The goal of this research was to determine success factors for New Generation Cooperatives (NGCs). A self-explicated approach was used to assess the importance of various factors grouped in broad categories using data collected from a mailout survey of NGC managers. Results suggest that factors...

Previous research found a positive relationship between concentration and total factor productivity in food manufacturing. On industry (i.e., meatpacking plants [SIC 2011]) was selected for independent analysis due to a relatively sharp increase in concentration in recent years. The methodology...

Captive supplies have been a contentious issue in the livestock industry for fifteen years and the subject of both theoretical and empirical research. In 2001, mandatory price reporting was implemented. One objective by its proponents was to increase the amount of information available on...

Preconditioning calf programs, while not new, are becoming more prevalent. They provide benefits to cow-calf producers while adding value for feeder cattle buyers. However, questions remain regarding the economic costs and returns of such programs. A model was estimated with data from three...

Industrial organization theory hypothesizes that larger beefpackers can depress prices paid for cattle. Prices paid between at least two beefpackers in some localized markets studies were found to be significantly different for the one-month study period. However, larger beefpackers in each...

Grid pricing improves the flow of information to producers, but market signals sent by grids may not be clearly understood. This study uses a two-stage Coefficients of Separate Determination process, four sets of fed cattle carcass data, and sensitivity analyses to identify market signals sent...

Because of the significant investment in the mandatory price reporting program (MPR) by the USDA and by packers, it is important to understand what producers believe about its effectiveness. This study reports results from a survey of feedyards located primarily in Kansas, Nebraska, Texas, and...

The increased amount of contracting in many agricultural markets continues to be a source of considerable controversy. Some research indicates that increased levels of contracting lead to better prices for processors/users while other research is inconclusive. This article uses an experimental...

Mandatory livestock price reporting was designed to increase available price information with the intent of facilitating price discovery. Has the program been effective? This study determines how cattle feeders, a primary target of the program, feel about mandatory price reporting (MPR)...

Contracting has increased significantly in the U.S. livestock-meat sector. Over half of finished hogs and about a third of fed cattle are marketed under some form of contract. Contracting motives vary by type of contract, whether buyer or seller, and by commodity. Several motives for buyers and...