We use the underlying data of the IMPLAN Pro 3.0 regional economic simulation model to estimate the current economic contribution of Michigan's local food system and explore the chain of transactions giving rise to consumption of locally sourced goods from producer to processor to consumption. The proposed methodology includes both unprocessed and processed foods in the estimation of the local food system's economic value. The model also provides a replicable and consistent approach to estimating the value of local food systems within regional and state economies.

The growth in winter canola acreage in the southern Great Plains has led to questions about the best way to reduce price risk because there is no U.S. canola futures market. Cross-hedge ratios and hedging effectiveness are calculated, and encompassing tests are conducted for short-horizon hedging. Possible cross-hedge markets considered are U.S. soybeans, soybean oil, soybean meal, hard red winter wheat, and Canadian canola. The selected cross hedge is a combination of soybean oil and meal futures, but its hedging effectiveness is substantially less than what is typically provided by a direct hedge.

This article proposes the parsimonious Stone-Geary utility function from consumer choice theory as a production function model. The viability of the threshold input idea is empirically demonstrated for irrigation water (and in the case of nitrogen, a “gratis” threshold) using two field trials from the famous Hexem-Heady data sets. The implications of the Stone-Geary model for tractable U-shaped average variable cost and for factor demand and product supply are explored.

The biofuels era brought about changes to the energy and agricultural sectors. For example, the decrease in natural gas prices has led to a weakening of the relationship between fertilizer and gas prices. The other change has been an increase in the demand for fertilizers, which has strengthened the price relationship between these two products. Econometric evidence from this work indicates that after 2008 the relationship between fertilizers and corn prices increased. In addition, results from our work indicate the presence of market power in the ammonia fertilizer sector.

Landowners rarely insure standing timber, suggesting the limited products available do not appeal to potential clientele. We estimated landowner willingness to pay (WTP) for standing timber insurance. Data were generated through a contingent valuation survey. Questionnaires were mailed to a random sample of Mississippi private forest landowners with 100+ acres of forestland. WTP for standing timber insurance was derived using an interval-censored survival model and a Kaplan-Meier Turnbull nonparametric model. The estimated WTP premium rate was approximately $3.20 per $1,000 of standing timber value, well below existing premium rates. This partially explains the underinsurance of standing timber among landowners.

This study investigates the relationship between cash and futures prices of soybeans and soybean meal from 1992 to 2013. Error correction models are estimated for the prices of both commodities. An exogenous measure of price variability is included in both models to determine if variability increases the speed with which cash and futures prices return to their long-run equilibrium relationship. This is used to measure the impact of price variability on short-run market efficiency and the price discovery process. The findings indicate that the level of price variability influences market adjustment rates and the price discovery process.