The U.S. Departments of Justice and Agriculture (DOJ, USDA) have signaled a renewed interest in the competitiveness of food and agricultural markets, and have organized a series of public workshops held across the country to stimulate... more
The U.S. Departments of Justice and Agriculture (DOJ, USDA) have signaled a renewed interest in the competitiveness of food and agricultural markets, and have organized a series of public workshops held across the country to stimulate discussion of the economic and legal issues. A main concern is whether producers are harmed by ongoing changes in the structure of agricultural and food markets, including consolidation in farm inputs, processing, and food retailing, as well as increased coordination along the vertical supply chain. As Secretary of Agriculture Vilsack put it in his opening statements to the workshop held in Iowa in March of this year, “...the central question is, are the farmers and ranchers of this country currently getting a fair shake?”
This study employs factor and cluster analysis techniques to explore a national-level dataset of fresh produce consumers. Specifically, we characterize the major sources of variation in the dataset using four internally-derived factors,... more
This study employs factor and cluster analysis techniques to explore a national-level dataset of fresh produce consumers. Specifically, we characterize the major sources of variation in the dataset using four internally-derived factors, and then use these factors to split the data into five consumer segments using cluster analysis. We then examine the major differences in preferences and willingness to pay
An odd situation exists in Argentina. The volume of the soybean seed market is three times the corn market, yet little or no money is made by the leading branded seed companies. The corn market, in contrast, is highly profitable. How can... more
An odd situation exists in Argentina. The volume of the soybean seed market is three times the corn market, yet little or no money is made by the leading branded seed companies. The corn market, in contrast, is highly profitable. How can these two businesses, which are complements in the US, perform so differently in Argentina? How can the corn business reflect the best of times while the soybean business reflects the worst? The difference involves intellectual property. Corn’s intellectual property is protected whereas soybean’s is not. The protection differences exist because corn is a hybrid and soybeans are not. This difference provides a vivid example of the economic effects of weak intellectual property rights.
Cooperatives are user owned businesses that are an important part of the U.S. economy and particularly prevalent in the agricultural sector. In 2009, cooperative businesses in the United States controlled over $3 trillion in assets,... more
Cooperatives are user owned businesses that are an important part of the U.S. economy and particularly prevalent in the agricultural sector. In 2009, cooperative businesses in the United States controlled over $3 trillion in assets, generated nearly $654 billion in revenue, employed over 2 million people and distributed nearly $79 billion in income to user/owners. Agricultural marketing cooperatives generate nearly $130 billion in revenue and over 200,000 jobs (Deller et al.2009) Cooperatives operate under a business model that generates unique challenges in financial management, governance, strategy and communication. These unique challenges and the prevalence of cooperatives in U.S. agriculture have encouraged research and education efforts by agricultural economists since the early 1900’s. Cooperatives were included as a part of the mission of the Cooperative Extension Service in 1926 and the USDA has maintained research and statistical staff focusing on cooperatives for over 50 ...
USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) administers the child nutrition programs and reimburses participating schools’ foodservice departments for the meals served to students. Schools must provide meals for free or at a reduced price to... more
USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) administers the child nutrition programs and reimburses participating schools’ foodservice departments for the meals served to students. Schools must provide meals for free or at a reduced price to children eligible on the basis of household income and USDA reimburses those meals at a higher level. Children from families with incomes at or below 130% of the poverty level are eligible for free meals. Those with incomes between 130% and 185% of the poverty level are eligible for reduced-priced meals. Students in the reduced-price category pay no more than $0.40 for lunch and $0.30 for breakfast.
The current demographic and cultural changes in Midwestern and Southern communities are among the most important transformational events shaping the future of U.S. agriculture and rural America. Migration has been an important source of... more
The current demographic and cultural changes in Midwestern and Southern communities are among the most important transformational events shaping the future of U.S. agriculture and rural America. Migration has been an important source of labor for the U. S. agricultural sector. Today’s immigrants, primarily Latino/as, began to move to rural towns in growing numbers in the 1990s, alleviating decades of population decline, and contributing to the economic vigor of rural communities.
Page 1. choicesVol. 15, no. 2, February 2009 ISSN 0711-0677 www.irpp.org Diversity,Im m igration and Integration IRPP Karim H. Karim Changing Perceptions of Islamic Authority among Muslims in Canada, the United States and the United... more
Page 1. choicesVol. 15, no. 2, February 2009 ISSN 0711-0677 www.irpp.org Diversity,Im m igration and Integration IRPP Karim H. Karim Changing Perceptions of Islamic Authority among Muslims in Canada, the United States and the United Kingdom Page 2. ...
