Soybean production in the South has evolved over recent years from conventional soybean production systems (CSPS) in which soybeans are planted after May 1st to early soybean production systems (ESPS) in which soybeans are planted as early as mid-March. The shift was aided by the advent of...

Although several studies have estimated the costs of implementing and maintaining country of origin labeling (COOL), no previous study has documented how increased costs imposed by COOL will be distributed throughout the livestock sector and how producer and consumer welfare will ultimately be...

Exchange rates have long been thought to have an important impact on the export and importof goods and services, and, thus, exchange rates are expected to influence the price of thoseproducts that are traded. At the same time, energy impacts commodity production in somevery important ways. The...

This paper summarizes the results of a survey of a stratified, random sample of 630 hog operations in Indiana and Nebraska. The survey was conducted in March and April, 2000 with support of a research grant to contribute to the development of a knowledge base to guide the design and...

A variety of crop revenue insurance programs have recently been introduced. A critical component of revenue insurance contracts is quantifying the risk associated with stochastic prices. Forward-looking, market-based measures of price risk which are often available in form of options premia are...

Changes in the risk environment and tools available to manage risk have resulted in an increased need for risk management skills among farmers and ranchers. In response the USDA initiated a risk management education competitive grants program in the spring of 1998. This is the first report from...

Agricultural economists have for many decades concerned ourselves with gaining an understanding of individual behavior when confronted with risk, and developing tools to address decision-making under risk. This area of research has recently gained renewed attention for a variety of reasons. This...

Many investment decisions of agribusiness firms such as when to invest in an emerging market or whether to expand the capacity of the firm involve irreversible investment and uncertainty about demand, cost or competition. This paper uses an option-value model to examine the factors affecting an...