A MULTIATTRIBUTE UTILITY ANALYSIS OF TECHNOLOGICAL CHOICE IN THE CALIFORNIA WILD RICE INDUSTRY

Technological choice and competitive strategy issues are reviewed and then a framework for choosing between two competing technologies is proposed.The two competing technologies differ in their ability to store and process wild rice over a marketing year. The traditional technologies requires almost immediate processing of the harvested wild rice while the experimental technology allows harvested wild rice to be stored and processed over the course of the marketing year. Technological choice is explored using multiattribute utility analysis and two economic evaluations. The economic evaluations are payback period analysis and internal rate of return analysis given uncertain demand conditions. The experimental technology is shown to be the dominant technological choice under both multiattribute utility analysis and the economic analyses.Research and Development/Tech Change/Emerging Technologies,

BREEDERS' AWARDS AND THE GAMBLER'S CORNER SOLUTION

Livestock Production/Industries,

A Regional and Industry Analysis of the Complexity of the Regulatory Environment Affecting Agricultural Producers in California

This paper provides results from a producers survey that enquired about the complexity of the regulatory environment in California. The primary objective of this paper is to examine the relationship between the complexity of the regulatory environment, agricultural industries in California, and different regions in California. This objective is achieved by taking information gathered from a producers survey and applying an ordered logit econometric model using complexity of the regulatory environment as the dependent variable. A secondary objective of this study is to develop a motivation why the complexity of the regulatory environment is important issue to consider. To achieve this goal, the perception of the complexity of the regulatory environment will be examined with potential management options that producers can take including increasing and decreasing their size of operation, leaving agricultural production, and moving out of the state.Agricultural and Food Policy,

An Estimation of the Regulatory Cost on California Agricultural Producers

This paper develops an estimation of the cost of regulations on California agricultural producers which can be used as a baseline for comparing regulatory environments. The estimated regulatory cost in relationship to operating costs for producers is between $2.19 billion to$2.21 billion. The range on percentage of income allocated to regulatory cost is between 5.24% and 9.19%.Environmental Economics and Policy,

A Benefit Transfer Estimation of Agro-Ecosystems Services

Environmental Economics and Policy,

Valuation of Transferable Delivery Rights for Marketing Cooperatives

Delivery rights to a cooperative\u27s marketing pool can take on a value independent of the members\u27 equity share under certain conditions. Based on anecdotal information, transferable delivery rights become valuable when the pool is fixed in size (closed), members are protected from exploitation of quasi economic rents, and have an assured home for their production. The greater the potential buyers\u27 aversion to risk, the higher the value of the delivery right. The right has additional value if the cooperative generates a premium per unit return due to product differentiation and market power. Cooperatives competing with investor-owned firms in less than purely competitive markets must be able to pay equal net returns to members if they are to survive

COMPARATIVE PRODUCER COSTS OF GAP AND GHP STANDARDS: CAN THE PLAYING FIELD BE MADE LEVEL?

A number of microbial contamination incidents have continued to raise questions regarding the safety of the U.S. food supply with calls for improved food safety control initiatives and standards by both the private and public sectors. As a reaction to these incidents, there have been increased efforts to enhance food safety by the government and industry groups. Increasingly, process standards are being specified that recommend or prescribe Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) standards for production, Good Handling Practices (GHP) standards for handling products, and Good Management Practices (GMP) for responsibilities in overseeing production and handling operations. A primary concern is the potential that the costs associated with implementing food safety related standards will prohibit small producers and handlers from taking part in certain market segments, such as supplying the supermarkets that sell most of the production in developed and more advanced developing countries. Previous study results are presented that suggest economies of scale effects for larger farm size operations leading to lower per-unit compliance cost. This analysis utilized specialty crop representative farm stochastic simulation models that were designed to analyze the impacts of current and changing market conditions and government policies on a number of key operating variables (KOV). The results of the analysis provide an initial indication that the cost associated with compliance to regulatory standards does have an effect on the profitability of individual enterprises.Food safety, citrus, fresh produce, and regulatory costs, Agricultural and Food Policy, Consumer/Household Economics, Demand and Price Analysis, Food Consumption/Nutrition/Food Safety, Food Security and Poverty, Health Economics and Policy, Q12,

