THE EXPECTED COST OF AN INCOME SUPPORT PROGRAM FOR PROCESSING ORANGES

The Florida citrus industry operates in a competitive global market. However, unlike program crops, producers in this industry do not benefit from direct income support under the new Farm Bill. There is concern about the impact of elimination of the orange juice tariff on the financial health of the Florida orange industry. The purpose of this paper is to examine the level of government expenditure that would be needed to provide income support to orange producers if the orange juice tariff were eliminated. For the span of the Bill direct payments to corn are estimated to total $25.1 billion. By comparison the direct expenditures incurred for an income support program for oranges would be substantially less. In the early years with the tariff in place the expenditures are estimated to be about$300 million and would fall below $200 million by 2007. If the tariff were removed government support would initially be$925 million but would decline to about $700 million in 2007. Over the six-year period, 2002-2007, the direct payment to orange producers would be$1,538.5 million with retention of the tariff and $4,721.8 million if the tariff were eliminated.income support program, oranges, tariff, FSRIA, Agricultural and Food Policy, Crop Production/Industries,

Risk Management Practices for Specialty Crop Producers in Florida

Crop Production/Industries, Risk and Uncertainty,

Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Health Priorities Survey Report: The Medical System and the Uninsured

Presents results of a survey on the healthcare system, priorities for reform, and views on the uninsured, a public insurance plan, and individual mandates, compared with other surveys. Analyzes how the way reform elements are described affects responses

Risk Management Practices for Specialty Crop Producers in California, Florida, New York, and Pennsylvania

Crop Production/Industries, Risk and Uncertainty,

Where is the evidence: realising the value of grey literature for public policy and practice

This paper discusses the ways in which the internet has profoundly changed how we produce, use and collect research and information for public policy and practice, particularly focusing on the benefits and challenges presented by grey literature. The authors argue that grey literature (i.e. material produced and published by organisations  without recourse to the commercial or scholarly publishing industry) is a key part of the evidence produced and used for public policy and practice. Through surveys of users, producing organisations and collecting services a detailed picture is provided of the role, importance and economic value of grey literature. However, finding and accessing policy information is a time-consuming task made harder by poor production and management of resources and a lack of large-scale collection services able to host and make available  relevant, high-quality resources quickly and efficiently. The paper makes recommendations for changes that would maximise the benefits of grey literature in the public interest and seeks feedback from readers to inform the final report of the research project. Public policy work increasingly relies on a wide range of resources — some are traditional scholarly publications, but the majority are ‘grey literature’. Reports, discussion papers, briefings, reviews and data sets produced by government, academic centres, NGOs, think tanks and companies are heavily used and highly valued in policy and practice work, forming a key part of the evidence base. The huge amount of information and research published online provides unprecedented access to knowledge, from a wide range of sources, enabling a much greater level of understanding and participation in public interest issues. It also brings a number of challenges: searching, sifting, evaluating and accessing information and research are time-consuming and often frustrating tasks occupying a large portion of the work hours of those engaged in policy work. Online publishing also creates a new paradigm for those whose task it is to support policy and practice work through effective resource provision and information management. As a result, digital curation of policy resources, particularly grey literature, is dispersed and fragmented, creating a digital black hole of resources that are lost from online access over time. The aim of the Grey Literature Strategies research project is to investigate grey literature’s role and importance in policy work and find ways to enhance its value. A key method used was online surveys of producers, users, and collectors of information and research for policy and practice, conducted during 2013

Financial Appraisal of the Banks for Cooperatives

This study examines the financial situation of the Farm Credit System Banks for Cooperatives using comparative analysis for the period 1978 through 1991. Profitability and leverage measures of the Banks for Cooperatives are compared with similar measures of large commercial banks. The Banks for Cooperatives were found to have performed as well as large commercial banks. Some differences can be explained as compatible with differences in the goals and objectives of a cooperative versus an investor-owned firm. Most differences can be attributed to the financial strength of the Banks for Cooperatives relative to the commercial banking industry.Agribusiness, Agricultural Finance,

CRITICAL ECONOMIC FACTORS FOR SUCCESS OF A BIOMASS CONVERSION PLANT FOR AGRICULTURAL RESIDUE, YARD RESIDUE AND WOOD WASTE IN FLORIDA

This model evaluates the potential success of a cellulosic ethanol plant in Florida. Critical Economic factors of the plant were simulated to assess the ability of this project. These critical factors include the feedstock to be used, the cost of the facility, transportation costs and the discount rate for the net present value (NPV). Results and observations are presented in this paper.Biofuels, renewable energy, cellulosic ethanol, biomass, Agribusiness, Community/Rural/Urban Development, Crop Production/Industries, Financial Economics, Production Economics, Productivity Analysis, Resource /Energy Economics and Policy, Risk and Uncertainty,

Homopolar generator power supply system

A high-energy, high-current homopolar generator pulsed power supply system that is compact and field portable. The power supply system includes a hompolar generator (HPG), an auxiliary supply and drive system, both mounted on a skid frame, and a control system coupled to the HPG and drive system. The homopolar generator has a split rotor with insulation between the halves and a recess in the periphery. A stator ring and field coil, for producing a magnetic field through which the rotor halves make two simultaneous voltage-generating passes, are disposed within the recess in the rotor. Air-actuated brush mechanisms inside and outside the recess contact surfaces of the rotor and collect discharge current. The auxiliary supply and drive system includes a motoring system comprising hydraulic motors for driving the HPG to speed, a bearing lubrication system, a generator for energizing the field coil, and a brush actuator air supply system, all of which are driven by a prime mover. The control system comprises a logic controller for executing a prescribed sequence of steps including turning on the prime mover, initiating motoring of the HPG, energizing the field coil, and initiating the discharge of electrical current.Board of Regents, University of Texas Syste