We assess long-run patterns of global agricultural productivity growth between 1970 and 2005 and examine the relationship between investments in technology capital and productivity. To measure agricultural total factor productivity (TFP) we employ a Solow-type growth accounting method to...

While the growing importance of off-farm earnings suggests large benefits accrue to farmers from efforts to expand off-farm income opportunities, economic well being also depends on greater efficiency. To comprehensively gauge the economic health of farm operator households' off-farm income is...

This paper draws on the theory of product differentiation in a trade context and uses three case studies to highlight the conditions necessary for a successful geographical-origin branding strategy for farm produce in the United States. In so doing, the U.S. country-of-origin labeling (COOL)...

Price transmission is a critically important issue that affects market enlargement and the unification of Canadian-U.S. agriculture. This study adopts alternative frameworks to examine the nature of cross-border integration in selected meat and livestock markets. The aim is to determine the...

Income volatility challenges the effectiveness of the safety net that USDA food assistance programs provide low-income families. This study examines income volatility among households with children and the implications of volatility for eligibility in the National School Lunch Program (NSLP)....

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to examine the use of Section 1031 of the Internal Revenue Code (IRC), a piece of US tax law that allows for tax-deferred exchanges of like-kind property. Design/methodology/approach: The paper derives a theoretical premium value for exchanges and presents...

This paper starts with the basic premise: that conventional measures of productivity growth - - -often used as a measure of corporate performance - - -which ignore external or social output, are biased. We then construct an alternative productivity growth measure using activity analysis which...

The Environmental Protection Agency requires concentrated animal feeding operations to develop and implement a comprehensive nutrient management plan. Changes in manure management to meet nutrient application standards will increase production costs. Some of these costs can be offset by savings...

Water quality trading between point and nonpoint sources is of great interest as an alternative to strict command and control regulations on point sources for achieving water quality goals. The expectation is that trading will reduce the costs of water quality protection, and may speed...

We estimate how much United States farms changed enterprise diversification in response to a marked increase in crop insurance coverage brought about by the 1994 Federal Crop Insurance Reform Act, which substantially increased insurance subsidies. The analysis exploits farm-level panel census...