The appearance of organic produce is often less than perfect because of limited methods of avoiding plant diseases. We combine hypothetical and real auction mechanisms to investigate how cosmetic damage affects Consumers' willingness to pay for apples. We find that 75% of the participants are willing to pay more for organic than for conventional apples given identical appearance. However, at the first sight of any imperfection in the appearance of the organic apples, this segment is significantly reduced. Furthermore, the cosmetic damage has a larger impact on the willingness to pay for organic apples than for conventional apples.

Failure of land markets to account for environmental amenity benefits may lend support to public policies to protect agricultural land. The contingent valuation method is employed to estimate willingness to pay for such amenities in Greenville County, South Carolina. Marginal household amenity benefits were estimated at $.06 per thousand acres using a payment card in a mail survey with 53 percent response. Bid payment vehicle was found not to significantly influence bids received. The informational structure of the contingent market was found to influence valuation responses, reinforcing the hypothesis that respondents react to alternative contingent market structures. The relationship between contingent market structure and directional effects upon responses is an important area for future research.

The effect of social capital on economic growth is examined using linear regression analysis and U.S. county-level data. Results reveal that social capital has a statistically significant, independent positive effect on the rate of per-capita income growth.

The effect on housing prices of proximity to different types of parks is estimated using a unique data set of single-family homes sold between 1990 and 1999 in Greenville, South Carolina. While the value of park proximity is found to vary with respect to park size and amenities, the estimates from this study are larger than previous studies. The greatest impact on housing values was found with proximity to small neighborhood parks, with the positive impact of proximity to both small and medium-size parks extending to homes as far as 1500 feet from the park.

Probit analysis identified factors that influence the adoption of precision farming technologies by Southeastern cotton farmers. Younger, more educated farmers who operated larger farms and were optimistic about the future of precision farming were most likely to adopt site-specific information technology. The probability of adopting variable-rate input application technology was higher for younger farmers who operated larger farms, owned more of the land they farmed, were more informed about the costs and benefits of precision farming, and were optimistic about the future of precision farming. Computer use was not important, possibly because custom hiring shifts the burden of computer use to agribusiness firms.

Farmers' markets presumably benefit local economies through enhanced retention of local dollars. Unlike other studies, the net impact of farmers' markets on the West Virginia economy is examined. Producer survey results are used in estimating annual direct sales ($1,725 million). Using an IMPLAN-based input-output model, gross impacts are 119 jobs (69 full-time equivalent jobs) and $2,389 million in output including $1.48 million in gross state product (GSP). When the effect of direct revenue losses are included (primarily for grocery stores), the impact is reduced to 82 jobs (43 full-time equivalent jobs), $1,075 million in output, and $0,653 million in GSP.

The objective of this research was to evaluate producers’ perspectives of four key precision agriculture technologies (variable rate fertilizer application, precision soil sampling, guidance and autosteer, and yield monitoring) in terms of the benefits they provide to their farms (increased yield, reduced production costs, and increased convenience) using a best-worst scaling choice experiment. Results indicate that farmers’ perceptions of the benefits derived from various precision agriculture technologies are heterogeneous. To better understand farmers’ adoption decisions, or lack thereof, it is important to first understand their perceptions of the benefits precision agriculture technologies provide.

Cow-herd standardized performance analysis (SPA) data for Texas, Oklahoma, and New Mexico were used to determine economic factors affecting cow-herd costs, production, and profitability. Total cost was defined as the financial cost associated with raising a calf through the weaning stage; production, as pounds weaned per exposed female; and profits, as rate of return on assets. Variables affecting one or more performance measures included herd size; pounds of feed fed; real estate, machinery, and breeding-stock investments; calving percentage; death loss; and breeding-season length. Management variables were especially important for financial costs and profitability of the cow-herd operation.

We employed Vickrey auctions to generate willingness-to-pay (WTP) data forred meat traceability and related product characteristics with comparableexperimental auctions in the United States, Canada, the U.K., and Japan. Theresults show that subjects are willing to pay a nontrivial premium fortraceability, but the same subjects show even higher WTP fortraceability-provided characteristics like additional meat safety and humaneanimal treatment guarantees. The implication is that producers might be ableto implement traceable meat systems profitably by tailoring the verifiablecharacteristics of the product to consumer preferences.

This study analyzes consumer purchasing behavior of organic fresh fruits and vegetables using the 2006 Nielsen Homescan panel. An ordered logit model was estimated to quantify the impacts of economic and socio-demographic factors on the probability of a household belonging to a specific organic user group—devoted, casual, or nonuser. Results suggest that price and income, to some extent, affect consumer purchases of organic produce. Additionally, the profile of an organic produce user is most likely to consist of an Hispanic household residing in the Western United States with children under 6 years old and a household head older than 54 years with at least a college degree.

