Writing and literacy in Indonesia

published or submitted for publicationis peer reviewe

RISK MANAGEMENT POTENTIAL OF PRECISION FARMING TECHNOLOGIES

Initial ideas on risk management uses of precision agricultural technology focused on site-specific treatment of problem areas to reduce the probability of low yields and returns. Recent discussions deal with sensor and remote-sensing information to improve marketing and "as applied maps" as trace-back mechanisms to manage liability. A theoretical model is presented that suggests that there are plausible circumstances under which precision farming can reduce temporal yield variability. Empirical evidence from an on-farm trial of site-specific P&K management in the Eastern Cornbelt supports the hypothesis that precision farming can have risk-reducing benefits.food safety, GIS, GPS, crop insurance, marketing, precision farming, site specific management, risk, Research and Development/Tech Change/Emerging Technologies, Risk and Uncertainty,

PRECISION AGRICULTURE: ECONOMICS OF NITROGEN MANAGEMENT IN CORN USING SITE-SPECIFIC CROP RESPONSE ESTIMATES FROM A SPATIAL REGRESSION MODEL

Adapting variable rate technology (VRT) to Argentine conditions requires methods that use inexpensive information and that focus on the inputs and variability common to Argentine maize and soybean growing areas. The goal of this study is to determine if spatial regression analysis of yield monitor data can be used to estimate the site-specific crop Nitrogen (N) response needed to fine tune variable rate fertilizer strategies. N has been chosen as the focus of this study because it is the most commonly used fertilizer by corn farmers in Argentina. The methodology uses yield monitor data from on-farm trials to estimate site-specific crop response functions. The design involves a strip trial with a uniform N rate along the strip and a randomized complete block design, with regression estimation of N response curves by landscape position. Spatial autocorrelation and spatial heterogeneity are taken into account using a spatial error model and a groupwise heteroskedasticity model. A partial budget is used to calculate uniform rate and VRT returns. First year data indicate that N response differs significantly by landscape position, and that VRA for N may be modestly profitable on some locations depending on the VRT fee level, compared to a uniform rate of urea of 80kg ha-1. A more complete analysis will pool data over many farms and several years to determine if reliable differences exist in N response by landscape position or other type of management zone. The study is planned for four years. The purpose of this preliminary analysis is to show how spatial regression analysis of yield data could be used to fine tune input use.Crop Production/Industries,

THE DISTRIBUTIONAL IMPACT OF 1981 AND 1982 FEDERAL INCOME TAX LEGISLATION: WHICH FARMERS BENEFIT?

Simulation was used to analyze the distribution of benefits from the 1981 and 1982 federal income tax legislation for farm types that exhibit various tax characteristics. The results indicate that distributional effects are largely attributable to the reduced progressivity of the tax rate schedule. The largest farms benefited relative to the smaller farms of all farm types. Intensive livestock farms and producers of perennial crops experience additional benefits relative to other farm types primarily because of the large reduction in useful life for tax purposes of specialized livestock facilities, orchards, and vineyards.Agricultural Finance, Public Economics,

EX ANTE NON-MARKET VALUATION FOR NOVEL PRODUCT: LITERATURE REVIEW

This paper provides a critical review of the literature on non-market valuation methods to estimate the welfare impact of novel products; it is the first study to assess both observed data- and perception-based methods as non-market valuation methods. Observed databased methods include budgets, regression, mathematical programming, and simulation. Perceptions-based methods include the contingent valuation method, choice-based conjoint analysis and experimental methods. Findings imply that the preferred observed data-based method to estimate the ex ante economic impact of a new technology on the welfare of the farm household is a combination of simulation and mathematical programming. The preferred perceptionbased method for estimating the ex ante impact of a novel product on the welfare of an economic agent is represented by experimental methods. Findings also imply that observed-data based methods and more specifically mathematical programming are more popular for estimating the ex ante farm-level economic impact of a new technology. On the other hand, perception-based methods are more popular for estimating the economic impact of a novel product for consumers.Staff working papers, Dept. of Agricultural Economics, Internet publications, Purdue University