Characteristics of pork packing firms pursuing a competitive strategy of product differentiation are described. Such a strategy requires a consistent, highquality raw material. Three strategies to sort pork carcasses and primal cuts in the packing plant are detailed. A multivariate simulation...

This dissertation proposes an optimal investment decision model that accounts for project irreversibility and price uncertainty. By specifying the cash flow as a dual profit function, the methodology admits hog and feed prices, rather than a composite cash flow, as the underlying stochastic...

Concerns in the United States meat industry about food credence attributes, such as environmental degradation, animal welfare and antibiotics usage in live animal production are forcing food suppliers to change marketing strategies. These changes have brought three issues into the forefront of...

The problems of pastoralist livestock marketing systems in East Africa are well-documented in the literature. They include poor transport infrastructure, inadequate market access and frequent rejection of animals at certain markets. Thus far, few studies have analyzed the effects of eliminating...

We examine production economic implications of a specialized input to which a biological system (e.g., an animal) becomes desensitized over time, but its marginal productivity can be restored by increasing the dosage level. Optimal dosage levels and their timing become choice variables and may...

"U.S. consumers are increasingly concerned about food safety, environmental degradation, and animal welfare at the live animal production stage. In response, meat suppliers are developing food credence certification to secure market access, increase margins, and increase overall demand. The...