AGRICULTURE AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT - THE MINNESOTA CASE

The comments which follow relating to the role of agriculture in Minnesota's economic development are organized into four sections. First a brief look is taken at historical changes in production agriculture in Minnesota. Second some crude comparisons are made of growth over time in agriculture and in other major economic sectors. Third a brief assessment is made of current employment and income in Minnesota's agriculture and related industries. Finally, a list is presented of several future issues which appear important for Minnesota's agriculture with particular reference to its natural resource base.Community/Rural/Urban Development,

THE CHANGING STRUCTURE OF U.S. AGRICULTURE - IMPLICATIONS FOR WORLD TRADE

International Relations/Trade,

FEDERAL-STATE RESEARCH PROGRAMS IN THE ECONOMICS OF AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTION - - NEEDS AND PROSPECTS FOR THE FUTURE

Production Economics,

SOME POLICY IMPLICATIONS FOR AGRICULTURE OF BIOTECHNOLOGY RESEARCH

Research and Development/Tech Change/Emerging Technologies,

POLICY ALTERNATIVES TO MANAGE SUPPLY: MANAGEMENT OF OUR PRODUCTIVE CAPACITY

Agricultural and Food Policy,

THE USE OF GENETICS PRINCIPLES IN RESEARCH EVALUATION: AN EXAMPLE WITH SOYBEANS

This paper explores the potential use of quantitative genetics principles in evaluating economic returns to plant breeding research. Basic factors affecting genetic progress are described along with possibilities for quantifying them in relation to research expenditures. An example with soybeans illustrates how this information can be incorporated into ex ante research evaluation.Research and Development/Tech Change/Emerging Technologies,

MEASURING THE RETURNS TO EXPERIMENT STATION RESEARCH FOR CORN, SOYBEANS AND WHEAT - AN APPLICATION OF RIDGE REGRESSION

Crop Production/Industries, Research and Development/Tech Change/Emerging Technologies,

ECONOMIC IMPORTANCE OF FARM PRODUCTION AND AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH IN THE NORTH CENTRAL REGION

Community/Rural/Urban Development,

ESTIMATING MARGINAL IMPLICIT PRICES FOR SELECTED QUALITY ATTRIBUTES OF HYBRID SEED CORN

The central objective of this study was to estimate the implicit marginal prices for the following attributes of hybrid seed corn: yield, moisture content, root lodging, stalk lodging, stand survival and ear drop. This study fills an existent gap in the application of a hedonic price technique to agricultural commodities. A hedonic price equation was constructed and estimated using characteristics data on hybrid corn varieties obtained from the Iowa State University Extension Service. Seed price data were solicited from seed companies for the same set of hybrids. In total, fifty-nine seed companies were asked for suggested retail prices for their hybrids. Forty companies responded with 1991 price information which was used in estimating the parameters of the formulated models. Six hypotheses relating the price paid for hybrid seed corn with the performance characteristics of interest were formulated and tested. Results indicate that the prices that farmers paid for hybrid seed corn were significantly related only to (1) the moisture content and (2) the root lodging characteristics of the resulting crop. Both results were significant at the 0.005 level. Surprisingly, seed price and yield were not significantly related. More research is needed to further analyze these relationships and to analyze farmer's response to the wide range of nonprice services provided by seed companies.Crop Production/Industries, Demand and Price Analysis,

CONGRUENCE OF THE HATCH FUNDED REGIONAL RESEARCH PORTFOLIO WITH NATIONAL AND REGIONAL RESEARCH PRIORITIES

The major focus of this report is on evaluation of the extent to which the allocation of regional research funding support, particularly the allocation of Hatch Regional Research Funds (RRF), is congruent with national and regional research priorities. Other objectives are to evaluate the appropriate duration of regional research projects and to recommend a process for the selection and development of National Research Projects (NRPs) and National Research Support Projects (NRSPs).Research and Development/Tech Change/Emerging Technologies,