THE DETERMINANTS OF ECO-LABEL USAGE IN THE ORGANIC PRODUCE MARKET OF NORTHEAST ARKANSAS

This study used consumer intercept interviews at farmers markets and organic produce retail stores in northeast Arkansas to determine the variables that influence eco-label usage in organic produce markets. The results indicate that females, those with higher annual incomes, consumers who believe the use of pesticides has negative impact on health and the environment, and those who usually organic purchase organic produce are all more likely to use eco-labels in purchasing organic produce. The findings also suggest that there is a direct relationship between income levels and marginal probability of eco-label usage. The result of this study provides a more current picture of the major determinants that influence eco-label usage among consumers which will be valuable as the USDA proposed organic standards are implemented in the market.Marketing,

SETTING ECO-LABEL STANDARDS IN THE FRESH ORGANIC VEGETABLE MARKET OF NORTHEAST ARKANSAS

Agribusiness,

IDENTIFICATION OF MARKET POTENTIAL FOR PASTURE-RAISED PORK IN THE MISSISSIPPI DELTA OF ARKANSAS-1998

Agribusiness,

Reducing the environmental impact of surgery on a global scale: systematic review and co-prioritization with healthcare workers in 132 countries

Abstract Background Healthcare cannot achieve net-zero carbon without addressing operating theatres. The aim of this study was to prioritize feasible interventions to reduce the environmental impact of operating theatres. Methods This study adopted a four-phase Delphi consensus co-prioritization methodology. In phase 1, a systematic review of published interventions and global consultation of perioperative healthcare professionals were used to longlist interventions. In phase 2, iterative thematic analysis consolidated comparable interventions into a shortlist. In phase 3, the shortlist was co-prioritized based on patient and clinician views on acceptability, feasibility, and safety. In phase 4, ranked lists of interventions were presented by their relevance to high-income countries and low–middle-income countries. Results In phase 1, 43 interventions were identified, which had low uptake in practice according to 3042 professionals globally. In phase 2, a shortlist of 15 intervention domains was generated. In phase 3, interventions were deemed acceptable for more than 90 per cent of patients except for reducing general anaesthesia (84 per cent) and re-sterilization of ‘single-use’ consumables (86 per cent). In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for high-income countries were: introducing recycling; reducing use of anaesthetic gases; and appropriate clinical waste processing. In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for low–middle-income countries were: introducing reusable surgical devices; reducing use of consumables; and reducing the use of general anaesthesia. Conclusion This is a step toward environmentally sustainable operating environments with actionable interventions applicable to both high– and low–middle–income countries

Dimethyl fumarate in patients admitted to hospital with COVID-19 (RECOVERY): a randomised, controlled, open-label, platform trial

Dimethyl fumarate (DMF) inhibits inflammasome-mediated inflammation and has been proposed as a treatment for patients hospitalised with COVID-19. This randomised, controlled, open-label platform trial (Randomised Evaluation of COVID-19 Therapy [RECOVERY]), is assessing multiple treatments in patients hospitalised for COVID-19 (NCT04381936, ISRCTN50189673). In this assessment of DMF performed at 27 UK hospitals, adults were randomly allocated (1:1) to either usual standard of care alone or usual standard of care plus DMF. The primary outcome was clinical status on day 5 measured on a seven-point ordinal scale. Secondary outcomes were time to sustained improvement in clinical status, time to discharge, day 5 peripheral blood oxygenation, day 5 C-reactive protein, and improvement in day 10 clinical status. Between 2 March 2021 and 18 November 2021, 713 patients were enroled in the DMF evaluation, of whom 356 were randomly allocated to receive usual care plus DMF, and 357 to usual care alone. 95% of patients received corticosteroids as part of routine care. There was no evidence of a beneficial effect of DMF on clinical status at day 5 (common odds ratio of unfavourable outcome 1.12; 95% CI 0.86-1.47; p = 0.40). There was no significant effect of DMF on any secondary outcome

