HOUSEHOLD DEMAND FOR PET FOOD AND THE OWNERSHIP OF CATS AND DOGS: AN ANALYSIS OF A NEGLECTED COMPONENT OF U.S. FOOD USE

Demand and Price Analysis,

ANALYSIS OF USDA FUNDED RURAL DEVELOPMENT RESEARCH PROGRAMS IN THE UNITED STATES AND THE SOUTHERN REGION

Research and Development/Tech Change/Emerging Technologies,

Measuring the Impact of Meat Packing and Processing Facilities in the Nonmetropolitan Midwest: A Difference-In-Differences Approach

We measure how local growth in meatpacking and processing affects growth in local economies, government expenditures, and crime rates from 1990-2000 in nonmetropolitan counties of 12 Midwestern States. Propensity score matching is used as a check on possible non-random placement of meatpacking and processing plants. Results suggest that as the meat packing industryï¾’s share of a countyï¾’s total employment and wage bill rises, total employment growth increases. However, employment growth in other sectors slows, as does local wage growth. There is some evidence that slower wage growth swamps the employment growth so that aggregate income grows more slowly. We find no evidence that growth in the industry changes the growth rates for crime or government spending.

Meat Packing and Processing Facilities in the Non-Metropolitan Midwest: Blessing or Curse?

Growth in the meat packing and processing industry in the Midwestern United States has generated a significant amount of debate regarding the costs and benefits of this type of economic development. This research employs 1990-2000 proprietary data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Longitudinal Database (LDB) to investigate the effects of this industry on social and economic outcomes in non-metropolitan counties of twelve Midwestern states. The empirical specification uses a difference-in-differences specification to measure the effect of industry growth on local economic growth, government expenditures, and crime. Propensity score matching is used as a check on possible non-random placement of meat packing and processing plants. Results suggest that as the meat packing industry's share of a country's total employment and wage bill rises, total employment growth increases. However, employment growth in other sectors slows, as does local wage growth. There is some evidence that slower wage growth swamps the employment growth so that aggregate income grows more slowly. We find no evidence that growth in the industry changes the growth rates for crime or government spending.Community/Rural/Urban Development,

DERIVING EMPIRICAL DEFINITIONS OF SPATIAL LABOR MARKETS: THE ROLES OF COMPETING VERSUS COMPLEMENTARY GROWTH

Rural communities compete with each other for firms, but their residents often commute large distances to work. Consequently, rural communities can benefit from economic growth occurring as much as 50 miles away. Data on county population growth shows that counties benefit from growth one or two counties away.Labor and Human Capital,

THE EFFECTS OF HOUSING PRICES, WAGES, AND COMMUTING TIME ON JOINT RESIDENTIAL AND JOB LOCATION CHOICES

A utility maximizing framework is used to model how wages, housing prices, and commuting time affect joint decisions of where to live and where to work. The implied multinomial logit model yields plausible estimates of the role of economic variables on joint residence/job location choices.Labor and Human Capital,

THE DETERMINANTS OF PARTICIPATION DECISION IN OFF-FARM WORK: THE IOWA CASE

This paper examines factors affecting the role of individual, farm production, family finance, and regional characteristics in affecting labor force decisions by farm households. Young, more educated households are much more likely to work off-farm, suggesting that off-farm labor has become an expected part of new farm households.Farm Management, Labor and Human Capital,

Economic Impact of the Poultry Industry

The Iowa economy (especially the rural economy) depends heavily on livestock production and income. Not only is farm level income and employment enhanced by livestock production but other rural businesses and their employees benefit as well. Although the poultry sector is not as large as some other livestock sectors it is growing in importance. This paper reports the results of effort to measure the economic effects of the poultry industry in terms of sales, profits\u27or wages and the number of jobs resulting from poultry production and poultry processing

Economic Impacts of CRP on Communities

The Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) established under the Food and Security Act of 1985 had these objectives: 1) Reducing supplies of surplus agricultural commodities. 2) Providing farmer income support. 3) Preventing threats to environmental quality