This paper deals with the estimation of a random coefficient model. The virtue of this approach is that it considers firm heterogeneity, which conventional SFA models do not. When the model is applied to Polish farms, the results indicate that the conventional random and fixed effect models...

The size of the cost to the Australian beef industry of a potential loss of major beef export markets following an outbreak of foot and mouth disease (FMD) in Australia is important in determining appropriate precautions. The size of this cost is evaluated with a dynamic bioeconomic model of...

In the past China has been self-sufficient in beef products, but, with a dramatic increase in consumer spending on food, demand for beef, which is seen as a novel and nutritious food, has grown. By employing a partial equilibrium model and sensitivity analysis under different scenarios, this...

Most fresh fruits and vegetables are unbranded. However, buyers are assisted with brands when purchasing most other grocery products. Brands have the potential to be of value to buyers and to the organisations that own them. However, research has shown that brands are only valuable to buyers...

University College of North Wales, Bangor, Gwynedd LL57 2UW Wales, Inited Kingdom

Many areas of the US recently endured a severe drought and management strategies to cope with the lack of forage production varied. A multi-period mathematical model is presented that estimates the outcomes of two common producer responses to changes in precipitation, partial liquidation and...

This study describes and compares cow-calf operations and assesses their relative competitiveness, developing performance measures for a sample of U.S. farms. We find that larger operations tend to be significantly more scale and technically efficient than smaller operations. However, we do not...