Prototype inflow-based derivative contracts are designed to hedge irrigation risk in the Rio Mayo Valley of Sonora, Mexico. The results indicate that an 18-month contract is feasible given the specific characteristics of the region selected for the study.

The paper presents production function estimates of human capital and business research and development knowledge for a panel of Canadian food manufacturing industries over the period 1993-2004. Our results show that physical and human capitals are major determinants of food manufacturing...

Fertilizer recommendations seldom account for agro-climatic conditions, which are important factors that determine the response to fertilizer and the optimal rate of fertilizer. The nitrogen fertilizer response to open pollinated and hybrid canola types will also impact optimal nitrogen rates....

In Canada, governments have historically promoted economic development in rural regions by promoting exploitation of natural resources, particularly forests. Forest resources are an economic development driver in many of the more than 80% of native communities located in forest regions. But...

We seek to contribute to the emerging economic theory on trade, the environment and development. Using panel data across countries, econometric models are estimated to predict the effects of openness on organic water pollutant (BOD) and carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. Results indicate that freer...

This paper discusses the likely growth in the production of ethanol from grain in the United States over the next 4 to 5 years. It describes how the costs of production have changed and some of the major factors that are likely to impact profitability and rate of growth in the industry over this...

This study evaluates profitability and risk associated with eighteen different management decisions for canola production in Alberta. Expected payoff from cultivar selection outweighs the payoff from time of seeding and from time of weed control. Expected payoff was higher from hybrid compared...