DISCUSSION: ISSUES IN AGRICULTURAL LAND MARKETS: AN EMPIRICAL PERSPECTIVE

Land Economics/Use,

IMPACTS ON PROPERTY TAXES OF RECLASSIFYING FLOOD-PRONE CROPLAND IN THE SOUTH DELTA AREA OF MISSISSIPPI

Current tax appraisal procedures for cropland in Mississippi do not account for any negative impacts caused by frequent flooding in some areas of the South Delta. If flood-prone cropland values are significantly below average, the current tax system could generate inequitable tax burdens on owners of flood-prone cropland. A modified system of appraisal may be desirable to produce a more equitable tax structure. The purpose of this study was to evaluate different methods of reclassifying flood-prone cropland in the South Delta and to determine subsequent tax impacts on landowners and county tax revenue. Cropland tax data for Sharkey and Issaquena Counties were collected and different permanent reclassification schemes were proposed. Reclassification schemes were defined by lowering a parcel's capability class assignment by 1, 2, 3, or 4 classes if its elevation was below a specified trigger level. The impact that each reclassification scheme would have on landowners' taxes and the tax base in the affected counties was then estimated. In order to show the impact on tax shifts that would keep the county's tax base from declining, a new, higher millage rate was computed for selected reclassification schemes. After applying the adjusted millage rate to all properties in the county, changes in cropland taxes were reduced. Among the permanent reclassification schemes evaluated in this study, a trigger elevation level of 90 feet appears to offer reasonable tax impacts. Cropland parcels below 90 feet could be reassigned to the lowest capability class if the residents desired to provide the largest tax relief to these property owners. A more conservative reassignment scheme could be selected if desired. A temporary (year-to-year) reclassification system may provide more equitable tax distributions over time but would probably require more administrative costs to implement.Cropland appraisal, property taxes, flood-prone cropland, Land Economics/Use,

EFFICIENCY AND EQUITY ASPECTS OF NONPOINT SOURCE POLLUTION CONTROLS

Environmental Economics and Policy,

SOME EVIDENCE ON PECUNIARY ECONOMIES OF SIZE FOR FARM FIRMS

Agricultural Finance,

AN ANALYSIS OF FACTORS THAT AFFECT THE QUALITY OF FEDERAL LAND BANK LOANS

Financial conditions existing in agriculture are placing severe pressure on lenders as well as borrowers. Data from both good and foreclosed Federal Land Bank loans were analyzed to determine the most important characteristics leading to the failure of loans. The analysis was completed by comparing means through t-tests and the development of a discriminant model. The ratio of total debt service to total income, the debt to asset ratio, the ratio of total loan amount to appraised value, and the ratio of acres in security to acres owned were determined to be the most important discriminating variables.Agricultural Finance,

Economic Impact of Wildlife-Associated Recreation Expenditures in the Southeast United States: A General Equilibrium Analysis

The economic impact of wildlife-associated recreation in the Southeast United States was evaluated using a general equilibrium model. Exogenous demand shocks to the regional economy were based on estimates of expenditures by wildlife recreationists on hunting, fishing, and wildlife watching activities. Counterfactual simulations were carried out, making alternative assumptions about labor and capital mobility and their supply. Without wildlife-associated recreation expenditures, regional employment would have been smaller by up to 783 thousand jobs, and value added would have been $22 to$48 billion less. These findings underscore the significance of regional factor market conditions in economic impact and general equilibrium analysis.general equilibrium modeling, input-output analysis, regional economic impact, wildlife-associated recreation activities, Resource /Energy Economics and Policy, R13, R15, Q26,

IMPACTS ON PROPERTY TAXES OF RECLASSIFYING FLOOD-PRONE CROPLAND IN THE SOUTH DELTA AREA OF MISSISSIPPI

Current tax appraisal procedures for cropland in Mississippi do not account for any negative impacts caused by frequent flooding in some areas of the South Delta. If flood-prone cropland values are significantly below average, the current tax system could generate inequitable tax burdens on owners of flood-prone cropland. A modified system of appraisal may be desirable to produce a more equitable tax structure. The purpose of this study was to evaluate different methods of reclassifying flood-prone cropland in the South Delta and to determine subsequent tax impacts on landowners and county tax revenue. Cropland tax data for Sharkey and Issaquena Counties were collected and different permanent reclassification schemes were proposed. Reclassification schemes were defined by lowering a parcel's capability class assignment by 1, 2, 3, or 4 classes if its elevation was below a specified trigger level. The impact that each reclassification scheme would have on landowners' taxes and the tax base in the affected counties was then estimated. In order to show the impact on tax shifts that would keep the county's tax base from declining, a new, higher millage rate was computed for selected reclassification schemes. After applying the adjusted millage rate to all properties in the county, changes in cropland taxes were reduced. Among the permanent reclassification schemes evaluated in this study, a trigger elevation level of 90 feet appears to offer reasonable tax impacts. Cropland parcels below 90 feet could be reassigned to the lowest capability class if the residents desired to provide the largest tax relief to these property owners. A more conservative reassignment scheme could be selected if desired. A temporary (year-to-year) reclassification system may provide more equitable tax distributions over time but would probably require more administrative costs to implement

INCORPORATING THE IMPACTS OF UNCERTAIN FIELDWORK TIME ON WHOLE-FARM RISK-RETURN LEVELS: A TARGET MOTAD APPROACH

Given an equipment complement, a specific crop mix has a probability distribution for whole-farm net returns. Increasing crop acreage while holding the set of equipment constant will reduce fixed costs per acre, but it will also increase the length of time required to complete crucial field operations such as planting and harvesting. Thus, the probability of encountering weather-related delays in fieldwork will increase. This increase in delays may cause a decline in yields and changes in the distribution of net returns. This paper develops a Target MOTAD model capable of capturing intra-year impacts on profit that arise from the timing of planting and harvesting operations as well as inter-year impacts on profits that are due to variations in economic and weather-related factors. The model relies on estimates of available fieldwork time and a crop's harvestable yield in different time periods throughout the harvest season