The United States is a large net exporter of corn seeds. Seed trade, including corn, has been expanding but its determinants are not well understood. This paper econometrically investigates the determinants of world demand for U.S. corn seeds with a detailed analysis of trade costs impeding...

The welfare effects of GM (genetic modification)-led productivity growth for cassava producers are partly affected by the characteristics of individual cassava producing households. Those household characteristics include the elasticity of production and home consumption of cassava. Some studies...

Replaced with revised version of paper 07/15/08.

This study determines how production and trade policy distortions affected rice productivity in thirty-three rice-producing countries. A rice-productivity index for each country is constructed, and a model linking the productivity gap with policy distortions is presented. After controlling for...

Biomass yield to nitrogen response functions were determined for four perennial grass species. The species, nitrogen level, and harvest frequency that maximize expected net returns given the climate and soils of the U.S. Southern Plains were determined. For most combinations of biomass and...

Replaced with revised version of paper 07/18/08.

This paper develops a model of optimal allocation of GM and non-GM crops under contamination risk. The model is used to compare the producer optimal crop allocation at equilibrium to the social efficient crop allocation. From the socially optimum conditions, the paper identifies production...

This paper presents preliminary evidence on the effect of crop insurance on fertilizer and chemical inputs in agriculture. Our estimates are based on two sources of identification that emerge from a policy change concerning insurance subsidies that approximately doubled total premiums and the...

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...

In this paper we find that real grain prices in China have displayed increased volatility in the past decade. This is true for rice, wheat, corn, and for most of provinces. Farmers in China are found to be risk averse because when they make acreage allocation decisions. Given the widespread...