Arne Hallam
Iowa State University, Economics, Faculty Member
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Potential feedstocks from crop-based energy production systems range from starchy and sugary tuberous crops to woody, oilseed, or herbaceous crops (including corn, sweet and grain sorghums, and several grasses). An important... more
Potential feedstocks from crop-based energy production systems range from starchy and sugary tuberous crops to woody, oilseed, or herbaceous crops (including corn, sweet and grain sorghums, and several grasses). An important characteristic of biomass crops is that the ratio of energy of the biomass product be large compared to the energy used to pro duce the crop. Because one of the most costly inputs in the latter component is nitrogen (N) fertilizer, any evaluation of potential energy crops must emphasize N inputs. Given its high N requirement, corn is not likely to meet all future ethanol demands. Corn also is limited by the inefficient conversion of starch to etha nol and by environmental and conservation considerations such as suitable land use.
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Growth of forages for beef feeder-calf produc tion is a practical alternative because the fossil energy needed (in fuel and fertilizer) to pro duce forage legumes is only about 73 percent of that needed for corn. And about 75 percent of... more
Growth of forages for beef feeder-calf produc tion is a practical alternative because the fossil energy needed (in fuel and fertilizer) to pro duce forage legumes is only about 73 percent of that needed for corn. And about 75 percent of the energy used in forage production is needed for forage harvest. Improving forages can also help farmers save money by reducing feed costs, which constitute about 42 percent of the total cost of maintaining beef cows. In one study that involved grazing of corn resi dues, the most profitable one-third of cow-calf producers fed 28 percent less stored feed than the least-profitable one-third.
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The current financial crisis in Midwestern agriculture has prompted farmers and policymakers to search for profitable alternative crops that can diversify Iowa's agriculture so that farmers and the state economy will be less reliant... more
The current financial crisis in Midwestern agriculture has prompted farmers and policymakers to search for profitable alternative crops that can diversify Iowa's agriculture so that farmers and the state economy will be less reliant on corn, soybeans, cattle and swine. Among the alternative crops suggested for diversifying Iowa agriculture are fresh vegetables for the commercial wholesale market.
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This study aims at investigating the validity of Okun’s law across Palestine and Israel using quarterly time series data for the period 2000: Q1 - 2014: Q1. Different econometric and statistical techniques of Ordinary Least Square,... more
This study aims at investigating the validity of Okun’s law across Palestine and Israel using quarterly time series data for the period 2000: Q1 - 2014: Q1. Different econometric and statistical techniques of Ordinary Least Square, Granger causality tests, co-integration, and the Vector Error Correction Model are used to accomplish the overall objective of this study. The principal conclusion indicates that the Okun’s law does not hold in both Palestine and Israel, so that policymakers are advised to constantly direct human and other resources from unproductive to sustainable and productive activities that can shift aggregate demand and real output growth upwards. Toward this end, political stability and efficient governance should be taken into account
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The Tax Reform Act of 1986 may have substantial impacts on cattle feeding operations in the Midwest. Changes in the tax laws may encourage different investment patterns in feedlots as to size, type of facility, feeding programs, and age... more
The Tax Reform Act of 1986 may have substantial impacts on cattle feeding operations in the Midwest. Changes in the tax laws may encourage different investment patterns in feedlots as to size, type of facility, feeding programs, and age of animal fed. Cost and returns are computed for a variety of feeding systems under the new and old tax laws.Substantial economies of size were found under both tax laws, bu they were more extreme under the new tax system.
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Shelterbelts have the potential to influence growth and yield from various cropping systems. On-farm tests were conducted to determine how shelterbelts interacted with corn, corn/soybean, and strip intercropping.
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This chapter begins with the analysis of the socio economic determinants of nutrition, and shows how understanding the contribution of different socio economic variables can help in the process of developing program and policy... more
This chapter begins with the analysis of the socio economic determinants of nutrition, and shows how understanding the contribution of different socio economic variables can help in the process of developing program and policy interventions at the national, local, and community levels. This chapter reviews the studies that have analyzed such determinants from the policy perspective, and provides specific analytical examples for practitioners to identify the role of these determinants in the formulation of nutritional policy and program interventions. The magnitude and the nature of the nutritional contribution of these socio economic factors will vary depending on their interaction. This chapter also demonstrates the method of quantile regression to capture the policy and program effects of different socio economic groups.
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This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate College at Digital Repository @ Iowa State University. It has been accepted for inclusion in Graduate Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of... more
This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate College at Digital Repository @ Iowa State University. It has been accepted for inclusion in Graduate Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Digital Repository @ Iowa State University. For more information, please contact
Animal health concerns are not new to agriculture. Animal health breakthroughs have been occurring with regularity. They represent an advancement in technology. Likewise, the need for evaluation of technologies is not new. While animal... more
Animal health concerns are not new to agriculture. Animal health breakthroughs have been occurring with regularity. They represent an advancement in technology. Likewise, the need for evaluation of technologies is not new. While animal health represents an arena where some dramatic new discoveries are likely, approaches for their evaluation and effective implementation into American agriculture will likely Include standard tools now available. This would involve tools such as budgeting, cash flow analysis, systems simulation analysis, and welfare analysis to measure benefits from improved animal health or disease control.
