MILK SUPPLY RESPONSE IN CALIFORNIA: EFFECTS OF PROFITABILITY VARIABLES AND REGIONAL CHARACTERISTICS

This article discusses supply response for milk in California with the emphasis on the impact of profitability of milk production. Profitability variables are specified as profit margin per cow due to the availability of cost of production data. California production is disaggregated into five regional response equations for market (Grade A) milk and an equation for manufacturing milk (Grade B). Econometric results for larger, more specialized dairies indicate very inelastic responses and long production lags. Results for smaller, less specialized dairies indicate elastic responses and somewhat shorter lags.Livestock Production/Industries,

POTENTIAL INCOME EFFECTS OF THE HARKIN-GEPHARDT PROPOSAL ON NEW YORK DAIRY FARMS

This article reports the results of research regarding the farm-level implications for New York dairy producers of national mandatory supply control programs for feed grains and milk. The analysis is based on the proposed Harkin-Gephardt Bill which would authorize a mandatory supply control program for milk and the major supported crops. Representative farm budgets were constructed for a sample of dairy farms to assess the possible effects on costs and returns. Some farmers would gain, while others would not. The results suggest that dairy farmers who purchase all of their feed would be worse off, while farmers who grow grain would be better off under the proposed supply control program.Agricultural Finance,

EMPLOYEE COMPENSATION AND JOB SATISFACTION ON DAIRY FARMS IN THE NORTHEAST

Economies of size have translated into much larger herd sizes and, therefore, employee bases on dairy farms throughout the Northeast. These non-family employees present managerial issues many farm managers are not accustomed to. This research quantifies and illustrates the internal pay structure and enumerates that current employee satisfaction levels present on the farms of members of the Northeast Dairy Producers Association (NEDPA).Human Resource Management, Compensation, Satisfaction, Labor and Human Capital,

Dairy Farm Business Summary: Eastern Plateau Region 1985

A.E. Ext. 86-22Dairy farmers throughout the State have been participating in New York Cooperative Extension's farm business summary and analysis program since the early 1950's. Each participating farmer receives a complete summary and analysis of his or her farm business in addition to this publication. The information in this report is compiled by averaging data submitted from the region described at the bottom of this page. Program Objective The primary objective of the dairy farm business summary, DFBS, is to provide farm managers information concerning profitability, financial condition, productivity, and efficiency to be used to assist them in delineating the strengths/weaknesses of the farm business and to improve decision-making. In short, DFBS identifies the records farmers need and provides information to be used in making business and financial management decisions. Program Improvements The 1985 DFBS report features improved accrual accounting procedures, a new measure of farm profitability, a more indepth balance sheet, an annual cash flow statement, and several major improvements in the business analysis format and the analysis measures used. These and other changes are identified in the body of this report. The revised format provides one full page for the analysis of the farm cropping program and another for complete analysis of the dairy program. Corn and hay crop related expenses are evaluated separately for cooperating farmers. The cost of producing milk per cow and per hundredweight of milk sold has been compiled. An annual cash flow worksheet has been added to the farmer's individual report. The popular Progress of The Farm Business report has been moved to page one of the farmer's report and added to this publication. Micro DFBS, which allows Cooperative Extension agents and specialists to calculate and print individual farm business reports in their offices, is now being used by more than 50 percent of our dairy farm management field staff. This innovative program provides faster processing of farm record data and increased use of DFBS in farm management programs

Constraining Phosphorus in Surface Waters of the New York City Watershed: Dairy Farm Resource Use and Profitability

The New York City Watershed Agricultural Program seeks to reduce the potential for phosphorus movement from farms to surface waters. A "phosphorus index for site evaluation" (P-index) provides planners in the New York City Watershed Agricultural Program with a tool for identifying individual farm business, phosphorus related problems, and evaluating solutions. A linear programming model is employed to examine dairy farm resource use and profitability, with the P-index used to impose phosphorus movement constraints. Results indicate dramatic differences in farm resource use and farm business profitability depending on the level of the P-index. Small changes in the target index level result in large shifts in optimal resource use and business profitability. These differences illustrate that restrictions on phosphorus movement from land to surface waters potentially have major impacts on resource use and farm profitability in the New York City Watershed

RISK ANALYSIS OF ADOPTING ZERO RUNOFF SUBIRRIGATION SYSTEMS IN GREENHOUSE OPERATIONS: A MONTE CARLO SIMULATION APPROACH

Zero runoff subirrigation (ZRS) technology can effectively manage fertilizer input while improving greenhouse production efficiency. However, high capital investment costs and inadequate technical information to growers are impediments for adoption. A Monte Carlo simulation was used to compare the profitability and risks of alternative ZRS system investments for greenhouse operations in the northeastern and north central United States. Results showed that the Dutch movable tray system and the flood floor system were most profitable and least risky for small potted plant and bedding crop flat production, respectively. The trough bench system was least favorable because its profitability was low and highly volatile.Risk and Uncertainty,

