SABIIA - Sistema Aberto e Integrado de Informação em Agricultura (Sabiia)

Mutuc, Maria Erlinda M.; Hudson, Darren.

With cotton output declining by 46 percent from 2005-2008 (from 23.89 M bales in 2005 to 12.8 M bales in 2008), gins are processing less cotton. This paper examines how output size distribution of cotton gins in the U.S. has evolved and the extent to which the developments in the U.S. ethanol industry, specifically the passage of the Energy Policy Act in 2005 (and its subsequent revisions), have influenced this structural process. Markov transitional probability matrices (TPMs) are estimated for two periods: 1994-2004 and 2005-2008 to determine changes in output size distribution of gins. TPMs indicate that relative to the pre-2005 period, gins had a greater propensity to process lower outputs after 2005. It is purported that in industries constrained...

Staying in Touch through Extension: An Analysis of Farmers’ Use of Alternative Extension Information Products

Palavras-chave: Cotton; Cotton gins; Transitional probabilities; Markov; Minimum efficient scale; Agricultural and Food Policy; Crop Production/Industries; Industrial Organization; Q10; Q12; L11.

Ano: 2010

URL: http://purl.umn.edu/56424

Jones, Lauren E.; Diekmann, Florian; Batte, Marvin T..

The U.S. farming industry is evolving quickly. It is therefore important that state Extension services be prepared to evolve as well. This study uses data collected in a 2007 survey of Ohio farmers to evaluate likelihood and frequency of use of various services offered by Extension as well as overall satisfaction with Extension services. Results indicate that tailoring of topics and communication methods to type of farm and/or farmer informational needs could improve the use of Extension resources. This implies that targeting of information products and methods may improve the performance of Extension education programs and customer satisfaction.

Tipo: Journal Article

Palavras-chave: Communication methods; Double hurdle model; Extension information demand; Extension satisfaction; Value of information; Community/Rural/Urban Development; Farm Management; Research and Development/Tech Change/Emerging Technologies; Teaching/Communication/Extension/Profession; Q10; Q12; Q16.

Ano: 2010

URL: http://purl.umn.edu/90669

Estimating an Ex Ante Cost Function for Belgian Arable Crop Farms

Hansen, Kristiana; Baudry, Alexandre; De Blander, Rembert; Frahan, Bruno Henry de; Polome, Philippe.

We estimate a farm-level cost function for Belgian crop farms using FADN data over the study period 1996-2006. We rely on an estimation of farmers' expected yields at the time cropping decisions are made rather than actual yields observed in the FADN data. The use of an ex ante cost function improves the cost function estimation. We subsequently suggest how our cost function can be used in simulations to analyze farmer response to changes in output price risk.

Technical Efficiency of the Dual-Purpose Cattle System in Venezuela

Palavras-chave: Cost function estimation; Panel data; Risk; Agricultural and Food Policy; Crop Production/Industries; Production Economics; Q12; Q18.

Ano: 2009

URL: http://purl.umn.edu/49477

Ortega, Leonardo E.; Ward, Ronald W.; Andrew, Christopher O..

A stochastic production frontier model was estimated to provide standard measurement of technical efficiency of the dual-purpose cattle system located in Zulia State, Venezuela. This system is based on local and low-cost inputs, but has been considered to be inefficient because of its low partial productivity indices when compared with those used in developed countries. Results indicate that the efficiency of this system is reasonably high, downplaying the general idea of inefficiency. Likewise, the efficiency of this system has the potential for improvement through public policies and managerial decisions based on the determinants of technical efficiency.

Tipo: Journal Article

Palavras-chave: Dual-purpose cattle; Production frontier; Technical efficiency; D24; Q12.

Ano: 2007

URL: http://purl.umn.edu/37058

Input Use and Conservation Investments among Farm Households in Rwanda: Patterns and Determinants

Clay, Daniel C.; Kelly, Valerie A.; Mpyisi, Edson; Reardon, Thomas.

One of the Government of Rwanda’s key post-war policy objectives has been to increase agricultural productivity and ensure food security by promoting a transition from semi-subsistence production and marketing practices to intensive production and highly commercialized agricultural markets. The government wants farmers to increase land and labor productivity through the use of modern inputs, thereby generating substantial surpluses which can be sold to pay for inputs and generate increases in farm incomes.

TECHNICAL EFFICIENCY ANALYSIS OF THE PNV UNIT UNAN-LEON USING PRODUCTION FUNCTION STOCHASTIC FRONTIER, 2007-2008

Palavras-chave: Africa; Food security; Rwanda; Inputs; Conservation; Households; Agricultural and Food Policy; Consumer/Household Economics; Crop Production/Industries; Food Security and Poverty; Q12.

