This paper evaluates how efficient US futures prices have predicted future spot prices since 2006. It uses cointegration and causality methods to assess the efficiency of US commodity futures markets. The cointegration between the spot and futures price is a necessary condition for our...

This study analyzes U.S. cocoa bean imports from twenty-one major cocoa-producing and exporting countries during the pre- and post-liberalization period of 1970-2008 using the gravity equation and a linear one-way fixed effects model. The objective was to measure trade creation for a World Trade...

Pigeonpea is a nutritious legume crop that has the ability to fix nitrogen, grow on marginal lands and has multipurpose use for human consumption, animal feed and fuel. India is the largest producer and consumer of the crop. However, there is growing interest to produce the crop by other...

Factors influencing farmer selection of a crawfish marketing outlet were analyzed using 2008 survey data from the Louisiana crawfish industry. Most farmers sell to wholesalers, followed by direct to consumer, direct to retailer, and finally to processors. A relatively high percentage of farmers...

Agritourism can provide both on-farm recreational activities for visitors and educational activities showing how food is produced. It can help farmers diversify and add income to their operations. This study assesses how characteristics of agritourism operations and perceived barriers may...

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...

This study used Constant Market Share (CMS) analysis to examine the competitiveness of U.S. snack food exports in terms of their revealed market shares and market potentials. The CMS analysis suggested that almost 99 percent of the gains in snack food exports were due to growth in world demand...