The Economic Feasibility of Forming A California Wheat Cooperative

Recent concerns relative to California farm gate prices for wheat and a lack of profitability in wheat production has been expressed by a group of California wheat growers. Their dissatisfaction has resulted in their consideration to form a California wheat grower cooperative. The cooperative would become the marketing agent for the growers and potentially allow growers to pool their production for greater market power as well as capture profits beyond the farm gate. Two feasibility issues are addressed by the study: 1) The organizational feasibility of forming the cooperative, and 2) The economic feasibility of a California wheat growers cooperative engaging in value-added marketing opportunities upstream from the farm gate that would result in increased the return to wheat grower production. The objective of the study was to evaluate those feasibilities

Accounting for uncertainty in ecological analysis: the strengths and limitations of hierarchical statistical modeling

Analyses of ecological data should account for the uncertainty in the process(es) that generated the data. However, accounting for these uncertainties is a difficult task, since ecology is known for its complexity. Measurement and/or process errors are often the only sources of uncertainty modeled when addressing complex ecological problems, yet analyses should also account for uncertainty in sampling design, in model specification, in parameters governing the specified model, and in initial and boundary conditions. Only then can we be confident in the scientific inferences and forecasts made from an analysis. Probability and statistics provide a framework that accounts for multiple sources of uncertainty. Given the complexities of ecological studies, the hierarchical statistical model is an invaluable tool. This approach is not new in ecology, and there are many examples (both Bayesian and non-Bayesian) in the literature illustrating the benefits of this approach. In this article, we provide a baseline for concepts, notation, and methods, from which discussion on hierarchical statistical modeling in ecology can proceed. We have also planted some seeds for discussion and tried to show where the practical difficulties lie. Our thesis is that hierarchical statistical modeling is a powerful way of approaching ecological analysis in the presence of inevitable but quantifiable uncertainties, even if practical issues sometimes require pragmatic compromises

Forecasting the combined effects of anticipated climate change and agricultural conservation practices on fish recruitment dynamics in Lake Erie

Many aquatic ecosystems are experiencing multiple anthropogenic stressors that threaten their ability to support ecologically and economically important fish species. Two of the most ubiquitous stressors are climate change and non- point source nutrient pollution.Agricultural conservation practices (ACPs, i.e. farming practices that reduce runoff, prevent erosion, and curb excessive nutrient loading) offer a potential means to mitigate the negative effects of non- point source pollution on fish populations. However, our understanding of how ACP implementation amidst a changing climate will affect fish production in large ecosystems that receive substantial upstream sediment and nutrient inputs remains incomplete.Towards this end, we explored how anticipated climate change and the implementation of realistic ACPs might alter the recruitment dynamics of three fish populations (native walleye Sander vitreus and yellow perch Perca flavescens and invasive white perch Morone americana) in the highly productive, dynamic west basin of Lake Erie. We projected future (2020- 2065) recruitment under different combinations of anticipated climate change (n = 2 levels) and ACP implementation (n = 4 levels) in the western Lake Erie catchment using predictive biological models driven by forecasted winter severity, spring warming rate, and Maumee River total phosphorus loads that were generated from linked climate, catchment- hydrology, and agricultural- practice- simulation models.In general, our models projected reduced walleye and yellow perch recruitment whereas invasive white perch recruitment was projected to remain stable or increase relative to the recent past. Our modelling also suggests the potential for trade- offs, as ACP implementation was projected to reduce yellow perch recruitment with anticipated climate change.Overall, our study presents a useful modelling framework to forecast fish recruitment in Lake Erie and elsewhere, as well as offering projections and new avenues of research that could help resource management agencies and policy- makers develop adaptive and resilient management strategies in the face of anticipated climate and land- management change.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/156436/2/fwb13515.pdfhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/156436/1/fwb13515_am.pd