The curvature properties of the indirect utility function imply a set of refutable implications in the form of comparative static results and symmetric relations for the competitive firm operating under uncertainty. These hypotheses, first derived and empirically tested under output price...

A risk index system combining information on different environmental and health risks of pesticides is developed to evaluate the impact of Roundup Ready (RR) soybean adoption on pesticide use. A data set obtained from a survey of U.S. farmers indicates that on average adoption of RR soybeans...

Invasive insect species cause billions of dollars of direct and indirect damage to U.S. crops each year. The market for insuring insect damage is, however, far from complete. The objective of this study is to design and value insect derivatives, or "bug options," which would offer growers a...

This paper examines the role of overconfidence in explaining farmer crop insurance purchasing decisions. The authors hypothesize that overconfidence could influence the participation decision and test this hypothesis. The preliminary results indicate that farmers are overconfident; however, the...

This paper examines farmers' risk attitudes, obtained by responses to sources of risk, using an attitudinal scale approach. Economic, social, personal, and environmental sources of risk are considered in the measurement of risk attitudes. In addition, use of various types of expertise and...

Perceptions of risk may vary within households as well as across households and communities. In this paper, we take advantage of panel survey data collected quarterly over a period of 2 ½ years to see how perceptions of risk vary across individuals over time. The surveyed households are in...

Uncertain reservoir inflows represent a major source of risk for irrigated agriculture. A derivative instrument that uses reservoir inflows as the underlying variable is designed and tested with a recursive stochastic simulation of the Rio Mayo irrigations system. The results indicate that the...

This study looked at the dynamics of conditional correlations and hedging strategies in the US main cotton producing regions. A two-step procedure was utilized to model, estimate, and analyze volatility, conditional correlations, and the optimal hedge ratios using spot prices in the Delta,...

We evaluate incentives of forest landowners for sequestering and trading carbon, given the risk of carbon loss from hurricanes, and an opportunity to insure their losses. Results of simulation model reveal that the effect of hurricane risk depends on the variability of returns from carbon and...

The purpose of this paper is to examine the impacts that the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) has had on the costs of flooding and on their distribution among payers. This study thus probes the NFIP's financial impact, the centerpiece question about program effectiveness. For the...