Agricultural supply chains, especially those from producer to first handler, are relatively mature institutions. While agricultural economists often observe the evolution of marketing structures in developing nations, it is a rare opportunity to research a developing market within North America....

Organizational costs in biomass transactions could be a key barrier to commercial development of cellulosic-based industries and will influence the organizational choices of biomass producers and bioenergy processors. Understanding biomass producer characteristics and preferences will be...

Ethanol mandates have led to an increase in the production of distillers dried grains (DDGs), a co-product of ethanol production that is incorporated into livestock rations. As with most competitive industries, there is some level of price risk in handling DDGs, and there is no DDG futures...

Genetically modified organisms (GMOs) such as soybeans and corn have garnered considerable consumer attention due to the concern over potential effects from using these commodities as inputs into food production. In the simplest form, segregation of bioengineered and non-bioengineered crops is...

Agricultural producers and input suppliers must regularly make decisions based on forecasts; however, most publicly available forecasts are for outputs. Research has shown the importance of being a low-cost operator. Thus, focusing on inputs may be beneficial. The objective of this research was...

The beef industry’s share of domestic meat demand continues to decline, as increasing vertical coordination in pork and poultry contribute to these industries’ ability to offer convenient, consistent, and less expensive products. For such vertical coordination to be effective,...

USDA and Cooperative Extension Service forecasts of hog prices are directly tested for incremental value vis-à-vis futures-based forecasts in a forecast encompassing framework. At horizons less than six months, the lean hog futures-based forecast is found to be more accurate than both the USDA...

A survey was used to gauge consumer preferences toward four fresh pork attributes: juiciness, tenderness, marbling, and leanness. The survey elicited consumer willingness-to-pay a premium for an improvement in these attributes. Approximately one-half of the respondents were willing to pay some...

This research examines the potential basis behavior and hedging effectiveness for the Minneapolis Grain Exchange's (MGE's) cash settled corn contract. MGE futures cash settle to the National Corn Index (NCI) calculated by the Data Transmission Network (DTN). Focusing on seven regions in...

The theory of contrary opinion predicts price reversals following extremes in market sentiment. This research tests a survey-based sentiment index's usefulness as a contrary indicator across 28 U.S. futures markets. Using rigorous time-series tests, the sentiment index displays only a sporadic...