IMPLICATIONS OF POLICY REGULATIONS ON LAND APPLICATIONS OF POULTRY LITTER

The growth of the poultry industry in Arkansas has exploded in the past decade. As a result, approximately 1.5 million tons of litter are produced every year. Concerns about possible contamination of ground and surface water from land applications of poultry litter have been raised. This paper compares four policy scenarios in terms of their efficiency and practicality to manage land applications of poultry litter. The results indicate that a litter tax per ton of litter applied could achieve the same level of litter control as that of a land tax on litter applications, but at a lower tax rate.Agricultural and Food Policy,

STATES/PROVINCES DIALOGUE ON AGRICULTURAL TRADE AND POLICY ISSUES

Agricultural and Food Policy, International Relations/Trade,

THE FEASIBILITY OF POULTRY LITTER TRANSPORTATION FROM ENVIRONMENTALLY SENSITIVE AREAS TO DELTA ROW CROP PRODUCTION

Arkansas ranks first in broiler production in the USA with more than a billion broiler and 1.5 million tons of litter produced in 1993. Transporting litter from western to eastern Arkansas can accomplish two goals: 1) avoid potential threat to clean water in western Arkansas and 2) can increase productivity of graded lands in the Delta. This paper examines the feasibility of litter transport from areas of high poultry concentrations to the Delta for use as a soil amendment. We establish the conditions for economical litter transport from source to destinations and determine the optimal rates of litter applications. The results suggest that it is economical to transport significant portions of litter.Livestock Production/Industries,

IMPACTS OF PST ON OPTIMAL PRODUCTION AND MARKETING DECISIONS OF A GROW-FINISH HOG FARM OPERATION

This paper examines the impact of PST on the optimal production/marketing decisions of a grow-finish hog farm operation. The analysis evaluates PST from three angles: the feed efficiency effect, the leaner meat price effect, and the aggregate-supply-induced price effect. When limited to the feed efficiency effect only, the primary response to the new technology is to increase the animal turnover rate of the operation. When the leaner meat price effect is also included, marketing weight increases while turnover rate remains relatively unchanged. Additionally, if the increased aggregate supply depressed the market price by more than 10%, the benefits from improved feed efficiency and learner meat will be completely dissipated. Aggregate price adjustments (reductions) of less than 10 percent maintained positive producer benefits resulting from improved feed efficiency and leaner meat.Livestock Production/Industries,

The law of brevity in macaque vocal communication is not an artifact of analyzing mean call durations

Words follow the law of brevity, i.e. more frequent words tend to be shorter. From a statistical point of view, this qualitative definition of the law states that word length and word frequency are negatively correlated. Here the recent finding of patterning consistent with the law of brevity in Formosan macaque vocal communication (Semple et al., 2010) is revisited. It is shown that the negative correlation between mean duration and frequency of use in the vocalizations of Formosan macaques is not an artifact of the use of a mean duration for each call type instead of the customary 'word' length of studies of the law in human language. The key point demonstrated is that the total duration of calls of a particular type increases with the number of calls of that type. The finding of the law of brevity in the vocalizations of these macaques therefore defies a trivial explanation.Comment: Little improvements of the statistical argument

Discriminação a homossexuais na Índia e conseqüências à saúde

A large number of countries worldwide have legalized homosexual rights. But for 147 years, since when India was a British colony, Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code defines homosexuality as a crime, punishable by imprisonment. This outdated law violates the fundamental rights of homosexuals in India. Despite the fact that literature drawn from Hindu, Buddhist, Muslim, and modern fiction testify to the presence of same-sex love in various forms, homosexuality is still considered a taboo subject in India, by both the society and the government. In the present article, the continuation of the outdated colonial-era homosexuality law and its impact on the underprivileged homosexual society in India is discussed, as well as consequences to this group's health in relation to HIV infection.Muitos países têm legalizado os direitos homossexuais. Mas há 147 anos, desde quando a Índia ainda era colônia britânica, a Seção 377 do Código Penal indiano define a homossexualidade como crime passível de prisão. Esta lei antiga viola os direitos fundamentais de homossexuais na Índia. Embora as literaturas hindu, budista, muçulmana, e a ficção moderna confirmem a presença de sentimento de amor entre pessoas do mesmo sexo, a homossexualidade ainda é considerada um tabu na Índia, tanto pela sociedade como pelo governo. No presente artigo, discute-se a continuidade dessa lei da época colonial sobre homossexualidade e seu impacto na sociedade indiana desfavorecida, bem como as conseqüências para a saúde desse grupo quanto à infecção pelo HIV

Identification and Evaluation of Viable Market Opportunities for Organically-Grown Aquatic Products: Results from the Focus Group Meetings

Livestock Production/Industries, Marketing,

Consumer Awareness of the Jersey Fresh Promotional Program

The Jersey Fresh marketing program, one of the nation’s leading examples of state-sponsored agricultural marketing promotion, enables consumers to easily identify quality fresh produce from New Jersey by promoting locally grown fruits and vegetables in the market with Jersey Fresh’s logos. This study utilizes a consumer survey to evaluate the effectiveness of the Jersey Fresh Program in terms of the impact the promotional logos have on consumers. The results of this study provide valuable information that may be used to improve the Jersey Fresh Program, and also may be used in the promotion of other New Jersey farm products as well as products in other states which have similar promotional programs. Among other things, this study demonstrated that the Jersey Fresh promotional program has created significant brand awareness among New Jersey consumers and that consumers are willing to purchase Jersey Fresh produce when it’s available. Consumers reported seeing the Jersey Fresh logo most frequently on in-store produce displays. What’s more, women were more likely than men to be aware of Jersey Fresh, as were married people. Survey participants believed Jersey Fresh produce to be better than produce in other states in terms of quality and freshness. Moreover, consumers associate the Jersey Fresh logo with locally grown, quality produce. Suggestions that emerged from the study include increasing the availability of Jersey Fresh produce during the production seasons would ensure continued consumer patronage. Also, increasing promotions of Jersey Fresh produce in supermarkets may further increase the popularity of Jersey Fresh produce. The study showed that a vii majority of consumers were willing to pay only a small percentage premium for Jersey Fresh produce over the market prices for other fresh produce; therefore, significant price differentials are not recommended for Jersey Fresh produce. The results of this study lead to a better understanding of New Jersey consumers’ shopping behavior, their preferences towards local produce and their demographic composition. The results may be especially encouraging to those developing marketing strategies for Jersey Fresh produce or for other similar New Jersey consumer products.Consumer/Household Economics, Marketing,