Purpose – Building on the property rights framework, the purpose of this paper is to frame the cooperative business model in terms of strategic options held either by the board or by members. Options that are analyzed include growth and restructuring, dividend allocation, member entry and...

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to analyze the effect of the 2008 Farm Bill's average crop revenue election (ACRE) program on the risk-reducing effectiveness of crop insurance products. Design/methodology/approach – Three crop/region combinations are examined, representing regions...

Purpose – Pricing densities implied from options on live cattle futures show a persistent and negative skew. The purpose is to examine whether the skew can be explained, in part, by peso-type problems. Design/methodology/approach –Two announcements of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE)...

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to present a discussion on the idea of “policy rationing”. Policy rationing refers to constraining impacts on farm credit through policy action or inaction. To present the ideas the author discusses ten themes in policy rationing, ranging from...

Purpose – This paper aims to provide a “biography” of sorts on Agricultural Finance Review. The paper tracks the evolution of Agricultural Finance Review from its introduction in 1938 to its current status. Design/methodology/approach – The paper is based on a complete review of every...

Purpose – This paper aims to clarify the relationship between wealth and trustworthiness with the goal of understanding why micro-lending institutions grant loans to poor individuals countering well-known models of credit markets and credit rationing, such as those proposed by Stiglitz and...

This paper illustrates how weather derivatives indexed to forecasts of famine can be designed and used by operational agencies and donors to facilitate timely and reliable financing, for effective emergency response to climate-based, slow-onset disasters such as drought. We provide a general...

This paper outlines approaches to valuating weather-linked bonds, mortgages, and operating lines of credit. Using historical data from weather stations in Adrmore, Oklahoma, and Ithaca, New York, indemnities and insurance premiums are computed for specific-event rainfall insurance. The main...

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to introduce the application of sustainable growth challenge (SGC) model in agricultural finance as a conceptual paradigm and then uses the model to measure sustainable growth rates for Illinois grain and livestock farmers. The SGC concept is used to...

Purpose – This paper reviews the life of Liberty Hyde Bailey and highlights his contributions to the structure of US farm credit 100 years after the Country Life Commission. Design/methodology/approach – This paper is a qualitative historical review. Findings – The paper provides a...