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

Foltz, Jeremy D.; Barham, Bradford L.; Chavas, Jean-Paul; Kim, Kwansoo.

This work uses non-parametric efficiency analysis and a unique panel data set to analyze efficiency and technical change at US universities from 1981-1998 with a special emphasis on Land Grant institutions. The analysis demonstrates that Land Grants are on average more efficient than their counterparts. While in the 1980s they had higher levels of technological change, in the 1990s that declined to levels similar to other types of universities. Identifying factors influencing efficiency and technological progress in university production provides key insights into the future of the Land Grant system.

Trends in University Ag-Biotech Patent Production

Palavras-chave: Research and Development/Tech Change/Emerging Technologies; Teaching/Communication/Extension/Profession.

Ano: 2004

URL: http://purl.umn.edu/20237

Barham, Bradford L.; Foltz, Jeremy D.; Kim, Kwansoo.

This work exploits information on U.S. patents to identify trends in university ag-biotech patenting and citation performance. It sets forth some key issues concerning patterns of university ag-biotech patenting and then provides an empirical analysis on the evolving trends. Land Grant Universities account for most U.S. agbiotech patents. The data show a path dependent innovation pattern, in which there also seems to be a culture of patenting that develops at certain universities. Evidence shows that ag-biotech patents are more cited than the average university patent. Inequalities across Land Grant Universities are also evident in the production of agbiotech patents, although perhaps not to a much greater degree than underlying inequalities in funding and...

A Semi-Parametric Analysis of Technology, with an Application to U.S. Dairy Farms

Palavras-chave: Research and Development/Tech Change/Emerging Technologies.

Ano: 2001

URL: http://purl.umn.edu/25196

de los Campos, Gustavos; Foltz, Jeremy D.; Chavas, Jean-Paul; Gianola, Daniel.

This article proposes a semi-parametric stochastic frontier model (SPSF) in which components of the technology and of technical efficiency are represented using semi-parametric methods and estimated in a Bayesian framework. The approach is illustrated in an application to US farm data. The analysis shows important scale economies for small and medium herds and constant return to scale for larger herds. With the exception of labor, estimates of marginal products were close to the value expected under profit maximization. Finally, the results suggest important opportunities to increase productivity through reductions in technical inefficiencies.

The Adoption and Profitability of rbST on Connecticut Dairy Farms

Palavras-chave: Productivity Analysis; Research and Development/Tech Change/Emerging Technologies; Research Methods/ Statistical Methods.

Ano: 2010

URL: http://purl.umn.edu/92251

Foltz, Jeremy D.; Chang, Hsiu-Hui.

This work estimates Probit and Tobit models of the adoption of rbST on Connecticut dairy farms and then endogenizes that adoption in estimates of milk production and farm profit rates. The work improves on the current literature by allowing the rbST decision to be both continuous and contingent on other technology adoption decisions. The results show that larger farms, with more productivity technologies, and with younger, more educated farmers are more likely to adopt rbST. While rbST is shown to significantly increase milk production there is no evidence it increases profits on a per cow basis.

RBST USE AMONG U.S. DAIRY FARMERS: A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS FROM 6 STATES

Palavras-chave: Livestock Production/Industries; Research and Development/Tech Change/Emerging Technologies.

Ano: 2001

URL: http://purl.umn.edu/25168

Barham, Bradford L.; Foltz, Jeremy D.; Moon, Sunung; Jackson-Smith, Douglas.

This paper uses data from dairy farmers in six U.S. states to examine farm-level factors influencing the adoption of recombinant bovine somatatropin (rBST), a productivity-enhancing hormone that is injected in cows. The results of multinomial logit estimations of rBST adoption and disadoption show that herd size, education, and complementary technologies all play positive and important roles in rBST adoption.

The State Contingent Approach to Farmers' Valuation and Adoption of New Biotech Crops: Nitrogen-Fertilizer Saving and Drought Tolerance Traits

Palavras-chave: Livestock Production/Industries; Research and Development/Tech Change/Emerging Technologies.

