Policymakers, farmers, managers of agriculture and others look to agricultural economists for accurate estimates of the costs and returns of individual agricultural commodities. But there is great diversity and disagreement among... more
Policymakers, farmers, managers of agriculture and others look to agricultural economists for accurate estimates of the costs and returns of individual agricultural commodities. But there is great diversity and disagreement among practitioners about the best method for such analysis. The contributors to this volume explore how different uses of estimates determine different methods of estimation, as well as evaluating what the preferred methods are for similar uses.
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ABSTRACT For U.S. agriculture to continue along a sustainable path of economic development, further production increases must be generated by technologies that are both profitable and more environmentally benign. In this context, we... more
ABSTRACT For U.S. agriculture to continue along a sustainable path of economic development, further production increases must be generated by technologies that are both profitable and more environmentally benign. In this context, we assess the role of these green or sustainable technologies in steering agriculture along a more sustainable path. However, the lack of markets for the environmental attributes associated with green technologies can limit their development. In addition, simply making a technology available does not mean it will be adopted. Experience with green technologies such as conservation tillage, integrated pest management, enhanced nutrient management, and precision agriculture demonstrates that even when technologies are profitable, barriers to adopting new practices can limit their effectiveness.
Research Interests: Sustainable agriculture, Pest Management, Precision Agriculture, Economic Development, Integrated Pest Management, and 9 moreNutrient Management, Technology Integration, Profitability, Environmental Services, Renewable Resources, Natural Capital, Conservation Tillage, Farm management, and Nonrenewable Resources
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Over the past three decades, the number of farming operations has remained relatively steady, but production has shifted to larger farms. Changes in production and marketing practices have facilitated—and have been facilitated... more
Over the past three decades, the number of farming operations has remained relatively steady, but production has shifted to larger farms. Changes in production and marketing practices have facilitated—and have been facilitated by—organizational and distributional changes in agricultural production. Resulting changes in agricultural productivity helped keep prices for agricultural goods relatively low and reduced the environmental footprint for each unit of agricultural output produced, but not without tradeoffs.
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Agricultural Resources and Environmental Indicators, 2012, describes trends in economic, structural, resource, and environmental indicators in the agriculture sector, focusing on changes since the release of Agricultural Resources and... more
Agricultural Resources and Environmental Indicators, 2012, describes trends in economic, structural, resource, and environmental indicators in the agriculture sector, focusing on changes since the release of Agricultural Resources and Environmental Indicators, 2006. These indicators are useful to assess important changes in U.S. agriculture—the industry’s development; its environmental effects; and the implications for economic, social, and environmental sustainability. This report tracks
Research Interests: Energy Economics, Pest Management, Productivity, Agricultural Biotechnology, Environmental Sustainability, and 12 moreResource use, Land Use, Research and Development, Environmental Effect, Agricultural Production, Organic production, Structural Change, Environmental Impact, Water Use, Soil management, Farm management, and AGRICULTURAL SECTOR
Over the past three decades, the number of farming operations has remained relatively steady, but production has shifted to larger farms. Changes in production and marketing practices have facilitated—and have been facilitated... more
Over the past three decades, the number of farming operations has remained relatively steady, but production has shifted to larger farms. Changes in production and marketing practices have facilitated—and have been facilitated by—organizational and distributional changes in agricultural production. Resulting changes in agricultural productivity helped keep prices for agricultural goods relatively low and reduced the environmental footprint for each unit
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A sample of 226 cash grain farms in the Lake States-Corn Belt region are analyzed to estimate the impact of restricting pesticide use on profits. These 226 farms are classified into small medium, and large farms according to their sale... more
A sample of 226 cash grain farms in the Lake States-Corn Belt region are analyzed to estimate the impact of restricting pesticide use on profits. These 226 farms are classified into small medium, and large farms according to their sale revenues. The results suggest the existence of pest management practices that could substantially reduce pesticide use without incurring economic losses. The reductions in profit associated with gradual reduction in pesticide expenditure appear to increase with farm size.
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This research develops a multiregional optimal control model that incorporates regional allocation of a public budget for controlling invasive plants when regionally differential recreation demand functions and species control costs are... more
This research develops a multiregional optimal control model that incorporates regional allocation of a public budget for controlling invasive plants when regionally differential recreation demand functions and species control costs are present. Our equimarginal condition for optimal budget allocation equates the relative marginal economic benefits per dollar spent across regions. The model was applied to Florida Public Conservation Land regions, and results indicate that the magnitude of an annual management budget affects its distribution among species management regions, but the size of the intrinsic growth rate does not affect the pattern of budget allocation among regions.
