The participation of intermediaries in either public policy or private markets can be justified on the basis of efficiency gains. With respect to private insurance company involvement in the U.S. crop insurance program, efficiency gains may arise from either decreased transaction costs through...

The 2002 Farm bill presents farmers with many different combinations of options for signup. Choosing the wrong option can be expensive for a farmer. This paper uses a dataset of actual farms to calculate the potential revenue lost from choosing a non-optimal option.

We derive a (quadratic) inverse demand system (IQUAIDS), that generalizes the (almost ideal) inverse demand system. We discuss how the assumptions of separability and concavity can be simultaneously accommodated within the model, thus giving a (locally) separable and concave quadratic demand...

This paper analyzes the sequential decision to adopt two site-specific technologies, soil testing and variable rate technology (VRT), and their impact on nitrogen productivity in four Midwestern states. The results indicate that while farm location was a key variable influencing the adoption of...

This research examines the effect of a government sponsored technology transfer program for small holder farms in Chile. The effect of family participation in the technology transfer program is evaluated with respect to a number of 'outcomes' including its effect on farm revenues, total family...

The last three years have realized significant structural changes in the U.S. agricultural policy environment. These changes include nearly complete planting flexibility and the elimination of target-price-based income support for agricultural producers. Many have questioned the extent to which...

This paper contributes to the double dividend debate with a formal analysis and some numerical evidence emphasizing trade and environmental distortions with a substitution of environmental taxes for trade distortions. We derive existence conditions and we empirically explore the...

A nonparametric approach to short-run production analysis from a cost and profit perspectives is developed in the context of an adjustment-cost model. The adjustment-cost hypothesis is incorporated in the theoretical framework in the form of the properties of the firm's technology with respect...

A contingent valuation survey was conducted in two diverse Oregon counties to estimate potential enrollment of framed or grazed land in a riparian buffer strip program. Landowner preferences for various program components were elicited and demonstrate the need to carefully design conservation...

The U.S. pork sector is evolving from an industry of small, independent firms vertically linked by spot markets to one of substantially larger firms vertically connected through contractual agreements and integration. Potential benefits to this tighter vertical arrangement include lower consumer...