Given the importance of adopting weed resistance management BMPs, it is important to develop methods to compare BMP adoption among farms and to identify factors that affect BMP adoption. Because of the relatively large number of BMPs and interactions among them, a composite index that integrates...

Using eye-tracking technology and experimental auctions, this paper evaluates the impact of information from various sources on consumers’ real willingness to pay (WTP) for nano-packaged food products with varying shelf-lives. Information about the risks and benefits of nanotechnology in food...

The hypothetical distribution of multiple technology adoptions under the assumption that technologies are mutually independent is compared against the actual observed distribution of technology adoptions on hog farms. Combinations of technologies that occur with greater frequency than would...

The EPA has imposed mandatory refuge requirements for Bt crops to prolong the efficacy of Bt. Growers have no economic incentive to plant the required refuge because refuge crops are on average less productive and more risky. This paper evaluates refuge insurance--insurance that pays indemnities...

This paper develops a principal-agent model of farmer compliance with Bt corn refuge requirements intended to manage the evolution of resistance to the Bt toxin by insect pests. The model endogenizes the price of the technology, the audit rate, and the fine imposed on non-complying farmers when...

Transgenic crops offer farmers a new and effective pest control option. However, the wide spread adoption of these crops could lead to a resistant pest population. This paper demonstrates how a pest refuge can be used to maximise the value of farm income in a dynamic model with genetic foundations.

The Federal Agriculture Improvement and Reform Act (FAIR) of 1996 ended commodity specific subsidies and resulted in a significant shift in corn and soybean production in 1997. While conservation compliance improved the environmental health of the Central U.S., changes in production due to the...

Consolidation in the U.S. pork industry continues to reduce the number of operations, while increasing the demand for hired labor. This paper explores how wages have evolved over time by decomposing the increase in wages into a change in the level of wages, human capital, and returns to human...

Confirming the precision agriculture hypothesis for variable rate nitrogen applications (VRA) has proven challenging. To confront this challenge, researchers have begun to use increasingly sophisticated statistical models to estimate and compare site-specific crop response functions. While...