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...

Economic analyses of pests typically assume damage is either additively separable from pest free yield or proportional to it. This paper describes the ecological assumptions required for additive and proportional damage functions to demonstrate that both specifications are reasonable. Ecological...

Transgenic plants producing insecticidal protein derived from Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) have been widely adopted since their commercial introduction in 1996. The widespread adoption of such plants has reduced use of conventional insecticides while attaining yield gains, thus providing...

This study examines U.S. crop producers’ perceptions of climate change, its effects on crop agriculture, and likely ways farmers would adapt to weather extremes. Based on a survey of crop producers in four states, we find that a significant proportion of farmers do not perceive that...

The Federal Clean Air Act (FCAA) amendments of 1990 strengthened air pollution regulation as it affects stationary sources such as cotton gins. Because investments in air pollution systems are sometimes substantial, a financial burden may be placed on gin plant firms that results in insolvency...

Risk aversion is well established in the health and safety literature, and ambiguity is addressed in theoretical and experimental economics literature, but few theoretically-consistent empirical models addressing the relationship between ambiguity, risk, and preferences exist. Even fewer address...

The Texas Rice Industry Coalition for the Environment (R.I.C.E.) was formed in February, 1995. Their stated mission is to build a coalition of interests to foster and strengthen relationships between the rice industry and the natural resources of our rice-producing area in Texas. In June, 1995,...