Rainfall Index insurance is a pilot insurance product offered to producers of hay and pasture in 9 states. This analysis examines the expected payoff of the RI insurance for bi-monthly periods based on rainfall shortage probabilities in alternative climate phases. Differences in expected returns...

The paper reports preliminary results of non-parametric analysis of historical and crop model generated peanut yield series in the Southwest Georgia. The results suggest ENSO phase dependent differences in yield distributions that are similar for both the simulated and actual series. The...

Using county level data we study if weather and climate variables or variables used as proxies for rent-seeking behavior determine disaster payment in the Southeast. We do not find evidence of rent-seeking but find that, in addition to weather, long term climate variables affect disaster payments.

Rainfall Index (RI) insurance provides forage and hay producers with group risk protection against drought related losses. However, insurance premiums and risk protection are currently based on pooled weather data series and do not account for the impacts of specific climate phases, specifically...

The paper reports results of non-parametric analysis of peanut, corn, and cotton yield distributions by the ElNino Southern Oscillation (ENSO) phases in the Southeastern U.S. For validation purposes, the historical yield data is complemented by a set of simulated peanut yields generated using...

An econometric model was used to estimate the supply response of corn, cotton, and soybeans in the Southeast United States. The analysis includes state-level data from 1991-2005 for Alabama, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia, taking into account the effect...

Target-MOTAD was used to determine the optimal crop insurance options for two representative cotton and peanut farms in southern Alabama. Results showed that, for one of the farms, no crop insurance option was risk reducing given the yield history. For the other farm, risk reduction involved...

Farmland in Florida has undergone extensive conversion into residential and commercial uses. A censored survival model is applied to examine the timing of land use change using parcel-level data from Lee County, 1988-2008. Results suggest that flood and hurricane risks affect conversion timing...