Separating Developmental and Environmental Effects on Fluctuating Asymmetry in Lythrum salicaria and Penthorum sedoides

Environmental stress can disrupt developmental processes on biological, physiological, and chemical levels and thereby affect the symmetry of a trait. For this reason, fluctuating asymmetry is often proposed as a measure of stress encountered by an individual. One problem is that asymmetry may have multiple causes, including developmental noise and genetic background, and genetic differences may interact with any physiological stress imposed by the environment. The main objective of this research was to determine whether developmental noise and genetic stress can be separated from environmental effects on leaf asymmetry. The experiments were conducted on two wetland plants, Lythrum salicaria (purple loosestrife) and Penthorum sedoides (ditch stonecrop). Replicates of different genotypes were measured when young and after they matured, with the latter group grown under two nutrient treatments. The largest and healthiest leaf of each plant was measured for length, width, and differences in width between the left and right sides (measuring from the central vein at the widest point). Nutrient enrichment increased leaf asymmetry, while age reduced asymmetry in L. salicaria. However, leaf asymmetry changed only as a consequence of development in P. sedoides and decreased. Genotype did not affect asymmetry in either species

situ particle size distributions and volume concentrations from a LISST-100 laser particle sizer and a digital floc

Abstract A LISST-100 in situ laser particle sizer was deployed together with a digital floc camera during field work in the Newark Bay area (USA) and along the Apennine margin (the Adriatic Sea, Italy). The purpose of these simultaneous deployments was to investigate how well in situ particle (floc) sizes and volume concentrations from the two different instruments compared. In the Adriatic Sea the two instruments displayed the same temporal variation, but the LISST provided lower estimates of floc size by a factor of 2-3, compared to the DFC. In the Newark Bay area, the LISST provided higher values of floc size by up to a factor of 2. When floc size was computed using only the overlapping size bins from the two instruments the discrepancy disappeared. The reason for the discrepancy in size was found to be related to several issues: First, the LISST measured particles in the 2.5-500 mm range, whereas the camera measured particles in the 135-9900 mm range, so generally the LISST should provide lower estimates of floc size, as it measures the smaller particles. Second, in the Newark Bay area scattering from particles 4500 mm generally caused the LISST to overestimate the volume of particles in its largest size bin, thereby increasing apparent floc size. Relative to the camera, the LISST generally provided estimates of total floc volume that were lower by a factor of 3. Factors that could explain this discrepancy are errors arising from the accuracy of the LISST volume conversion coefficient and image processing. Regardless of these discrepancies, the shapes of the size spectra from the instruments were similar in the regions of overlap and could be matched by multiplying with an appropriate correction coefficient. This facilitated merging of the size spectra from the LISST and the DFC, yielding size spectra in the 2.5-9900 mm range. The merged size spectra generally had one or more peaks in the coarse end of the spectrum, presumably due to the presence of flocs. The fine end (o100 mm) of the spectrum displayed a flat tail with equal concentration of particles in all size classes. Size spectra with this shape indicate that the classical Junge model for description of in situ particle size spectra is reasonable for particles smaller than 100 mm but not for larger particles. Floc fraction was computed for the merged spectra by using a diameter-to-mass conversion and found to vary between 0.34 and 0.95, within the range reported by other authors.

Localization of the succinate receptor in the distal nephron and its signaling in polarized MDCK cells

When the succinate receptor (SUCNR1) is activated in the afferent arterioles of the glomerulus it increases renin release and induces hypertension. To study its location in other nephron segments and its role in kidney function, we performed immunohistochemical analysis and found that SUCNR1 is located in the luminal membrane of macula densa cells of the juxtaglomerular apparatus in close proximity to renin-producing granular cells, the cortical thick ascending limb, and cortical and inner medullary collecting duct cells. In order to study its signaling, SUCNR1 was stably expressed in Madin-Darby Canine Kidney (MDCK) cells, where it localized to the apical membrane. Activation of the cells by succinate caused Gq and Gi-mediated intracellular calcium mobilization, transient phosphorylation of extracellular regulated kinase (ERK)1/2 and the release of arachidonic acid along with prostaglandins E2 and I2. Signaling was desensitized without receptor internalization but rapidly resensitized upon succinate removal. Immunohistochemical evidence of phosphorylated ERK1/2 was found in cortical collecting duct cells of wild type but not SUCNR1 knockout streptozotocin-induced diabetic mice, indicating in vivo relevance. Since urinary succinate concentrations in health and disease are in the activation range of the SUCNR1, this receptor can sense succinate in the luminal fluid. Our study suggests that changes in the luminal succinate concentration may regulate several aspects of renal function