Forecasting feeder cattle basis has long been difficult because of the myriad factors that influence basis, including input and output prices and lot characteristics. This research draws upon knowledge of the various factors that influence cash feeder cattle prices to develop hedonic feeder...

Replaced with edited version of paper 12/23/08.

In production agriculture, good management is demonstrated by profits that are persistenly greater than those of similar neighboring farms. This research examined the effects of management practices on risk-adjusted profit per acre for Kansas farms over 1990-1999. The management practices were...

Replaced with edited version of paper 12/23/08.

Recent econometric studies indicate that the effect of government farm subsidies on farmland rental rates may be smaller than once thought. This literature has corrected for bias due to expectation error in measured subsidy payments. We suggest two additional sources of bias—inertia and...

Feeder calf prices are determined by the interaction of many factors. This study uses transactions data from Iowa preconditioned and regular feeder calf auction sales to investigate the impact of a wide variety of factors, many of which have not been used in previous studies on feeder calf...

Entropy and jackknife estimation procedures were used to find that custom rates are 20.3% lower than the true cost to own and operate machinery for an average size Kansas farm. A method was then developed to estimate a farms total machinery costs with which to benchmark machinery costs.

Beef tenderness is critical in consumer satisfaction with beef steak products. Current fed cattle valuation systems do not differentiate carcasses based upon tenderness variation. However, considerable research indicates consumers are willing to pay more for tender relative to tough beef steak....

The economic stability and viability of farmers are issues of great concern to rural communities. Employing data from the Kansas Farm Management Association data bank, farm household income and price elasticities are estimated in this study. Results indicate that as consumption expenditures...

Suggested methods to reduce farm financial stress have included interest rate buy-downs and debt forgiveness. This study develops a method to estimate the proportion of individual farm financial stress attributable to an income problem, a leverage problem, and an interest rate problem. Of the...