Statistical summarizations of literature review databases using meta-regression analysis provide insight into the differences in past estimates of economic variables such as benefits and price elasticities. The panel nature of the data is an issue that has not received adequate attention in past meta-analyses. This paper conceptually and empirically explores the complexity of stratifying data into panels that model the potential correlation and heterogeneity of past outdoor recreation benefit research. Although our tests of three stratifications of the data did not discern panel effects, the inherent complexity of the data maintains a strong presumption of heterogeneous strata.

Coffee consumption in China has seen a significant rise in recent years. This study seeks to explore the determinants of coffee consumption in China with a specific focus on fair trade coffee. In a survey of 564 respondents in Wuhan City, consumers' willingness to pay (WTP) for fair trade labeled coffee was measured. This study uses an interval regression to investigate individual demographic and consumption characteristic impacts on WTP. Results show that on average, consumers were willing to pay 22% more for a medium cup of fair trade coffee compared with traditional coffee. In addition, other variables that indicated a higher WTP included female consumers, consumers who made their own coffee, and consumers who planned to consume more coffee in the following year.

This study examines per trip consumer surplus associated with guided Whitewater rafting on two southern rivers. First, household recreation demand functions are estimated based on the individual travel cost model using truncated count data regression methods and alternative price specifications. Findings show mean per trip consumer surplus point estimates between $89 and $286, depending on modeling assumptions and river quality. Magnitudes of these surpluses are very dependent on assumptions about the opportunity cost of time.

Contagious animal diseases like foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) are often referred to as economic diseases because of the magnitude of economic harm they can cause to producers and to local communities. This study demonstrates the local economic impact of a FMD outbreak in southwest Kansas. The expected economic impact of the disease hinges heavily on where the incidence of the disease occurs. Disease surveillance, management strategies, mitigation investment, and overall diligence clearly need to be much greater in concentrated cattle feeding and processing areas at large feeding operations in the region.

Despite extensive literature on contributing factors to the high commodityprices and volatility in the recent years, few have examined these causalfactors together in one analysis. We quantify empirically the relativeimportance of three factors: global demand, speculation, and energyprices/policy in explaining corn price volatility. A structural vectorauto-regression model is developed and variance decomposition is applied tomeasure the contribution of each factor in explaining corn price variation.We find that speculation is important, but only in the short run. However,in the long run, energy is the most important followed by global demand.

This study examines the adoption of best-management practices (BMPs) in terms of the total number of practices implemented up to a certain period, using count data analysis. Poisson and negative binomial regressions were used to examine the likely determinants of producers' decisions to adopt greater numbers of technologies, and the specific case of dairy producers' adoption of BMPs was explored. Our results emphasize the significant effect of producers' awareness of the efforts to control non-point source pollution, information about BMPs, farm size, producer's educational attainment, and risk aversion on the number of BMPs adopted.

There is evidence that consumers are increasingly purchasing food directly from local producers, but little is understood about which market-specific, intrinsic, extrinsic, and demographic attributes influence the probability of preferring to purchase fresh produce through direct-market channels. A multinomial logit model is used to analyze a national dataset of fresh produce consumers with a focus on exploring differences among those that prefer to purchase direct always, occasionally (seasonally and as a secondary source), and never. Results suggest that to increase patronage and loyalty of current customers, producers may emphasize the availability of fresh, superior, vitamin-rich, and locally-grown produce at market locations through booth displays, ads in magazines, radio spots, and electronic newsletters. To attract new customers who do not currently admit a preference for purchasing direct, producers may find greater success by locating in convenient-to-reach venues, showcasing a variety of colorful offerings, and working to enhance the overall aesthetic appeal of market locations.

A study of 1,558 US households in June 2020 evaluated utilization of online grocery shopping during the COVID-19 pandemic, influences on utilization, and plans for future online grocery shopping. Nearly 55 percent of respondents shopped online in June 2020; 20 percent were first-timers. Cragg model estimates showed influences on online shopping likelihood and frequency included demographics, employment, and prior online shopping. Illness concerns increased likelihood, while food shortage concerns increased frequency of online shopping. A multinomial probit suggested 58 percent respondents planned to continue online grocery shopping regardless of pandemic conditions.

Microbial pathogens and pesticide residues in food pose a financial burden to society which can be reduced by incurring costs to reduce these food safety risks. We explore three valuation techniques that place a monetary value on food safety risk reductions, and we present a case study for each: a contingent valuation survey on pesticide residues, an experimental auction market for a chicken sandwich with reduced risk of Salmonella, and a cost-of-illness analysis for seven foodborne pathogens. Estimates from these techniques can be used in cost/benefit analyses for policies that reduce food safety risks.

This paper introduces and defines the concept of collective entrepreneurship. A review of the defensive single-level rent-seeking objective of traditional agricultural cooperatives is introduced followed by an analysis of recent studies documenting a shift in the objective functions of producers jointly integrating toward more multiple-level rent-seeking entities. This process of shifting from market failure-ameliorating collective action mechanisms toward rent-seeking group action organizations is labeled collective entrepreneurship. The justification for introducing this concept is based on the Olsonian premise that rational, self-interested individuals will not act to achieve their common or group interests without coercion or selective incentives.