RESPONSE OF PUBLIC LAND RANCHERS TO POLICY CHANGES

Policy analysis and planning requires that we know what the likely responses of affected parties to given policy changes. We conducted a random survey of ranchers holding 1998 public land grazing permits in all western states to determine the social and economic characteristics of permit holders, to assess their attitudes about public land policies, and to gauge their responses to three policies related to public land grazing. Respondents were asked how their operations would change due to three different levels of AUM reductions, three different grazing fee increases, and to changes in allowed season of use. The respondents were clustered into eight different types of ranchers using management objective, education, business organization, ranch size, labor, income, and financial aspects. Perceived ranching objectives included preserving family tradition, culture, and values; raising family in a rural setting; living closer to friends and family; earning a good return on investment; avoiding difficulty obtaining a job outside the ranch due to skills; protecting environmental resources; and planning to pass business on to children. Based on the clusters, different policy choices will have differential impacts depending on the type of rancher and individual management goals. Their responses to the various policy choices indicate that analysis using the refined clusters will lead to a different impact assessment compared to using average responses for the population.Agricultural and Food Policy, Land Economics/Use,

Collecting Data from Children Ages 9-13

Provides a summary of literature on common methods used to collect data, such as diaries, interviews, observational methods, and surveys. Analyzes age group-specific considerations, advantages, and drawbacks, with tips for improving data quality

RANGELAND ECONOMICS, ECOLOGY, AND SUSTAINABILITY: IMPLICATIONS FOR POLICY AND ECONOMIC RESEARCH

Environmental Economics and Policy, Land Economics/Use,

THE LACK OF A PROFIT MOTIVE FOR RANCHING: IMPLICATIONS FOR POLICY ANALYSIS

The economic impact of changing land-use policies has traditionally been estimated using the standard economic model of profit maximization. Ranchers are assumed to maximize profit and to adjust production strategies so as to continue maximizing profit with altered policies. Yet, nearly 30 years of research and observation have shown that family, tradition, and the desirable way of life are the most important factors in the ranch purchase decision - not profit. Ranch buyers want an investment they can touch, feel, and enjoy, and they historically have been willing to accept relatively low returns from the livestock production. Profit maximization appears to be an inadequate model for explaining rancher behavior, describing grazing land use, and estimating the impacts of altered public land policies. In this paper, we investigate the relative importance of livestock production income and desirable lifestyle attributes in determining the market value of western ranches, and we explore what this means for economic models and policy analysis.Agricultural and Food Policy, Land Economics/Use,

Economic Impacts of Removing Federal Grazing Used by Cattle Ranches in Idaho, Oregon, and Wyoming

Lands managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) are an important source of livestock grazing for many ranching operations in the Western United States. There are currently more than 22,000 authorized federal grazing permits representing 15.7 million animal unit months (AUMs) of grazing. Idaho, Oregon and Wyoming are examples of western states where many ranches are dependent on federal grazing. The combined total for the three states is 5,389 federal grazing permits, representing 5.6 million AUMs of grazing. In recent years, the use of federal lands for livestock grazing has become increasingly controversial with some organizations calling for the complete removal of all livestock grazing from public lands. The purpose of this analysis is to estimate the economic impact of removal of federal grazing by cattle on the combined Idaho, Oregon and Wyoming economy. The net effect of removal of federal cattle grazing in the three-state area is estimated to be a loss of $186.2 million in direct economic impact, and a reduction of$560.5 million in total economic impact. These impacts equate to a loss of more than 4,000 jobs and decreased labor income of $205.4 million annually. Due to the cumulative nature of the impact, these negative effects are expected to continue for many years into the future if federal grazing is removed. The analysis indicates that removing federal cattle grazing would have significant negative economic impact on the three-state area, particularly on many rural counties that have sensitive economies due to their dependency on agricultural production and limited alternative employment opportunities

AN EVALUATION OF THE PRIA GRAZING FEE FORMULA

The federal grazing fee is currently set using the Public Rangeland Improvement Act (PRIA) fee formula established in 1978 and modified in 1986. The formula is adjusted annually using indices of private land grazing lease rates (Forage Value Index, FVI), prices received for beef cattle (Beef Cattle Price Index, BCPI), and costs of beef production (Prices Paid Index, PPI). The FVI tracks price movement in the private forage market and was the only index originally proposed to be included in the fee formula. Public land ranchers and an Interdepartmental Grazing Fee Technical Committee assigned to study grazing fee alternatives in the 1960s questioned the ability of the FVI to account for short-term demand, supply, and price equilibrium, and, for this reason, the BCPI and PPI were added to the fee formula. Over 30 years of data are now available to evaluate whether adding the BCPI and PPI did, in fact, help explain short-term market fluctuations. This analysis shows, as earlier studies did, that, if tracking the private forage market is the primary objective, then the fee formula should have included only the FVI. Including the BCPI and, especially, the PPI has caused calculated grazing fees to fall further and further behind private land lease rates. Had the $1.23 base fee in the PRIA formula been indexed by only the FVI, the federal grazing fee would have been$3.84/AUM instead of $1.35/AUM in 2000. It is time to consider the feasibility of a competitive bid system for public lands, or, at the very least, adopt a new fee formula that generates more equitable grazing fees.Land Economics/Use,

Bone Marrow-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells: Current and Future Applications in the Urinary Bladder

Mesenchymal stem cells can be isolated from almost any adult tissue. In this paper we focus on bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells which have captured the interest of researchers since their introduction because of the promising potential of tissue regeneration and repair. They are known for their ability to self-renew and differentiate into diverse lineages while maintaining low immunogenicity. The exact mechanisms behind how these cells work still remain unclear, and there is a continuing shift in the paradigms that support them. There has been extensive research in multiple organ systems; however, the genitorurinary system has been vastly underrepresented. This article discusses the background behind bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells and they are currently being applied to the urinary bladder in the realm of tissue engineering. We also postulate on their future applications based on the current literature in other organ systems

From ultra-fast growth to avalanche growth in devitrifying glasses

During devitrification, pre-existing crystallites grow by adding particles to their surface via a process which is either thermally activated (diffusive mode), or happens without kinetic barriers (fast crystal growth mode). It is yet unclear what factors determine the crystal growth mode, and how to predict it. With simulations of repulsive hard-sphere glasses, we show for the first time that the same system at the same volume fraction and temperature can devitrify via both modes depending on the preparation protocol of the glass. We prepare two types of glass, a conventional glass (CG) via fast quenching and a uniform glass (UG) via density homogenization. Firstly, we bring either glass into contact with a crystal (X) and find the inherent structure (CGX/UGX). During energy minimization, the crystal front grows deep into the CG interface, while the growth is minimal for UG. When thermal noise is added, this behavior is reflected in different crystallization dynamics. CGX exhibits a density drop at the crystal growth front, leading to enhanced dynamics at the interface and a fast growth mode. This mechanism may explain the faster crystal growth observed below the glass transition experimentally. In contrast, UGX grows via intermittent avalanche-like dynamics localized at the interface, a combination of localized mechanical defects and the exceptional mechanical stability imposed by the UG glass phase.Comment: 23 pages, 8 figure