The U.S. hog industry expanded rapidly during the 1980s and 1990s. Along with this expansion, hog farms have become larger, partly due to economies of size and new business arrangements. Using markov chain analysis, this study analyzes the movement of hog farms among three different size...

This study investigates factors influencing the adoption of best management practices in Louisiana crawfish production. Probit results show acreage, years farming, portion of income from farming, technology adoption tendencies, hunting leases and a stream running through the farm to influence...

The U.S. dairy industry is undergoing rapid structural change, evolving from a structure including many small farmers in the Upper Midwest and Northeast to one that includes very large farms in new production regions. Small farms are struggling to retain competitiveness via improved management...

Hog farmers’ preferences for autonomy are assessed through the use of eight questions dealing with their preferences for general decision making and with respect to specific management actions. Farmers generally preferred to make a higher percentage of the decisions about their...

Crawfish processors’ ex ante adoption rates of three hypothetical crawfish peeling machines are assessed using a polychotomous-choice elicitation format. Adoption rates would likely range from 23% to 70%, depending upon which machine was offered and whether it was purchased or leased....

An important aspect of structural change in the U.S. hog industry has been the adoption of breeding technology. The adoption of each of four breeding technologies, weekly farrowing, intensive breeding, terminal crossbreeding, and artificial insemination, in U.S. hog production is analyzed using...

This study examines the adoption of best-management practices (BMPs) in terms of the total number of practices implemented up to a certain period, using count data analysis. Poisson and negative binomial regressions were used to examine the likely determinants of producers’ decisions to...

Comparisons are made concerning labor required and profitability associated with continuous grazing at three stocking rates and rotational grazing at a high stocking rate in the U.S. Gulf Coast region. A unique data set was collected using a time and motion study method to determine labor...

Facing rapid and significant change in the sector, U.S. dairy production trends from 1993-2005 were tracked and performance measures (scale and technical efficiency and returns on assets) were estimated for conventional and pasture-based dairy farms using data from USDA's Agricultural Resource...

The relative importance of seven goals were elicited for Louisiana beef and dairy producers using the fuzzy pair-wise comparison method. Beef producers were more concerned with maintaining and conserving land, while dairy producers were more concerned with financial goals such as maximizing...