Biofuels: Political/Economic Boondoggle or Energy Salvation for Western States?

Nearly all western states lack comparative advantages for producing corn for ethanol and oilseeds for biodiesel. Despite this disadvantage, most western states have legislated incentives for production of biofuels. Unfavorable changes in price relationships, high transportation costs for imported feedstocks, and tight credit markets in 2008 and 2009 led to bankruptcies and plant closures at a disproportionate rate in the western biofuel industry. Policy makers in western states are advised to fund research and development for bioenergy and biofuel feedstocks in which they have a comparative advantage. These include forestry by-products, food processing and crop residues, and livestock wastes.biodiesel, bioenergy research, biofuels, biofuel bankruptcies, biofuel feedstocks, biofuel incentives, corn ethanol, western United States, Resource /Energy Economics and Policy,

A THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK FOR EVALUATING SOCIAL WELFARE EFFECTS OF NEW AGRICULTURAL TECHNOLOGY

Research and Development/Tech Change/Emerging Technologies,

AN OPERATIONAL APPROACH FOR EVALUATING INVESTMENT RISK: AN APPLICATION TO THE NO-TILL TRANSITION

Roy’s safety-first rule is used to provide measures popular with farmers of short and long term business risk associated with various no-till transition strategies over an investment horizon. The short run rule provided more sensitivity to inter-year financial risk than other commonly used criteria. Results revealed that speed of adoption influenced the probability of successful transition more than did the sequence of drill acquisition methods. Higher equity and larger farms had a greater chance of transition success. Slow acreage expansion with a custom or rental drill reduces risk until a no-till yield penalty is eliminated.Investment risk, Monte Carlo simulation, no-till, rent- purchase, risk, safety-first, technology adoption, transition strategy

ENVIRONMENTAL AND ECONOMIC IMPACTS OF AGRICULTURAL POLICY REFORM: AN INTERREGIONAL COMPARISON

Mathematical programming results revealed that moving toward more flexible agricultural policies would generate substantial economic and environmental gains in a North Carolina diversified cropping region. But in a Washington-Idaho dryland grains region, only the use of relatively new and sometimes problematic alternative cropping systems permitted environmental and economic gains under policy reform. In both regions, a recoupling policy, which links government payments to resource-conserving farming practices, was needed to protect environmental quality when market prices for program crops were high.Agrichemical leaching, Agricultural policy, Alternative agriculture, Erosion, Mathematical programming, Agricultural and Food Policy,

THE INFLUENCE OF TECHNOLOGICAL PROGRESS ON THE LONG RUN FARM LEVEL ECONOMICS OF SOIL CONSERVATION

The complementary interaction between topsoil depth and technical progress for winter wheat in the Palouse region was found to strengthen the long run payoff to conservation tillage. Nonetheless, conservation tillage was found to be competitive with conventional tillage only if its current yield disadvantages were eliminated. Conservation tillage was relatively more competitive on shallower topsoils and for longer planning horizons. Short-term subsidies coupled with research directed towards reducing the cost and yield disadvantages of conservation tillage in the Palouse were advocated to maintain long-term soil productivity.Land Economics/Use, Research and Development/Tech Change/Emerging Technologies,

AN OPERATIONAL APPROACH FOR EVALUATING INVESTMENT RISK: AN APPLICATION TO THE NO-TILL TRANSITION

This study analyses short and long term safety first business risk associated with twenty six no-till transition strategies across four types of farms in eastern Washington. Risk of transition failure generated from risk averse criteria are also contrasted with a risk neutral criterion. Results revealed (1) that speeds of adoption have a larger effect than drill acquisition sequences in successful transition, (2) high equity farm have higher chance of success, and (3) slow acreage expansion with a custom or rental drill is preferred until yield penalty is eliminated.Farm Management, Risk and Uncertainty,

An Investment Analysis Approach to Examining Bio-Control of Invasive Weeds

Invasive weeds are a large problem on large tracts of rangeland in North America. Biological methods of control have been instituted, but many information gaps remain. An investment model approach is used to demonstrate some of the potentially key pieces of biological data that are required for an analysis. This model is applied to the control of leafy spurge on rangeland. The results of control are very dependent on the rate of spread and control by the biological control agent, the initial density of the weed, and the recovery of the forage (grass) after the weed has been controlled. Benefits of control are relatively low, as is the cost of the biological control practice. It takes several years before net benefits of the control practice are positive.Land Economics/Use,

EVALUATING A PRECISION AGRICULTURE HERBICIDE DECISION MODEL FOR WINTER WHEAT

Replaced with revised version of paper 08/02.Crop Production/Industries,

Food Acceptability, Menu Fatigue, and Aversion on ISS Missions

The acceptability of the spaceflight food system has been linked to caloric intake and associated nutritional benefits. The diets of the United States Operating Segment crewmembers during a mission are restricted to 200 processed and prepackaged standard menu items supplemented with personal preference foods. ISS crew members have noted in debriefs that they would prefer more food variety for the length of the missions and they tire of certain foods over six months. It is possible that menu fatigue leads to decreases in acceptability and increased aversion to available foods, potentially contributing to the body mass loss often experienced by ISS crew. However, the impact of repeat food consumption on acceptability within the current spaceflight food system has not yet been systematically investigated. Limited variety and crew preferences within food categories may have more severe physical and behavioral health and performance consequences as mission duration increases. Characterizing the relationship between food acceptability and mission duration will contribute to defining requirements for an acceptable food system that will support crew health and performance on long duration missions

Economic Comparison of the Undercutter and Traditional Tillage Systems for Winter Wheat-Summer Fallow Farming

Wind erosion and blowing dust are major problems for traditional tillage winter wheat-summer fallow in eastern Washington. Wind erosion reduces soil productivity and dust particulates are a major air quality concern. Conservation tillage summer fallow can reduce wind erosion markedly, but is used by relatively few farmers in the low-precipitation (less than 12 inch/year) region of the Inland Pacific Northwest. Barriers to adoption include the cost of conservation tillage implements and reluctance to change "tried and proven"traditional tillage methods. This bulletin compares economic results for the V-sweep undercutter and traditional fallow tillage systems on a case study farm located near Ritzville, WA. The farm’s eight-year average wheat yield is 46 bu/ac. Grain yields are similar for the two systems. This study shows that the undercutter method of summer fallow farming is more profitable than the traditional system on the case study farm due to slightly lower production costs. The undercutter system is eligible for conservation payments, but the traditional system is not. Receipt of these payments further strengthens the profitability advantage of the undercutter systemcapital, labor, land and management resources, type and size of machinery complement