Replaced with revised version of paper 07/20/04.

This article determines the effect of rounding (pointing-off) of grade percentages to the nearest whole number on the probability distribution of regrading in the peanut industry. Results show that rounding causes graders to have to regrade an extra 4% of samples even when they follow all...

Methyl bromide is a commonly used fumigant for controlling insects in food processing facilities. However, it has been designated as an ozone depleter and is becoming less available and more costly. Integrated pest management (IPM) is an alternative, and may additionally reduce insecticide...

Economic returns to Burkina Faso cotton producers from selling to the government parastatal are compared to those that could be obtained by selling on the international spot market. Based on historical prices, for certain levels of risk aversion, the parastatal price would be preferred to the...

Korea experienced two outbreaks of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD), one in the year 2000 and one in 2002. After the first outbreak, prices for hogs, pork, and beef dropped 15-20% before the government began an intervention program. The effects of these two outbreaks are examined using Box and...

The Conservation Reserve Program reduced available cropland in the United States by 34 million acres under the first nine signup periods (1986-1990). Among these are ten million acres with wheat base and four million acres with corn base, which could potentially produce 288 million bushels of...

This study measures the impact of corn-based ethanol production in the United States on land use in other countries, or indirect land use. Indirect land use is a change from non-cropland to cropland (e.g. deforestation) that may occur in response to increasing scarcity of cropland. As farmers...