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The current financial crisis in Midwestern agriculture has prompted farmers and policymakers to search for profitable alternative crops that can diversify Iowa\u27s agriculture so that farmers and the state economy will be less reliant on... more
The current financial crisis in Midwestern agriculture has prompted farmers and policymakers to search for profitable alternative crops that can diversify Iowa\u27s agriculture so that farmers and the state economy will be less reliant on corn, soybeans, cattle and swine. Among the alternative crops suggested for diversifying Iowa agriculture are fresh vegetables for the commercial wholesale market
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This chapter is concerned with the economics of Triple Burden—under-nutrition, over-nutrition, and micronutrient deficiencies all occurring in the same community, and sometimes in the same household. It addresses over-nutrition in the... more
This chapter is concerned with the economics of Triple Burden—under-nutrition, over-nutrition, and micronutrient deficiencies all occurring in the same community, and sometimes in the same household. It addresses over-nutrition in the context of overweight and obesity resulting from over-consumption of fat, sugar, and salt, and from unbalanced diets. It specifically looks at policies and programs that have been put in place to keep a check on obesity problems, including the controversial tax on certain foods and beverages in order to regulate their consumption.
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Farm-scale costs and returns for second generation bioenergy cropping systems in the US Corn Belt
Double cropping, a system in which more than one crop is produced per year in a land area, helps to increase food and feed production in the United States. But the impact of double cropping on production of biomass (crops grown to be... more
Double cropping, a system in which more than one crop is produced per year in a land area, helps to increase food and feed production in the United States. But the impact of double cropping on production of biomass (crops grown to be converted to fuel) has not been evaluated. Such cropping systems have been successful in the eastern and southern United States. If they can be adapted to the relatively short growing season of the extremely large and agriculturally productive north-central region of the United States, biomass production potential can be greatly increased.
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... Kliebenstein, J., S. Patton, J. Zimmerman, X. Hu, A. Hallam, T. Roberts, and E. Bush. ... RIS (EndNote, RefMan, ProCite), ReDIF Length: Date of creation: 01 Jul 1997 Date of revision: Handle: RePEc:isu:genres:10448. Contact details of... more
... Kliebenstein, J., S. Patton, J. Zimmerman, X. Hu, A. Hallam, T. Roberts, and E. Bush. ... RIS (EndNote, RefMan, ProCite), ReDIF Length: Date of creation: 01 Jul 1997 Date of revision: Handle: RePEc:isu:genres:10448. Contact details of provider: Postal: Iowa State University, Dept. ...
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(with Arne Hallam, James Russell, and Matt Hersom). "Economics of Stockpiled Grazing Programs." Proceedings, Management Intensive Grazing Symposium, Newton, Iowa, January 22-23, 1997.
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The paper examines the impact of changes in the variance of output prices on the bias and intrafirm diffusion rate of technological change. The results indicate that a reduction in the variance of output prices will increase the rate of... more
The paper examines the impact of changes in the variance of output prices on the bias and intrafirm diffusion rate of technological change. The results indicate that a reduction in the variance of output prices will increase the rate of adoption and the intrafirm diffusion speed of yield-increasing technologies. The opposite is true for cost-reducing technologies.
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The paper examines the impact of changes in the variance of output prices on the bias and intrafirm diffusion rate of technological change. The results indicate that a reduction in the variance of output prices will increase the rate of... more
The paper examines the impact of changes in the variance of output prices on the bias and intrafirm diffusion rate of technological change. The results indicate that a reduction in the variance of output prices will increase the rate of adoption and the intrafirm diffusion speed of yield-increasing technologies. The opposite is true for cost-reducing technologies.
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The expected utility maximization problem is solved for producers with both price and production uncertainty who have access to both futures and options markets. Introduction of production uncertainty alters the optimal futures and... more
The expected utility maximization problem is solved for producers with both price and production uncertainty who have access to both futures and options markets. Introduction of production uncertainty alters the optimal futures and options position and almost always makes it optimal for the producer to purchase put options and to underhedge on the futures market. Simulation results lend support to the practice of hedging the minimum expected yield on the futures market and hedging remaining expected ...