Ano: 2001

URL: http://purl.umn.edu/57053

Zúniga-González, Carlos Alberto.

Presented at: NATIONAL AUTONOMUOS UNIVERSITY OF NICARAGUA, LEON INVESTIGATION VICERECTOR, POSTPGRADUATE AND SOCIAL PROJECTION 2th SCIENTIFIC CONGRESS ¨THE INVESTIGATION A WAY TO THE KNOWLEGE AND DEVELOPMENT¨ 17 NOVIEMBRE 2009

Awareness of and Application to the Environmental Quality Incentives Program By Cow–Calf Producers

Palavras-chave: Stochastic Frontier Production; Forest Police; LSMS-ISA MECOVI; Technical efficiency; Allocative Efficiency.; Productivity Analysis; D61; Q12.

Ano: 2009

URL: http://purl.umn.edu/56196

Obubuafo, Joyce; Gillespie, Jeffrey M.; Paudel, Krishna P.; Kim, Seon-Ae.

This study uses a bivariate probit model with partial observability to examine Louisiana beef producers’ awareness of the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) and how awareness translates to application to the program. Results indicate that awareness of and application to the EQIP depend on portion of income derived from off-farm sources, extent of previous best management practice adoption at one’s own expense, household income, farmed land that is highly erodible, contact with Natural Resource Conservation Service and extension service personnel, and producer age.

Tipo: Journal Article

Palavras-chave: BMPs; Bivariate probit; EQIP; Probit; Agribusiness; Environmental Economics and Policy; Livestock Production/Industries; Q12; Q16; Q18.

Ano: 2008

URL: http://purl.umn.edu/45531

Risk and De-Collectivisation: Evidence from the Czech Republic

Bezemer, Dirk J..

The replacement of wage-labour farms by family farms in Central and Eastern Europe during the transformation has been more limited than was initially expected. In this paper a formal framework is developed in order to analyse the behaviour of family farms and socialist-style farms in the presence of risk, given the typical post-socialist environment. Management incentives, ownership structure, lump-sum transfers and consumption choices are shown to have the potential to limit the size of family farms relative to socialist-style farms. The hypotheses are tested with survey data collected by the author in the Czech Republic.

The Impact of Crop Insurance on the Economic Performance of Hungarian Cropping Farms

Palavras-chave: Transition; Agriculture; Structural change; Risk; Survey data; Risk and Uncertainty; D21; D81; O18; Q12.

Ano: 2002

URL: http://purl.umn.edu/24888

Sporri, Martina; Baráth, Lajos; Bokusheva, Raushan; Ferto, Imre.

Crop insurance products can improve and stabilize economic performance. However, due to insurance market imperfections, the use of insurance products often requires governmental support. This paper analyses the actual impact of insurance products on the economic performance of cropping farms by linking the economic performance model with the insurance demand model. For this analysis, a simultaneous equation system is solved. Our estimations show a negative impact of insurance on the economic performance indicators farm profit, labour productivity and land productivity. The analysis of the insurance demand side confirms financial limitations of many farms.

Tipo: Presentation

Palavras-chave: Hungary; Crop Insurance; 2SCML; Impact evaluation; Risk and Uncertainty; Q12; Q14; G22.

Ano: 2012

URL: http://purl.umn.edu/122525

Factor Price Disparity and Retained Ownership of Feeder Cattle: An Application of Feedlot and Carcass Performance Data to Farm-Level Decision Making

White, Brad J.; Anderson, John D.; McKinley, W. Blair; Parish, Jane.

In this study, we used farm-level data from a university feed-out program to evaluate how the value of feeder cattle ultimately realized through finishing and grid pricing differs from their market value at public auction. Consistent with the theory of factor price disparity results indicate that significant risk premiums exist in the feeder cattle market. Producers of cattle with known feedlot performance, carcass potential, or both might be better off retaining ownership of their calves or marketing them in a way that communicates the information that is known about their potential performance directly to the buyer.

Tipo: Journal Article

Palavras-chave: Factor price disparity; Feeder cattle; Grid pricing; Farm Management; Livestock Production/Industries; Q11; Q12; Q13.

Ano: 2007

URL: http://purl.umn.edu/6657

BUSINESS SUMMARY NEW YORK STATE 2003

Knoblauch, Wayne A.; Putnam, Linda D.; Karszes, Jason.

