Due to differences in ownership structure between cooperative and non-cooperative firms (NCFs), it has been hypothesized that co-ops may be less efficient than their non-cooperative counterparts. Illiquidity of owners’ investment and democratic governance may lead to underinvestment and...

Returns from establishing closed (defined membership) cooperatives owned by grain producers to produce hogs in Iowa are evaluated. Using a computer-simulated production model incorporating biological and price factors and statistical techniques, uncertainty of production and the market...

We study business organization and coordination of specialty-market hog production using a comparative analysis of two Iowa pork niche-marketing firms. We describe and analyze each firm's management of five key organizational challenges: planning and logistics, quality assurance, process...

The declining share of beef in total U.S. meat consumption has motivated industry-wide efforts to improve average beef quality through more effective coordination among the various market participants. Increased use of explicit grid pricing mechanisms over the last decade represents initial...

Given the quantity of greenhouse gas emissions resulting from beef production and rising concerns with climate change, genomics have been introduced to facilitate selective breeding for increased feed efficiency in beef cattle as one area of emissions reductions. Public perception is an...

This paper uses stated and revealed preference data from a choice-based conjoint survey instrument to estimate willingness to pay for distance-based local food products. The survey was administered to three different groups of respondents: members of a consumer buying club, a random sample of...

The organic milk pay price is more stable year round and increases every year. However, the conventional milk price varies within the year and from year to year. As an emerging segment of the milk industry, consumer demand for organic milk is increasing rapidly. The growth in demand relative to...