Anaerobic digester, Dairy farm, Cost-share plan, Farm Management,

The Impacts of Ethanol on the US Catfish Farm Sector

In this study, we estimated catfish feed and farm price reduced form equations. Of particular importance was the impact of the recent increase in grain prices induced by ethanol production on feed cost and farm prices. This relationship was examined using an autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) model. Results show that a 1% increase in corn prices caused a 0.134% and 0.263% increase in feed prices in the short- and long-run, respectively. Catfish farm prices increased by 0.106% (short-run) and 0.211% (long-run) given a 1% increase in feed prices. Between 2004 and 2008, corn prices increased from $2 to$6 per bushels. Taheripour and Tyner (2008) state that of the total increase, 25% was due to US ethanol subsidies and 75% was due to the increase in the price of crude oil. Given the $1 increase in corn prices (50%), this should result in a feed price increase of 13% and a farm price increase of 2.7% in the long-run. Park and Fortenbery (2007) found that for every percentage increase in ethanol production, corn prices increased by 0.16 % in the short run. From this we conclude that a 100% increase in ethanol production will cause catfish feed prices to increase by 4.21% in the long run, and catfish farm prices to increase by 0.89%.catfish, price, catfish feed, ethanol, autoregressive distributed lag model, ARDL, Demand and Price Analysis, Research Methods/ Statistical Methods,

MERGERS, ACQUISITIONS, JOINT VENTURES, AND STRATEGIC ALLIANCES IN AGRICULTURAL COOPERATIVES

A recent merger "wave" has occurred within the economy, including the agricultural sector. Some research has been conducted on publicly traded companies, but there is little information available on merger activity within agricultural cooperatives. This paper presents the results of a recent survey of agricultural cooperatives and attempts to identify major trends in merger activity within cooperatives.mergers, acquisitions, joint ventures, strategic alliances, cooperatives, surveys, Agribusiness,

Construction Cost Sensitivity of a Lignocellulosic Ethanol Biorefinery

The technology has been developed to convert feedstock with cellulose content into ethanol. However, ethanol produced from cellulosic feedstock is the same as ethanol distilled from grain. The objective of research is to determine the price per gallon of ethanol needed so that producing lignocellulosic based ethanol become economically feasible.Environmental Economics and Policy, Production Economics,

The impact of feed cost on U.S. poultry production: implications for the impact of increased ethanol production

Crop Production/Industries, Livestock Production/Industries,

The Global Competitiveness of the North American Livestock Industry

Livestock Production/Industries, F14, Q17,