Global Growth, Macroeconomic Change, and U.S. Agricultural Trade

After a decade of uneven export growth and rapidly growing imports, U.S. agriculture has begun to reassert its position in global trade markets. Rising exports and signs of moderating demand for imports mark a departure from previous trends. This report places past trends and emerging developments in perspective by spotlighting the role of two specific factors that help steer U.S. agricultural trade patterns: global growth and shifts in foreign economic activity that affect U.S. exports, and macroeconomic factors underlying the growth of U.S. imports. Consistent with actual changes in the level and destination of U.S. exports, model simulations corroborate the contention that renewed export growth can be sustained by expanding incomes and growing food import demand in emerging economies. In contrast, the rapid growth of U.S. agricultural imports appears less related to domestic income growth than to changing consumer preferences and other, perhaps less sustainable, macroeconomic conditions that fostered the growth of U.S. current account deficits.agricultural trade, trade balance, income growth, economic development, population, macroeconomics, exchange rates, current account, growth projections., Agricultural and Food Policy, Agricultural Finance, International Development, International Relations/Trade,

Theoretical Analysis of Dominant Economic Systems: A Conceptual Rejoinder

Different countries of the world faced with the challenges of national development have toggled in the dilemma of which economic system is more efficient and effective. While the liberals argued that the profit-oriented capitalism is a preferable alternative economic system to promote sustainable national development because it encourages high productivity through competitions; the radicals aver that socialism is a better option given that it is more people-oriented unlike the exploitative capitalism. Although no doubt is expressed with respect to the potentials of the two economic systems to steer sustainable national development, some of the associated merits and demerits that may make or mar economies were identified. Essentially, it is observed that the concept of mixed economy is not necessarily an economic system different from socialism and capitalism, but a synthesis of the values adapted from, but not limited to, the two major contending ideologies. It is submitted that the efficacy of any of the economic systems to promote national development depends more or less on the extent to which its operations can adequately harness the resources available in the society.

Adults in further education: A policy overview

Policy on FE is aimed at tackling social exclusion and contributing to economic efficiency. Several measures have contributed to increasing both participation and achievements of adults yet the needs of many of the most disadvantaged adults remain unmet. Since further education colleges are key institutions in the delivery of initiatives such as Skills for Life and Train to Gain, the impact of these initiatives has a major impact on the services they provide for adults. FE colleges are concerned about the impact of the contestability agenda on this provision. Many FE colleges are also concerned about the effects of reductions in funding for provision that is not clearly employment related, and also the restrictions on funding for ESOL. The main challenge faced by FE colleges is getting the balance between individual, State and employer funding for courses. This is a difficult message to get over to those who can afford to pay but who have benefited from free or heavily subsidised provision. The state has a responsibility to ensure that those who can least afford to pay have their education funded. It also has a responsibility to ensure that institutions with wider social remits can compete fairly with those with commercial agenda who can 'cherry pick' low-cost, high return activities

Minimizing the Cost of Innovative Nuclear Technology Through Flexibility: The Case of a Demonstration Accelerator-Driven Subcritical Reactor Park

Presented is a methodology to analyze the expected Levelised Cost Of Electricity (LCOE) in the face of technology uncertainty for Accelerator-Driven Subcritical Reactors (ADSRs). It shows that flexibility in the design and deployment strategy of an ADSR park demonstrator significantly reduces its expected LCOE. The methodology recognizes in the conceptual design a range of possible technological outcomes for the ADSR accelerator system. It identifies flexibility “on” and “in” the design to modify the future development path in light of such uncertain scenarios. Uncertainty and flexibility are incorporated in the ADSR valuation. The resulting economic assessment is more realistic than typical discounted cash flow analysis that does not consider a range of development outcomes, or the flexibility to change development path

Development of methodology for evaluating agro-industrial byproducts as potential feed ingredients for ruminant diets