Business and financial records for 2003 from 201 New York dairy farm businesses are summarized and analyzed. This analysis demonstrates the use of cash accounting with accrual adjustments to measure farm profitability, financial performance, and costs of producing milk. Traditional methods of analyzing dairy farm businesses are combined with evaluation techniques that show the relationship between good management performance and financial success. The farms in the project averaged 314 cows per farm and 22,302 pounds of milk sold per cow, which represent above average size and management level for New York dairy farms. Net farm income excluding appreciation, which is the return to the operator's labor, management, capital, and other unpaid family labor,...

Tipo: Technical Report

Palavras-chave: BUSINESS ANALYSIS; DAIRY MANAGEMENT; FARM BUSINESS SUMMARY; NEW YORK FARMS; Livestock Production/Industries; Q12; Q14.

Ano: 2004

URL: http://purl.umn.edu/122107

COMPETITIVENESS OF MILK AND WINE PRODUCTION AND PROCESSING IN ALBANIA

Petrick, Martin; Schreiber, Catrin; Weingarten, Peter.

This study provides an empirical assessment of the competitiveness of Albanian dairy and wine production, based on specifically collected survey data. For both product groups, the analysis is carried out on two levels: farm level production of raw material and processing and manufacturing of the final product in the food industry. In a third step, both levels are aggre-gated to analyse the competitiveness of the entire production chain for each product group. Overall, the wine sector appears in an economically more favourable situation than the milk sector. Although there is currently no relevant export of wine, there has been considerable in-vestment activity at the farm level and the harmonisation of quality standards with EU legislation is currently...

Food Calorie Intake under Grain Price Uncertainty: Evidence from Rural Nepal

Palavras-chave: Agricultural sector; Competitiveness; Milk; Wine; Albania; P23; Q12; Q13; Agrarsektor; Wettbewerbsfähigkeit; Milch; Wein; Albanien; Crop Production/Industries.

Ano: 2004

URL: http://purl.umn.edu/14877

Pan, Suwen; Fang, Cheng; Rejesus, Roderick M..

This study evaluates the effects of grain output price uncertainty on the farm income of rural households and, consequently, how this uncertainty influences caloric intake through changes in farm income. Using a rural household data set, augmented with output price uncertainty measures calculated from historical time-series data, we find that grain output price uncertainty tends to decrease crop production income of rural households. In addition, we find that higher crop income from production increases calorie intake of rural households. Taken together, these results suggests that output price uncertainty during the production process may tend to reduce caloric intake of rural Nepalese households since the price uncertainty negatively affects the crop...

Multifunctionality and value creation in rural areas of southern Italy

Palavras-chave: Food Calorie Intake; Price Uncertainty; Nepal; Food Consumption/Nutrition/Food Safety; Food Security and Poverty; D12; O13; Q11; Q12.

Ano: 2008

URL: http://purl.umn.edu/6198

Nazzaro, Concetta; Marotta, Giuseppe.

The paper focuses on a new theoretical-methodological approach to interpreting functional transformation processes of farms located in rural areas and marked by a delay in development. We have defined a theoretical paradigm of optimal value portfolio (OVP) which considers -in a new light- multifunctional agricultural farms as an ensemble of governance structures optimizing the creation of value. The need to validate the OVP functionality has led us to identify a new methodological approach referred to as the Value Portfolio and Multifunctional Governance Analysis (VPMGA). This analysis embeds value chain analysis and governance value analysis and at the same time attempts to overcome the “sectoral” limits representing also a new and further development....

Malawi’s Maize Marketing System

Palavras-chave: Multifunctionality; Rural development; Positive externalities; Value chains; Community/Rural/Urban Development; Q12; Q18; Q19.

Ano: 2010

URL: http://purl.umn.edu/95322

Jayne, Thomas S.; Sitko, Nicholas J.; Ricker-Gilbert, Jacob; Mangisoni, Julius H..

National food security in Malawi depends on improving the performance of maize markets. Ensuring that grain is consistently available at tolerable prices is crucial for consumers’ food security. At the same time, surplus producing farmers need to receive farm-gate prices consistently above production costs to intensify the use of fertilizer and other productivity enhancing technologies in a sustainable manner. These concerns give rise to the classic food price dilemma for policy makers in Malawi: how to keep prices low enough to ensure low income consumers’ access to food while keeping prices high enough to promote farm production incentives. These tensions cannot be avoided but they can be relieved through reducing food marketing margins, which shrink the...

Multiple goals in farmers’ decision making: The case of sheep farming in Western Greece

Palavras-chave: Food security; Malawi; Maize; Marketing; Food policy; Agricultural and Food Policy; Community/Rural/Urban Development; Food Security and Poverty; International Development; Marketing; Q12; Q18.

