Replaced with revised version of paper 08/03/05.

The introduction of mandatory country of origin labeling in the agricultural sector promises to yield consumer benefits by providing additional information to consumers. However, these benefits will be partially offset by the cost of labeling paid by producers. This study derives the labeling...

In an effort to bolster confidence and protect the nation the U.S. government through agencies like the Department of Homeland Security is identifying vulnerabilities and evolving strategies for protection. Agricultural food supply is one identified vulnerable area, and animal disease defense is...

The rise of contract farming and vertical integration is one of the most important changes in modern agriculture. Yet the adoption and diffusion of these new forms of organization has varied widely across regions, commodities, or farm types, however. Transaction cost theories and the like are...

This paper develops a model of economic growth where a natural resource is an important part of the economy. In the environment of labor and capital markets and an open access resource stock the general equilibrium approach allows for the endogenous prices and consumption, as well as labor...

We estimate a simultaneous equations model of Chinese markets for wheat, rice, corn, pork, and poultry. Elasticities for consumption, feed demand, production, stocks demand, and foreign trade fall within the range of results from previous studies, and are reasonable magnitudes. China has market...

A risk index system combining information on different environmental and health risks of pesticides is developed to evaluate the impact of Roundup Ready (RR) soybean adoption on pesticide use. A data set obtained from a survey of U.S. farmers indicates that on average adoption of RR soybeans...

During the 14-month period from May 2002 to June 2003, approximately 10 percent of U.S. supermarkets began to offer fresh irradiated ground beef under the stores' own labels. Using a survey of supermarket store managers from this time period, this paper investigates the factors that influenced...

We study the efficiency of smallholder coffee farms in Vietnam. Data from a 2004 survey of farms in two districts in Dak Lak Province are used in a two-step analysis. In the first step, technical and cost efficiency measures are calculated using DEA. In the second step, Tobit regressions are...

The potential of the USDA's new Conservation Security Program (CSP) for inducing farmers to adopt more ecologically diverse crop rotations in the Western Corn Belt is examined. Simulations are conducted for a representative farm model in southeastern South Dakota, using different assumptions...