Competition among railroads for corn, soybean, and wheat shipments appears to be decreasing in the United States. Any reduction in competitive transport options for export shippers is cause for concern. The results of this research indicate that decreases in competition raise rail rates for...

Recent literature, largely from the U.S. Department of Agriculture Economic Research Service, indicates that substantial changes have occurred in the produce industry in recent years. With the rise of retail mass merchandisers and increased concentration in the retail food industry, the...

Rice is not only the staple food crop in Cambodia , but its production and marketing play a major activity in the Cambo­dian economy. This paper discusses the current status of the rice industry, rice marketing systems, and constraints that must be removed as Cambodia attempts to develop its...

This paper presents an analysis of a sample of contracts used by the Idaho processing-potato industry in recent years. A particular focus is on the price- and quality-related provisions of these contracts. Potato growers are paid an incentive­ adjusted price. This price is calculated using a...

Despite their growth and desirability, several major barriers preclude the development of Local Food Systems (LFS) including the reluctance of wholesale operators to deal with LFS suppliers. We examine the contribution of Limehouse Produce to the development of the Charleston, S.C. LFS. Survey...

Demand for organic products continues to grow by about 20 percent per year, and certified or­ganic farmers continue to receive premium prices for most organic fresh produce. Currently, most conventional supermarket and wholesale buyers purchase produce from large-scale domestic or...

The Idaho Potato Commission funded a project to help answer the question: What would be the economic impact if the potato industry increased the minimum size for fresh potatoes? We estimate that increasing the minimum size from 4 to 5 ounces would divert about 5 million hundredweight (cwt) to...

The United States is increasing its share in global production of olive oil along with other “New World†producers. Recently, the state of California, where most of the olive oil in the US is produced, approved new regulations governing the grades of olive oil, labeling, methods of...