THE MEXICAN HOG INDUSTRY: MOVING BEYOND 2003

The purpose of this paper is to show how Mexican hog producers can take advantage of NAFTA in order to increase their competitiveness. In particular, lowering feed costs, improving transportation facilities, and establishing greater control over swine diseases would go a long way towards increasing the competitiveness of Mexican producers.Livestock Production/Industries,

NORTH AMERICAN AGRICULTURAL TRADE DURING 1975-98: A BACKGROUND PAPER ON TRADE FLOWS

International Relations/Trade,

THE EUROPEAN UNION’S FRAMEWORK FOR CLIMATE CHANGE ADAPTATION: IMPLICATIONS OF AGRICULTURE’S ADAPTATION THROUGH SUSTAINED YIELD GROWTH

Agricultural and Food Policy, Environmental Economics and Policy, Resource /Energy Economics and Policy,

Competiveness of Latin American Exports in the U.S. Banana Market

U.S. banana demand differentiated by country of origin is estimated using the generalized dynamic Rotterdam model. Results indicate that dynamic factors play a significant role in determining the allocation of U.S. banana expenditures across exporting sources. Of particular interest is Guatemala’s increased share and Costa Rica’s decreased share of U.S. banana supply. A number of factors explained why Guatemala replaced Costa Rica as the leading U.S. supplier in 2007. (1) Guatemala is the least expensive source on average. (2) Habit persistence, adjustment costs, and other dynamic factors favor Guatemala’s exports. (3) Given increases in the relative price of Costa Rica’s bananas, the price competition between Costa Rica and Guatemala is highly significant. (4) Bananas from Costa Rica are highly responsive to own-price while imports from Guatemala are more price-inelastic. (5) Heavy rains and fluctuating temperatures in Costa Rica have decreased banana production and exports.bananas, imports, demand, Latin America, United States, Demand and Price Analysis, International Relations/Trade, F14, Q11, Q13, Q17,

Agricultural Employment Patterns of Immigrant Workers in the United States

Despite of the important role international migration fills in the United States’ labor-intensive agricultural sector, few studies have addressed the individual characteristics and circumstances surrounding entry and exit by farm laborers. With increasing public attention on international migrant labor, policymakers have a need to understand the labor market patterns of these workers if they are to formulate appropriate immigration reforms, including temporary worker programs geared towards agriculture. In this analysis, we model the likelihood of entering agricultural employment by migrants to the United States. Using data from the Mexican Migration Project we find that migrants with higher levels of education and a greater command of English are less likely to work as agricultural laborers. Those that do enter agricultural occupation stay in the United States for shorter periods of time per trip than those who enter non-agricultural occupation. In future analysis we will attempt to model the demand for agricultural farm work as a determinant of the decision by migrants to enter the U.S. market for hired farm labor.Agricultural Employment, Mexican Migration, Occupational Choice, Agribusiness, Agricultural and Food Policy, Farm Management, International Relations/Trade, Labor and Human Capital, Production Economics,

North American Approaches to Regulatory Coordination

Industrial Organization,

STRUCTURAL CHANGE IN AN ERA OF INCREASED OPENNESS: A BACKGROUND PAPER ON THE STRUCTURE OF U.S. AGRICULTURE

Agribusiness,

NORTH AMERICAN INTEGRATION IN AGRICULTURE: A SURVEY PAPER

This paper surveys the economic literature about North American integration in the agri-food sector. The purpose of this survey is two-fold: it summarizes the lessons learned, and it identifies areas where further research could provide valuable input into policy discussions. As the integration of North American agriculture progresses, the range of agri-food policies with strictly domestic effects becomes increasingly narrow. Thus, policymakers in North America need to consider the effects that their decisions will have on other NAFTA countries, as well as the impact that decisions by other NAFTA governments will have at home. The paper is organized as follows. Section 2 identifies the major factors contributing to integration and comments on their relative importance. Section 3 summarizes research into the indicators of integration. These studies focus on price co-movements and trade flow data. Section 4 outlines the state of current knowledge regarding foreign direct investment in the agri-food sector, while Section 5 assesses the impact of integration on the structure and performance of the sector. Section 6 discusses opportunities for further integration in the sector, and Section 7 concludes the paper. Throughout the paper, gaps in the knowledge base are highlighted, along with suggested areas for further research.Industrial Organization,

Mass fluxes and isofluxes of methane (CH4) at a New Hampshire fen measured by a continuous wave quantum cascade laser spectrometer

We have developed a mid‐infrared continuous‐wave quantum cascade laser direct‐absorption spectrometer (QCLS) capable of high frequency (≥1 Hz) measurements of 12CH4 and 13CH4 isotopologues of methane (CH4) with in situ 1‐s RMS image precision of 1.5 ‰ and Allan‐minimum precision of 0.2 ‰. We deployed this QCLS in a well‐studied New Hampshire fen to compare measurements of CH4 isoflux by eddy covariance (EC) to Keeling regressions of data from automated flux chamber sampling. Mean CH4 fluxes of 6.5 ± 0.7 mg CH4 m−2 hr−1 over two days of EC sampling in July, 2009 were indistinguishable from mean autochamber CH4 fluxes (6.6 ± 0.8 mgCH4 m−2 hr−1) over the same period. Mean image composition of emitted CH4 calculated using EC isoflux methods was −71 ± 8 ‰ (95% C.I.) while Keeling regressions of 332 chamber closing events over 8 days yielded a corresponding value of −64.5 ± 0.8 ‰. Ebullitive fluxes, representing ∼10% of total CH4 fluxes at this site, were on average 1.2 ‰ enriched in 13C compared to diffusive fluxes. CH4 isoflux time series have the potential to improve process‐based understanding of methanogenesis, fully characterize source isotopic distributions, and serve as additional constraints for both regional and global CH4 modeling analysis

Simultaneous Measurements of Atmospheric HONO and NO2 via Absorption Spectroscopy using Tunable Mid-Infrared Continuous-wave Quantum Cascade Lasers

Nitrous acid (HONO) is important as a significant source of hydroxyl radical (OH) in the troposphere and as a potent indoor air pollutant. It is thought to be generated in both environments via heterogeneous reactions involving nitrogen dioxide $(NO_2)$. In order to enable fast-response HONO detection suitable for eddy-covariance flux measurements and to provide a direct method that avoids interferences associated with derivatization, we have developed a 2-channel tunable infrared laser differential absorption spectrometer (TILDAS) capable of simultaneous high-frequency measurements of HONO and NO2. Beams from two mid-infrared continuous-wave mode quantum cascade lasers (cw-QCLs) traverse separate 210 m paths through a multi-pass astigmatic sampling cell at reduced pressure for the direct detection of HONO $(1660 cm^{−1})$ and $(NO_2)$ $(1604 cm^{−1})$. The resulting one-second detection limits (S/N=3) are 300 and 30 ppt (pmol/mol) for HONO and $(NO_2)$, respectively. Our HONO quantification is based on revised line-strengths and peak positions for cis-HONO in the 6-micron spectral region that were derived from laboratory measurements. An essential component of ambient HONO measurements is the inlet system and we demonstrate that heated surfaces and reduced pressure minimize sampling artifacts.Earth and Planetary SciencesEngineering and Applied Science