The nature of indemnities and reliance on futures price averaging during two distinct time intervals throughout the production year imply Crop Revenue Coverage (CRC) insurance behaves like an exotic put option. Treating this type of insurance as a derivative security, an analytical model is...

A theoretical model to value gross revenue assurance under one of the popular proposals facing U.S. policy makers is developed. The approach makes use of a fundamental paradigm of asset valuation and stochastic calculus. Because farm-level gross revenue is not a traded asset, equilibrium...

Mathematical programming models can incorporate multiple objectives. Shadow prices in such models reflect a mixture of all of the objectives. A procedure is implemented to develop decomposed shadow prices applicable to the individual objectives. The procedure is demonstrated in a GAMS...

Methane digesters may offer dairy producers a way to lower production costs by becoming self-sufficient in electricity production. In addition, the technology may offer additional income through surplus electricity sales and fertilizer and bedding savings as well. However, the typical methane...

Commercial feed blending is a complex process consisting of many potential raw ingredients and final products. The sheer number of daily orders and final products at a typical feed mill means that raw ingredients cannot be mixed to directly produce final products in an economical fashion. As a...

In investment analysis, uncertainty and irreversibility can undermine net present value (NPV) as a decision rule since the option to delay investment may have value. We apply the real option theory of investment to the pasture investment decision facing livestock producers in southwest Western...

Farm real estate in the Midwest has increased in value at rates not seen since the 1970s. The combination of low interest rates, an increase in the domestic demand for corn for ethanol production, and higher world demand for grain in conjunction with lower stocks have all pushed grain prices...

Commercial feed blending is a complex process consisting of many potential raw ingredients and final products. The sheer number of daily orders and final products at a typical feed mill means that raw ingredients cannot be mixed to directly produce final products in an economical fashion. As a...