This study examines the relationship between precision farming information sources and precision farming adoption. The analysis accounts for the fact that not all farmers are aware of precision farming techniques and that those who are aware may not be a random sample. Results indicate that many...

The paper discusses a methodology for design and pricing of index insurance contracts for crop production. The methodology heavily relies on establishing a relationship between the index and yields in order to evaluate the contract performance in hedging farmers' risk. However, analysis of...

Cash transfers can help poor families to meet the costs associated with sending their children to school. Demand constraints are a major impediment to schooling attainment in rural areas. Educational grants can contribute to raise schooling attainment in rural areas and thereby to close the gap...

The paper investigates the linkages between technological change and production risk, with an application to corn. The effects of technology on risk exposure are characterized based on the properties of the risk premium. We define technological progress to be risk-increasing (risk-decreasing) if...

Financial, farm economy and bank factors are hypothesized to explain variation in FSA guaranteed loan principal outstanding. Regression models using state-level data (1990-1998) are estimated. Debt-to-asset ratios, percentage of agricultural revenues due to crops, interest rates, and off-farm...

A survey of extension administrators, department heads, and extension specialists was conducted to determine the best methods for evaluating the performance of extension economists. The results demonstrate how different groups view the relative importance of the various roles played by extension...

The seasonal irrigation water demand under uncertainty, which lies at the core of this paper, is still very roughly known. We know, however, that irrigated agriculture accounts for a large proportion of water use, especially in many water-scarce areas. In this paper, we estimate the irrigation...

The Fed Cattle Market Simulator (FCMS) was developed by a team of researchers at Oklahoma State University to aid in understanding the forces that influence price discovery in the fed cattle market. Participants in the FCMS play the role of feedlot marketing managers and packing plant...

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...