Ano: 2002

URL: http://purl.umn.edu/19598

Jaramillo, Paul E.; Useche, Pilar; Barham, Bradford L.; Foltz, Jeremy D..

We used a state contingent approach to give a detailed analysis of the uncertainty surrounding seed trait adoption. Our framework emphasizes the role of timing and information in farmers’ adoption decisions. The inherent embeddedness of seed traits results in timing restrictions and the inability of post-planting adjustments, this in turn results in farmers necessarily engaging in a game with nature. Two main types of traits we identify are supplementing traits and stabilizing traits – classification into each category is directly related on the mobility of the production factor the trait intends to substitute. Supplementing traits allow for acting after nature (i.e., ex post) while stabilizing traits are better modeled as acting before nature (i.e., ex...

Managerial Incentives, Moral Hazard, and Structural Change in Agricultural Cooperatives

Palavras-chave: State Contingent; Genetically Modified; Biotech; Contingent Valuation; Nitrogen Absorption Efficiency; Drought Tolerance; Uncertainty; Seed Trait; Technological Adoption; Crop Production/Industries; Research and Development/Tech Change/Emerging Technologies.

Ano: 2010

URL: http://purl.umn.edu/61860

Zeuli, Kimberly A.; Foltz, Jeremy D..

The federated business structure exists in many sectors of the economy, but we know little about its comparative advantage. This paper explores theoretically and empirically the current dynamics of the federated cooperative system. Two hypotheses are tested: growth at the local co-op level has made the structure redundant and managerial incentives create disloyalty. We use a unique data set from a survey of local farm supply and grain marketing cooperatives in the Midwest.

A Trait Specific Model of GM Crop Adoption among U.S. Corn Farmers in the Upper Midwest

Palavras-chave: Agribusiness.

Ano: 2005

URL: http://purl.umn.edu/19226

Useche, Pilar; Barham, Bradford L.; Foltz, Jeremy D..

This work offers a new approach to the adoption of GM crop varieties by adopting the econometric methodology of the characteristics-based demand literature. A random utility framework was implemented through different specifications of a conditional (CL) and a mixed multinomial logit (MMNL) model of crop-variety choice. Willingness-to-pay and price elasticity estimates for traits were calculated. The MMNL approach demonstrates that individuals' tastes for some traits significantly vary across the population. Results further suggest that labor saving technologies have a much wider potential to be adopted. Overall, the use of a trait-based model to examine the adoption patterns of GM crop varieties among corn farmers in Minnesota and Wisconsin reveals a new...

Patenting, Commercialization, and US Academic Research in the 21st Century: The Resilience of Basic, Federally-Funded Open Science

Palavras-chave: Research and Development/Tech Change/Emerging Technologies.

Ano: 2005

URL: http://purl.umn.edu/19202

Barham, Bradford L.; Foltz, Jeremy D..

The life sciences have been the most dynamic area of US university research and commercialization efforts over the past twenty-five years. Using unique data from a large representative sample of life scientists this work examines whether academic patenting and commercialization complement, substitute for, or “hold-up” other research activities. The results highlight the resilience of the basic, federally-funded open scientific research model. Our findings, in turn, underscore the fundamental importance of maintaining the public funding and commitment to the academic, scientific enterprise.

Research and Development at U.S. Research Universities: An Analysis of Scope Economies

Palavras-chave: Public Economics; Research Methods/ Statistical Methods.

Ano: 2007

URL: http://purl.umn.edu/92139

Kim, Kwansoo; Barham, Bradford L.; Chavas, Jean-Paul; Foltz, Jeremy D..

This paper investigates the presence and sources of economies of scope in R&D production at U.S. research universities. The analysis evaluates the tradeoffs or synergies arising between traditional university research outputs (articles and doctorates) and a more recent and burgeoning output: academic patents. Using a shortage function, we propose a decomposition of economies of scope (decomposition which includes complementarity effects and scale effects). R&D input and output data from 92 public and private research universities are used to obtain non-parametric estimates of scope economies. The results show significant variations in economies of scope and sources by size and type of university.