Production contract tournaments induce self-selection among producers. Self-selection for pork differs from broiler production resulting in a predictably different political response by incumbent producers to contract innovation. The higher capital and status of incumbent pork producers than...

This paper reports on results for a graded-pair comparison questionnaire where respondents rate pairs of Pacific Northwest salmon preservation options. Each of the preservation options includes the number of jobs lost and the level of salmon preserved. Ordered-probit analysis is used to estimate...

Although managing labor has become important for farm operations success, training and education for farm managers focuses on agricultural production management and few studies provide an empirical basis on how agricultural labor management differs from labor management in other industries. With...

Consolidation in the U.S. pork industry continues to reduce the number of operations, while increasing the demand for hired labor. This paper explores how wages have evolved over time by decomposing the increase in wages into a change in the level of wages, human capital, and returns to human...

In the past 20 years the average scale of hog operations has expanded more than fourfold, and some of the new large-scale hog feeding operations have been opposed by residents in some communities. While the environmental effects of such production have been relatively well studied, less examined...

We investigate a rural household's decision to migrate part or all of its labor to urban areas. Labor migrates only when the expected return passes a hurdle rate that is affected by migration networks. We develop a dynamic model of incomplete information, and characterize the unique pure...

The relationship between rural labor productivity and food diversity was analyzed from the household consumption survey data of Pakistan. The elasticity of wage to diversity (0.77) was higher than to food expenditure (0.13). Lowering the prices of meats and fruits and vegetables will have the...

This study evaluates the possible reasons for the persistent rural-urban wage gap among women in the U.S. The paper uses two-step panel data estimations that can consider explanations including rural-urban differences in observed individual characteristics and work-related characteristics and at...

This session focuses on applications of various migration, family labor and labor market models in international settings. Papers include: Rural Labor Mobility in China: Net Flows and Trends, Bryan Lohmar and Scott Rozelle, University of California-Davis; Changbao Zhao, Research Center for Rural...

Thailand's economic boom since 1987 resulted in absolute agricultural employment and land use declines. Both were caused by rapid wage growth due to nonagricultural investment. Irreversible land use changes and rapid agricultural mechanization have followed. Following the 1987 financial crisis,...