Provisions and Potential Impacts of the Average Crop Revenue Election (ACRE) Program

Replaced with revised version of paper 11/24/08.Agricultural and Food Policy, Crop Production/Industries,

Estimates of Minnesota Farm-Level Crop Commodity Payments under New House Framework

The objective of this study is to compare commodity payments under current Federal farm policy with the previous Senate and Administration proposals and the recently released “2008 Farm Bill Conference: House Agriculture Committee-Developed Concept for a Farm Bill Spending Framework.” Projections of crop revenue and government payments are made using historical yield data for each example farm, the county, and the nation; historical price data; and statistical distributions and relationships of these yields and prices. Using 2007 FAPRI price projections (which are closer to the prices expected in the next few years when a new farm bill will be in force), expected Total Government Payments (TGP) are almost entirely attributed to the fixed direct payments under all these proposals. Since commodity prices are so far above their “target levels” the possibility of a counter cyclical price or revenue payment or a loan deficiency payment is highly unlikely. TGP under the alternative policies follows a similar pattern on the example corn and soybean farms and a slightly different but fairly consistent pattern for the example wheat and soybean farms. For the corn and soybean example farms in southern Minnesota, the HB-RCCP and USDA proposals generate very similar levels of TGPs compared to current policy. HB-RCCP provides a slightly higher expected TGP than CP for all example farms except for one and higher TGP than USDA for all farms. ACR is estimated to provide lower TGP for all example corn and soybean farms. For the example wheat and soybean farms in northwest Minnesota, the results are mixed. Compared to the other three proposals, ACR provides higher TGP for 2 of the 6 example farms. Each of the proposals does reduce risk as measured by CV. We note ACR is not quite as efficient at risk reduction except for two wheat/soybean farms in northwest Minnesota.Farm Management,

Alternative Farm Bills: Impacts on Minnesota Farms

With the current federal farm bill set to expire at the end of September this year, many proposals have been made to redesign the next bill. The objectives of this study are to compare the current policy with major proposed alternatives and estimate the potential payments of farmers under each of the alternatives. The alternative policies are compared in two ways. First a historical comparison of crop revenue and estimated government payments for individual farms are made under each proposal from 2002-2005. In a second comparison, projections of crop revenue and government payments are made using historical yields for each farm, county, and nation; historical price data; statistical distributions of the yields and prices including averages, standard deviations, and correlations; and each proposal's rules for calculating payments. For yields, deviations from the yield trend are used. In three of the four years and on average, the American Soybean Association (ASA) proposal has higher payments and thus higher total gross revenue compared to current policy and the other three proposals. Since the ASA proposal raises both loan rates and target prices, the higher payments should be expected. The proposed USDA policy is estimated to have a slightly higher average government payment and total gross revenue compared to current policy, but it is not higher than current policy in each year. Lower total payments under the National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) proposal are due to higher than average revenues during 2002-05. The revenue insurance proposal does not create any indemnity payments in 2002-05 again due to the higher revenues in these years. Projections of potential revenue also show the ASA proposal to have higher estimated payments. Average government payments are estimated to be slightly higher under current policy compared to USDA's and NCGA's proposals. Since federal budget concerns may not allow the higher payments under the ASA proposal, the choice between the USDA and NCGA proposal may hinge on the level of administrative costs which would appear to be lower with the USDA proposal since it is based on one national estimate of revenue versus many county and individual calculations under the NCGA proposal. The potential use of multi-commodity revenue insurance will hinge on either the ability to provide additional support in fixed direct payments and green payments and larger federal budget concerns.Agricultural and Food Policy,

Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Channels Draining Intact and Degraded Tropical Peat Swamp Forest

Degradation of tropical peat swamp forest (PSF) can destabilise the ecosystem carbon balance with significant amounts of carbon lost via drainage channels. Peat-draining channels are typically supersaturated with greenhouse gases and can constitute evasive hotspots within catchments, but losses by fluvial emissions have not yet been quantified for intact and degraded PSF. These fluvial emissions are presented in this study, which considers differences between land-use classes, across both wet and dry seasons, and how fluvial greenhouse gas fluxes were affected by a strong El Niño. Wet season CO2 emissions were ≤2-times higher than dry season emissions, for both land classes, with normal seasonal ranges of 3.36−4.67 and 2.58−3.13 g∙CO2-C∙m-2∙d-1 for the intact and degraded land classes, respectively. When scaled up, the intact and degraded PSF channels contributed less than a millionth, and 2 flux, respectively, to landscape-scale ecosystem emissions. Radiocarbon dating of channel CO2 found that it was recently photosynthesised for the intact PSF, but the age of the degraded PSF CO2-C was 341−1655 BP, indicating that carbon from deep peat layers was being degraded. Diffusive CH4 fluxes from channels were ≤9−times higher in degraded PSF than in intact PSF, the ranges being 9.47−16.8 and 1.25−2.16 mg∙CH4-C∙m-2∙d-1, respectively. The El Niño event caused an anomalous water table drawdown which resulted in a state shift in the intact PSF whereby channels produced quantities of CH4 comparable to the degraded PSF; however, CH4 fluxes returned to normal afterwards, demonstrating ecosystem resilience. The El Niño also promoted the lowest and highest fluxes of CO2 and CH4, respectively, at both land classes. Channel emissions made a negligible contribution to total CH4 fluxes at the intact PSF, but channels at the degraded PSF, which cover 0.5% of the landscape, may have contributed ≤68% of the total landscape CH4 flux when ebullition estimates are included

High school choral students\u27 perceptions of their use of technology in their independent choral practice habits

This action research was based on an empirical, descriptive design using survey technique. The aim of this investigation was to determine the perceptions of high school choral students taught by the researcher in the Inland Northwest of the USA on their use of technology in their independent choral practice habits. All 45 choral students who provided signed consent forms were given a survey with open- ended questions. Data were analyzed using emergent thematic categories. The researcher asked students to reflect on background questions regarding the general nature of their practicing and, more specifically, on the role technology plays in their practicing. The results of the analysis determined that the use of technology (specifically the playback of recordings) is helpful in independent choral practice. Most students reported practicing 1 to 3 times a week (34.8%) for 10 to 30 minutes (61.9%) at a time. Many students identified practice venues (21.8%), time constraints (12.7%) and a lack of ability to play a keyboard instrument (14.5%) as being challenging factors to independent rehearsal. Through the use of individual vocal part recordings and full choir performance recordings, students reported being able to practice their parts with clear models of performance expectations (44.2%). Most students referred to the ease of practicing with the part recordings and their role in helping them practice (88.6%). The recordings were mostly played back on their cell phones (77.8%) or personal computers (44.4%). Overall, students reported positive attitudes towards having access to the technology and to using it on a regular basis. The results of this action research have been valuable in informing the researcher’s further decisions regarding the use of vocal part recordings and full choir performance recordings. The researcher was also able to use the background practicing information to help guide parents and guardians in supporting individual student practice environments, such as ensuring quiet, private spaces to rehearse. The researcher also looked at ways in which the school may provide practice venues for those unable to do so in the home