Outbreaks of infectious animal diseases can lead to substantial losses as evidenced by 2003 US BSE (Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy) event with consequent loss of export markets, and the 2001 UK FMD (Foot and Mouth Disease) outbreak that has cost estimates in the billions. In this paper we...

In the past, studies on agricultural feedstocks for energy production were motivated by rising fossil fuel prices interpreted by many as caused by resource depletion. However, today's studies are mainly motivated by concerns for climate change and global warming. Currently, most studies...

Recent outbreaks of food-borne illness related to fruit and vegetables have led to increased concerns about the safety of produce. In response, the industry has adopted marketing agreements to ensure consistency of product safety. Contracts now are widely used between processors and growers to...

The hypothesis that regional size increases regional efficiency is tested in this study. Data Envelopment Analysis and the Directed Acyclic Graph were used to reveal the causal relationship between regional efficiency and region size in terms of population density. Region size and the...

Tomato, cabbage and garden egg (African eggplant, or Solanum Aethiopicum) are important crops for small-scale farmers and migrants in the rural and peri-urban areas of Ghana. Genetic modification (GM) has the potential to alleviate poverty through combating yield losses from pests and diseases...

Results from long-term experimental trials suggest that similar yields and lower costs are possible with organic compared to conventional soybeans, but there is little information about the relative costs and returns on commercial farms. This study examines the profitability of commercial...

In this study we estimated the price elasticities among meats, vegetables, grains, and potatoes and the impact that different levels of income have on the demand for these commodities. The 2005 Nielsen retail home scan data were used to construct a censored demand system of 14 equations. Results...

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...

The objective of this article is to address heteroscedasticity in the stochastic frontier cost function using aggregated data and verify it using a Monte Carlo study. We find that when the translog form of a stochastic frontier cost function with aggregated data is estimated, all explanatory...

This paper estimates import demand functions for red meat and live cattle and investigates the impact of BSE and the trade ban on Canadian Cattle and beef on U.S. import demand elasticity using an error correction model (ECM). The results show that beef, pork, and live cattle were price...