A methodology for the evaluation of byproducts as a potential feedstuffs for ruminant diets was developed. The development process involved 1) development of methodology for the preliminary evaluation of a byproduct as a potential livestock feed. The methodology was tested using wet corn gluten feed (WCGF) as a model byproduct; 2) the construction of a least-cost linear program model to evaluate the value of a feedstuff on the basis of nutritional properties exhibited; 3) the application of the byproduct (WCGF) to specific feeding systems The methodology for preliminary evaluation of a byproduct indicate that WCGF appears to be free of any physical or chemical characteristics which would hinder or inhibit the use of WCGF as a feedstuff for growing and finishing beef cattle diets. The protocol did not address all issues necessary for dealing with wet materials. Additional suggestions were made to increase the thoroughness of the methodology for evaluating wet materials. Least-cost linear program models, the crude protein (CP) and rumen degradable protein (RDF) models, were evaluated as to their effectiveness in describing the economic value of nutrient constituents within a feedstuff. The RDF model was determined superior over the CF model in describing the economic value of feedstuff considered for inclusion in growing steer diets. The RDP model gave economic advantage to feeds containing unique protein qualities which are required by growing (215 kg) steers for maximum growth and development. The RDP and CP models were found to formulate identical rations for finishing (318 kg) steers. The CP system is recommended for evaluating diets of heavy weight class of steers due to the greater availability of CP values over RDP values. Application of the RDP model to WCGF determined WCGF to be of negative economic value in growing steer diets. WCGF demonstrated value as an energy source for finishing steer diets, when included up to 15% of ration dry matter. The high variability of the nutrient content of WCGF resulted in a considerable discount in the nutrient value credited to WCGF, and may have caused a reduction in the dietary levels of WCGF included in finishing diets. This study provides a combination of methodology and technical procedures by which a byproduct can be thoroughly evaluated for factors effecting the manageability, nutrient quality, economic value and safe application of the material considered for inclusion in beef cattle diets

Scaling and governance conference 2010 : "Towards a New Knowledge for Scale Sensitive Governance of Complex Systems" : conference program and book of abstracts, Wageningen, the Netherlands November 11-12, 2010

Both the ecological and the socio-economic domain are organized across a multitude of scales and levels. Governance encompasses all those structures and activities of social, political and administrative actors that can be seen as purposeful efforts to guide, steer, control, or manage sustainable development or other moral principles like good governance, accountability or environmental justice

WHOLE FARM MODELING OF PRECISION AGRICULTURE TECHNOLOGIES

This dissertation investigated farm management concerns faced by grain producers due to the acquisition of various precision agriculture technologies. The technologies evaluated in the three manuscripts included 1) auto-steer navigation, 2) automatic section control, and 3) autonomous machinery. Each manuscript utilized a multifaceted economic model in a whole-farm decision-making framework to determine the impact of precision agriculture technology on machinery management, production management, and risk management. This approach allowed for a thorough investigation into various precision agriculture technologies which helped address the relative dearth of economic studies of precision agriculture and farm management. Moreover, the research conducted on the above technologies provided a wide array of economic insight and information for researchers and developers to aid in the advancement of precision agriculture technologies. Such information included the risk management potential of auto-steer navigation and automatic section control, and the impact the technologies had on optimal production strategies. This dissertation was also able to provided information to guide engineers in the development of autonomous machinery by identifying critical characteristics and isolating the most influential operating machine. The inferences from this dissertation intend to be employed in an extension setting with the purpose of educating grain producers on the impacts of implementing such technologies

Validation and Improvement of the Beef Production Sub-index in Ireland for Beef Cattle

End of project reportThe objectives of the following study were to: a. Quantify the effect of sire genetic merit for BCI on: 1. feed intake, growth and carcass traits of progeny managed under bull or steer beef production systems. 2. live animal scores, carcass composition and plasma hormone and metabolite concentrations in their progeny. b. Compare the progeny of : 1. Late-maturing beef with dairy breeds and 2. Charolais (CH), Limousin (LM), Simmental (SM) and Belgian Blue (BB) sires bred to beef suckler dams, for feed intake, blood hormones and metabolites, live animal measurements, carcass traits and carcass value in bull and steer production systems

Towards a historical ecology of intertidal foraging in the Mafia Archipelago: archaeomalacology and implications for marine resource management

Understanding the timing and nature of human influence on coastal and island ecosystems is becoming a central concern in archaeological research, particularly when investigated within a historical ecology framework. Unfortunately, the coast and islands of eastern Africa have not figured significantly within this growing body of literature, but are important given their historically contingent environmental, social, and political contexts, as well as the considerable threats now posed to marine ecosystems. Here, we begin developing a longer-term understanding of past marine resource use in the Mafia Archipelago (eastern Africa), an area of high ecological importance containing the Mafia Island Marine Park. Focusing on the comparatively less researched marine invertebrates provides a means for initiating discussion on potential past marine ecosystem structure, human foraging and environmental shifts, and the implications for contemporary marine resource management. The available evidence suggests that human-environment interactions over the last 2000 years were complex and dynamic; however, these data raise more questions than answers regarding the specific drivers of changes observed in the archaeomalacological record. This is encouraging as a baseline investigation and emphasizes the need for further engagement with historical ecology by a range of cognate disciplines to enhance our understanding of these complex issues