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The concept of nonparametric analysis, estimation, and inference has a long and storied existence in the annals of economic measurement. At least four rather distinct types of analysis are lumped under the broad heading of nonparametrics.... more
The concept of nonparametric analysis, estimation, and inference has a long and storied existence in the annals of economic measurement. At least four rather distinct types of analysis are lumped under the broad heading of nonparametrics. The oldest, and perhaps most common, is that associated with distribution-free methods and order statistics. Similar in spirit, but different in emphasis, is nonparametric density estimation, such as the currently popular kernel estimator for regression. Semi-parametric or semi-nonparametric estimation combines parametric analysis of portions of the problem with nonparametric specification for the remainder, such as the specification of a specific functional form for a regression function with a nonparametric representation of the error distribution. The final type of nonparametrics is that associated with data envelopment analysis and revealed preference, although the use of the term nonparametrics for this research is perhaps a misnomer. This pap...
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... Hu, Xianfeng, Sharon Patton, Arne Hallam, James Kliebenstein, Tanya Roberts, and Jeffrey Zimmerman. ... ProCite), ReDIF Length: Date of creation: 01 Oct 1996 Date of revision: Handle: RePEc:isu:genres:10450. Contact details of... more
... Hu, Xianfeng, Sharon Patton, Arne Hallam, James Kliebenstein, Tanya Roberts, and Jeffrey Zimmerman. ... ProCite), ReDIF Length: Date of creation: 01 Oct 1996 Date of revision: Handle: RePEc:isu:genres:10450. Contact details of provider: Postal: Iowa State University, Dept. ...
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ABSTRACT Background/Question/Methods The Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007established national targets for the production of renewable transportation fuels in the U.S. These targets are presently being met through the... more
ABSTRACT Background/Question/Methods The Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007established national targets for the production of renewable transportation fuels in the U.S. These targets are presently being met through the production of corn grain ethanol. Advanced biofuels derived from lignocellulosic materials, however, are expected to comprise a growing proportion of the renewable energy portfolio and provide a more sustainable solution in the long term. To improve understanding of potential ecological and economic tradeoffs associated with growing lignocellulosic materials for bioenergy production, in 2008 we established a replicated field experiment in central Iowa, USA, which includes five biomass cropping systems grown across a toposequence of five landscape positions. In this experiment, called the Landscape Biomass Project, we are assessing above-ground biomass yield, below-ground carbon pools, greenhouse-gas emissions, soil moisture levels, water quality, and management costs and benefits for each cropping system grown at each landscape position. Results/Conclusions Baseline work has established the impacts of a 50 year cropping history on soil parameters, including the capacity of soils located across the toposequence to store carbon; the summit and shoulder positions pose the highest potential and the floodplain the lowest. The continuous corn system has consistently produced among the highest above-ground biomass yields. The triticale-sorghum system, however, which yields two biomass crops per year, matched corn yields in four of five landscape positions and outperformed corn at the backslope position during 2010, a wet year. Nitrate-nitrogen concentrations in soil water are significantly lower in this cropping system in comparison to continuous corn, as is case for the switchgrass system. Soil moisture levels are lower in the short-rotation woody biomass crop system, which may be due to higher levels of evapotranspiration associated with the tree crop. The fuller understanding of the ecological parameters of biomass cropping systems such as these will help inform regional models that strive to predict the impacts of agricultural land-use change and governmental policies that seek to incentivize the development of a more sustainable bioenergy industry.
ABSTRACT North Central Farm Machinery Task Force is a group of extension economists who evaluated alternative methods for estimating farm machinery costs and made recommendations for the development of extension materials. This paper... more
ABSTRACT North Central Farm Machinery Task Force is a group of extension economists who evaluated alternative methods for estimating farm machinery costs and made recommendations for the development of extension materials. This paper describes the procedures agreed upon, and explains the rationale for the procedures chosen. The focus is on "typical" machinery costs for use in extension budgets and other analyses and examples. This paper also provides detailed documentation of the methods used in recent versions of the widely used Minnesota Farm Machinery Economic Cost Estimates publication (referred to below as "the Minnesota fact sheet"), focusing mainly on the 2000 version.
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Over two billion persons worldwide use biomass as their primary form of energy in household cooking. This creates significant adverse consequences to families in developing nations that use stoves made without technical advancements... more
Over two billion persons worldwide use biomass as their primary form of energy in household cooking. This creates significant adverse consequences to families in developing nations that use stoves made without technical advancements commonly used in the industrialized ...
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... Strotz). Gorman, in response to Strotz, showed that weak separa-bility of utility is a sufficient condition for the latter stage of two-stage budgeting. However ... are (25a) ~ (Bjk Bil - Bik Bit ) fl(rl..__)) l= l Or I rt = 0 i,... more
... Strotz). Gorman, in response to Strotz, showed that weak separa-bility of utility is a sufficient condition for the latter stage of two-stage budgeting. However ... are (25a) ~ (Bjk Bil - Bik Bit ) fl(rl..__)) l= l Or I rt = 0 i, jeN~;kdN c. Assuming ...
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... Chariton (30.6%) than Ames (28.0%). Also, because it was more mature when harvested, forage sorghum contained a greater dry-mat-ter concentration (32.4%) than sweet sorghum (26.1%). Sorghum following rye was visibly ...