Two essays on food manufacturer resilience: regional factors and workforce challenges

Researchers and policymakers worldwide have increasingly viewed resilient food systems as important. In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been particular emphasis on food manufacturer resilience. This thesis investigates factors related to food manufacturer resilience. The first study defines resilience through a workforce lens. Utilizing logit models and Firth's penalized maximum likelihood estimation, it examines what drives worker shortages. Results suggest that food manufacturing plants prioritizing training and education face reduced odds of worker shortages. Additionally, results suggest plants view automation as a way to mitigate worker shortages, but that this strategy may not be effective. The second study defines resilience through a plant survival lens. Using Cox proportional hazards models, it explores what factors are related to meat processing plant survival, particularly small- and medium-sized plant survival. Results suggest that the relationship with survival is strongest and most robust for plant characteristics. This holds especially true for small- and medium-sized processors. However, local labor market characteristics are also related to plant survival. Specifically, probability of survival is higher where the county manufacturing employment share is higher, where plants are relatively remote, and where unemployment is lower, all else being equal. Overall, the two essays examine food processor resilience in largely different contexts -- one with detailed survey data and only in Missouri, the other national with high-level plant data -- but two themes do emerge: workforce factors matter for resilience, and plant-level factors matter for resilience. Results of the two essays have important implications, suggesting practices that may help both business managers as well as policymakers strengthen food manufacturer resilience.Includes bibliographical references

How broadband adoption and availability impacted rural employment during COVID-19

The authors thank Joe Lear, University of Missouri System; Alice Roach, University of Missouri and TaylorAnn Washburn, University of Missouri, for their assistance and input."This publication highlights findings from a recent MU Extension study that investigated how broadband has affected rural employment. It found that broadband availability and adoption had positive and economically significant impacts on rural employment rates during the COVID-19 pandemic and before the pandemic. Results suggest that increasing broadband infrastructure availability and adoption should provide economic benefits for rural communities. Understanding how broadband availability and adoption affected rural employment during the pandemic helps to gauge how broadband infrastructure and its uptake may impact rural areas going forward as society relies more on technology."--Page 1.Written by Catherine Isley (Former Exceed Graduate Research Assistant), Zane Nichols (Exceed Undergraduate Communications Assistant), Sarah A. Low (Associate Professor of Regional Economics, MU Extension Exceed)New 6/2022Includes bibliographical reference

Iowa Farm Environmental Leaders\u27 Perspectives on the U.S. Farm Bill Conservation Programs

As stakeholders prepare to lobby future Farm Bills, this study reveals farmers\u27 perspectives on federal conservation programs. In-depth interviews were held with ten farm environmental leaders, farmers who have extensive experience with conservation practices and federal conservation programs. Results reveal that conservation programs have played a limited but important role in incentivizing the adoption of and offsetting costs for establishing conservation practices. Programs\u27 strengths, weaknesses, and potential improvements were also explored; results reveal that most farmers believe existing conservation programs could be improved with relatively minor tweaks and adaptations, such as more flexibility in working land program requirements and adjustments to land retirement program payment rates. To some extent, farm environmental leaders also align themselves with the perspectives of environmental NGOs, advocating for transformative approaches, such as expanding mandatory conservation compliance to all cropland, including non-Highly Erodible Lands cropland

Iowa Farm Environmental Leaders' Perspectives on the U.S. Farm Bill Conservation Programs

As stakeholders prepare to lobby future Farm Bills, this study reveals farmers' perspectives on federal conservation programs. In-depth interviews were held with ten farm environmental leaders, farmers who have extensive experience with conservation practices and federal conservation programs. Results reveal that conservation programs have played a limited but important role in incentivizing the adoption of and offsetting costs for establishing conservation practices. Programs' strengths, weaknesses, and potential improvements were also explored; results reveal that most farmers believe existing conservation programs could be improved with relatively minor tweaks and adaptations, such as more flexibility in working land program requirements and adjustments to land retirement program payment rates. To some extent, farm environmental leaders also align themselves with the perspectives of environmental NGOs, advocating for transformative approaches, such as expanding mandatory conservation compliance to all cropland, including non-Highly Erodible Lands cropland.This article is published as Medina G, Isley C and Arbuckle J (2020) Iowa Farm Environmental Leaders' Perspectives on the U.S. Farm Bill Conservation Programs. Front. Sustain. Food Syst. 4:497943. doi: 10.3389/fsufs.2020.497943.</p

Promoting sustainable agriculture: Iowa stakeholders’ perspectives on the US Farm Bill conservation programs

Farmers perceive a tension between short‐term profit and long‐term sustainability, which can be bridged by external investments in conservation. In the U.S., the Farm Bill plays an important role in providing this investment through conservation programs. Since the Farm Bill is influenced by various stakeholders, their perspectives tend to inform its programs and practices. We aim to understand influential stakeholders’ viewpoints on strengths and weaknesses of major conservation programs as a means for either incremental or transformative changes leading to policy improvements. Interviews were conducted with representatives from key stakeholder groups, including farmer and agribusiness groups, commodity groups, government agencies, and environmental NGOs. Results reveal that commodity group and agribusiness representatives maintain that current conservation programs have been effective at reducing soil erosion and propose incremental changes to them. Specific issues include simplifying the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP), easing requirements attached to the Environmental Quality Incentive Program (EQIP), avoiding excessive Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) payments to compete with tenant farmers for good agricultural lands, and preventing farmers from being out of compliance on highly erodible land. However, results also reveal that stakeholders now appear to be more concerned about water quality and nutrient management rather than soil erosion. Environmental NGOs and research groups present transformative ideas to address this issue. At the farm level, they promote both infrastructural improvements and conservation‐conscious management practices. At the landscape level, many stakeholders recognize the need for holistic, scalable approaches to soil and water quality conservation. However, interviewed stakeholders unanimously foresee incremental, not transformative, changes to Farm Bill conservation programs and policies.This article is published as Medina, Gabriel, Catherine Isley, and J. Arbuckle. "Promoting sustainable agriculture: Iowa stakeholders’ perspectives on the US Farm Bill conservation programs." Environment, Development and Sustainability (2020). doi: 10.1007/s10668-019-00572-5. Posted with permission.</p

Broadband technologies : a primer on access and solutions

"Access to high-speed internet, or broadband, encourages equitable distance-learning, remote-work, quality-of-life and entrepreneurial opportunities. Te COVID-19 pandemic not only reinforced but also elevated the importance of household access to high-speed internet. Tis primer provides background information about current issues related to broadband access -- both availability and adoption. It defnes often-used broadband terminology, discusses the pros and cons of diferent broadband technologies and illustrates broadband availability and adoption levels across Missouri and the U.S. It concludes by outlining next steps communities can take to enhance broadband availability and adoption in their regions."--First page.Written by: Sarah A. Low (Exceed Director and Associate Professor); Catherine Isley (Exceed Graduate Research Assistant); Alan Spell (Exceed Assistant Extension Professor); Matt Kures (Community Development Specialist, University of Wisconsin); Tessa Conroy (Assistant Professor, University of Wisconsin); Steve Deller (Professor, University of Wisconsin)New 6/2021Includes bibliographical reference