The Economic Impact of Ethanol Production on Arkansas Corn-Based Livestock Feed Prices

This study evaluates the impact of corn used in ethenol production on livestock feed prices. Using graphical, correlation, and causality analyses and 3-month lead and lagged price series, the study forms and tests three main hypotheses: corn-based livestock feed prices are affected by crude oil prices; corn-based livestock feed prices are affected by ethanol prices; corn-based livestock feed prices are affected by beef prices. The graphical analyses show close relationships in the trend of corn-based livestock feed prices and crude oil, ethanol and beef prices. The results of the correlation analyses indicate highly significant positive coefficients at lag zero for all pairs of price series, suggesting an instantaneous relationship could be attributed to the high use of crude oil in tje production of corn as well as to the use of corn in the production of ethanol and livestock feed. The results of the causality analuses indicate strong bidirectioal causality relationships between the prices of ethanol, beef, and livestock feed. However, there is a weak causality relationship between crude oil prices and livestock feed prices. These results imply that higher crude oil prices in recent years have created higher incentives for the demand for and production of ethanol, thus stimulating demand for corn, the primary input or feedstock for ethanol. This has put upward pressure on corn-based livestock feed prices

THE DETERMINANTS OF ECO-LABEL USAGE IN THE ORGANIC PRODUCE MARKET OF NORTHEAST ARKANSAS

This study used consumer intercept interviews at farmers markets and organic produce retail stores in northeast Arkansas to determine the variables that influence eco-label usage in organic produce markets. The results indicate that females, those with higher annual incomes, consumers who believe the use of pesticides has negative impact on health and the environment, and those who usually organic purchase organic produce are all more likely to use eco-labels in purchasing organic produce. The findings also suggest that there is a direct relationship between income levels and marginal probability of eco-label usage. The result of this study provides a more current picture of the major determinants that influence eco-label usage among consumers which will be valuable as the USDA proposed organic standards are implemented in the market

MARKET ACCESS AND ENTREPRENEURIAL TRAINING FOR VALUE-ADDED VEGETABLE COOPERATIVES IN THE MISSISSIPPI DELTA OF ARKANSAS

This project, funded by USDA Rural Development Office, provides baseline information on how member farmers of vegetable cooperatives in the Delta area of Arkansas can engage in a participatory entrepreneurial training to add value to their produce, better manage their farm business, and exploit market opportunities in order to contribute to the economic development of their communities. The main project objective was to establish a model of a successful value-added enterprise by nurturing business-development skills in value-added vegetable producers that can be shared and replicated for other agricultural enterprises. The project selected board of directors and member farmers of vegetable growers cooperatives in Lee, Phillips, and St. Francis counties and provided them with participatory entrepreneurial training on how to effectively diversify into sustainable low-cost value-added vegetable produce, secure vendor contracts from fresh vegetable wholesale and brokers, and manage their associations in profitable manner. The policy implication from the results of the training sessions indicates that given the adequate entrepreneurial training and managerial personnel, farm cooperatives and their member farmers in the area can effectively expand their value-added vegetable operations to exploit the growing vegetable markets in the mid-south in order to contribute to the economic development of their communities

EVALUATING CONSUMER PERCEPTIONS AND PREFERENCES FOR PASTURE-RAISED PORK IN THE MISSISSIPPI DELTA OF ARKANSAS

This research provides baseline information about consumers' concerns, preferences, and market existence for pasture-raised pork in the Mississippi Delta area of Arkansas. Consumer preferences for pasture-raised pork are evaluated by examining the relationships between consumers' willingness to buy and their perception and acceptance of pasture-raised pork. The hypotheses were developed based on a market survey conducted during 1998. Using maximum-likelihood behavioral and demographic models, our results show consumer preferences drive the assured market that exists for pasture-raised pork in urban areas of the Delta among affluent, educated, health-conscious consumers who are prepared to pay a premium price for it