Real options theory is employed to measure the value of investing in organic wheat production using precision agriculture technology. Results reveal that an option to wait until market uncertainty is resolved is valuable. Information obtained via precision agriculture technology is also valuable...

This study compares subsurface drip irrigation and sprinkler irrigation with respect to expected returns, aquifer life, nutrient utilization and accumulation in the production of irrigated corn using swine effluent and fresh groundwater from a depleting aquifer in the Oklahoma Panhandle. Most of...

The ag-biotech industry underwent considerable consolidation in the last decade in part to take advantage of economics of scale and scope. The paper investigates the impact of such consolidation on inventive activity at the firm level. Careful attention is paid to the role of firm size,...

A recently developed nested error component model for unbalanced panel data is used to estimate insect damage functions. The model estimates the separate random effects for location and year on the variability of yield loss and has smaller standard errors for the regression coefficient than the...

This study provides a theoretical and empirical analysis of the relationship between cereal imports, production, program food aid and targeted food aid in recipient countries. Hypotheses are tested empirically using vector autoregression with fixed effects on panel data from the World Food...

This research determines significant characteristics that can be used to identify developing countries which are likely to receive foreign direct investment into their food retailing industry. It also tests the likelihood that a real option value exists for the investment and that there is a...

We investigate a rural household's decision to migrate part or all of its labor to urban areas. Labor migrates only when the expected return passes a hurdle rate that is affected by migration networks. We develop a dynamic model of incomplete information, and characterize the unique pure...

Some hypothesize that poor consumers pay more for food because stores that serve them have higher costs. We assess how supermarket characteristics and operating costs differ with the percentage of sales from food stamp redemptions. Results do not support the hypothesis that costs are higher for...

An over-parameterized statistical yield-switching-fraud model is developed. Over-parameterized procedures are reviewed. Five percent of 206,952 producers (thirteen percent in one state) have suspicious yield patterns, elect higher coverage, and increase total multiple-unit indemnifications up to...