For U.S. agriculture to continue along a sustainable path of economic development, further production increases must be generated by technologies that are both profitable and more environmentally benign. In this context, we assess the... more
For U.S. agriculture to continue along a sustainable path of economic development, further production increases must be generated by technologies that are both profitable and more environmentally benign. In this context, we assess the role of these green or sustainable technologies in steering agriculture along a more sustainable path. However, the lack of markets for the environmental attributes associated with green technologies can limit their development. In addition, simply making a technology available does not mean it will be adopted. Experience with green technologies such as conservation tillage, integrated pest management, enhanced nutrient management, and precision agriculture demonstrates that even when technologies are profitable, barriers to adopting new practices can limit their effectiveness.
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This paper examines the elimination of all agricultural policy distortions in all trading countries and agricultural production decisions in the United States, as well as subsequent environmental quality in the presence and absence of... more
This paper examines the elimination of all agricultural policy distortions in all trading countries and agricultural production decisions in the United States, as well as subsequent environmental quality in the presence and absence of nondegradation environmental standards. The results suggest that trade liberalization has the potential to increase domestic production and boost agricultural returns by as much as 8.5 percent.
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M any studies have documented the sources of fluctuations in the level of trade, both at an aggregated country level (Deyak et al. 1993), at a disaggregated sectoral level (Heien and Pick 1991), or at a commodity level (Husted and... more
M any studies have documented the sources of fluctuations in the level of trade, both at an aggregated country level (Deyak et al. 1993), at a disaggregated sectoral level (Heien and Pick 1991), or at a commodity level (Husted and Kollintzas 1984). Research on modeling trade flows ...
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ABSTRACT In this analysis, trade in wheat, corn, and other coarse grain markets is modeled as a dynamic game where policy interactions across markets are allowed. The world is decomposed into eight regions, six of which are active players... more
ABSTRACT In this analysis, trade in wheat, corn, and other coarse grain markets is modeled as a dynamic game where policy interactions across markets are allowed. The world is decomposed into eight regions, six of which are active players in the game. Results indicate that, when across commodity market effects are explicitly incorporated, optimal subsidies are quite different from the standard independent market case. Copyright 1990 by Oxford University Press.
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Research Interests: Sustainable agriculture, Ecological Economics, Sustainable Development, Applied Economics, Technology development, and 9 moreNew Technology, Soil Erosion, Research and Development, Optimal investment, Market Failure, Boolean Satisfiability, Productivity Growth, AGRICULTURAL SECTOR, and ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND MANAGEMENT
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... In a similar study Berndt and Khaled (1979) rejected GSRQ as a special case of a Box-Cox specification; although GL was not rejected, results ... This is to be expected from concavity of C(0) in p, and the implied... more
... In a similar study Berndt and Khaled (1979) rejected GSRQ as a special case of a Box-Cox specification; although GL was not rejected, results ... This is to be expected from concavity of C(0) in p, and the implied negative-semi-definiteness of the Hessian matrix with typical ...
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Early-warning systems for plant diseases are valuable when the systems provide timely forecasts that farmers can use to inform their pest management decisions. To evaluate the value of the systems, this study examines, as a case study,... more
Early-warning systems for plant diseases are valuable when the systems provide timely forecasts that farmers can use to inform their pest management decisions. To evaluate the value of the systems, this study examines, as a case study, USDA’s coordinated framework for soybean rust surveillance, reporting, prediction, and management, which was developed before the 2005 growing season. The framework’s linchpin is
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... is contained in Stigler, and the specific justification of static expecta-tions implied by this hypothesis is available in Chambers and Lopez. ... of ran-dom market phenomena and that these distri-butions (as well as behavioral rule)... more
... is contained in Stigler, and the specific justification of static expecta-tions implied by this hypothesis is available in Chambers and Lopez. ... of ran-dom market phenomena and that these distri-butions (as well as behavioral rule) assume a highly tractable form (Lucas and Sargent ...
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The effect of exchange rates on international trade and, more specifically, on agricultural trade flows has been documented by several studies. 1 Most studies agree that an appreci- ation (depreciation) in the value of the US dollar hurts... more
The effect of exchange rates on international trade and, more specifically, on agricultural trade flows has been documented by several studies. 1 Most studies agree that an appreci- ation (depreciation) in the value of the US dollar hurts (helps) US agricultural exports. An ...
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... 2 (1988) 123137 123 Elsevier Science Publishers BV, Amsterdam Printed in The Netherlands A Dynamic Adjustment Model for US Agriculture: 194879 Utpal Vasavada' and V. Eldon Ball' 'Department of ... Young, DL,... more
... 2 (1988) 123137 123 Elsevier Science Publishers BV, Amsterdam Printed in The Netherlands A Dynamic Adjustment Model for US Agriculture: 194879 Utpal Vasavada' and V. Eldon Ball' 'Department of ... Young, DL, Mittelhammer, RC, Rostamizadeh, A. and Holland, DW,1985. ...