Ano: 2010

URL: http://purl.umn.edu/62162

Sintori, Alexandra; Rozakis, Stelios; Tsiboukas, Kostas.

Management strategies and performance differ among farmers, as a result of different, multiple and often conflicting goals. Many approaches to building farm level models that incorporate multiple goals have been developed over the years, most of which share a common weakness. The determination of the goals to be used as attributes in the utility function is the result of a highly interactive process with the individual farmer, often difficult to implement. In this study, we use a non-interactive methodology, described in recent literature, to elicit the utility function of selected sheep farmers in western Greece, since farmers often appear reluctant to answer straightforward questions about their goals and preferences. Τhe results indicate that sheep...

Farm Productivity and Efficiency in Rural Bangladesh: The Role of Education Revisited

Palavras-chave: Sheep farming; Mixed integer programming; Multiple goals; Noninteractive elicitation; Livestock Production/Industries; C61; D21; Q12.

Ano: 2009

URL: http://purl.umn.edu/51075

Asadullah, M. Niaz; Rahman, Sanzidur.

This paper reassesses the debate over the role of education in farm pro duction in Bangladesh using a large dataset on rice producing hous eholds from 141 villages. Average and stochastic production frontier functions are estimated to ascertain the effect of education on productivity and efficiency. A full set of proxies for farm education stock variables are incorporated to investigate the 'internal' as well as 'external' returns to education. The external effect is investigated in the context of rural neighborhoods. Our analysis reveals that in addition to raising rice productivity and boosting potential output, household education significantly reduces production inefficiencies. However, we are unable to find any evidence of externality benefit of...

Grain Contracting Strategies to Induce Delivery and Performance in Volatile Markets

Palavras-chave: Agriculture; Returns to education; Stochastic production frontier; Bangladesh; Labor and Human Capital; Productivity Analysis; I21; Q12; N5.

Ano: 2006

URL: http://purl.umn.edu/25482

A comparison of the economic and environmental performances of conventional and organic farming: evidence from financial statements

Wilson, William W..

One of the impacts of higher prices along with greater volatility in futures and basis is that there is pressure for an escalation in cash contracting for grain. This volatility has resulted in an unprecedented level of contracting with growers for specific purchases in recent years. There is a wide array of cash contracts with varying terms. Beyond that array, there is also a growing realization of growers not delivering on contracts, in part due to escalation in post-contract prices. This realization is evolving as a major strategic issue for buyers and the marketing system, particularly as buyers seek to use such contracting strategies as an element of risk mitigation. There are three purposes of this article. First is to provide a broad survey of...

Tipo: Report

Palavras-chave: Crop Production/Industries; Farm Management; Financial Economics; C15; D81; Q12.

Ano: 2009

URL: http://purl.umn.edu/55084

Argiles, Josep M.; Brown, Nestor Duch.

While conventional farming systems face serious problems of sustainability, organic agriculture is seen as a more environmentally friendly system since it favours renewable resources, recycles nutrients, uses the environment’s own systems for controlling pests and diseases, sustains ecosystems, protects soils, and reduces pollution. At the same time organic farming promotes animal welfare, the use of natural foodstuffs, product diversity and the avoidance of waste, among other practices. However, the future of organic agriculture will depend on its economic viability and on the determination shown by governments to protect these practices. This paper performs panel regressions with a sample of Catalan farms (Spain) to test the influence of organic farming...

Tipo: Article

Palavras-chave: Organic farming; Conventional farming; Social/environmental/financial performance; Social and environmental accounting; Agribusiness; Environmental Economics and Policy; Farm Management; Q01; Q12; Q51; M41.

Ano: 2011

URL: http://purl.umn.edu/118577

Natural Protection from International Competition in the Livestock Industry: Analysis, Examples and Vietnam's Pork Market as a Case

Tisdell, Clement A.; Lapar, Ma. Lucila A.; Staal, Steven J.; Que, Nguyen Ngoc.

In some countries, local agricultural products (particularly livestock products) are shielded from international competition by ‘natural’ factors influencing the purchase of products. These factors include strong local tastes (or preferences) that favour the local product and the absence (or relative absence) of complementary retail outlets or home appliances suitable for storing and preparing potential imported substitutes. The desire for fresh meat rather than chilled or frozen meat, the absence or limited accessibility of supermarket outlets and limited refrigeration possibilities in homes can limit imports into developed countries of meat supplied by developed countries. From consumer’s perspectives these fresh or raw products are significantly...