This article explores whether income underreporting for tax purposes can explain why the majority of U.S. farmers earn low or negative net farm income. Using 10 years of U.S. Department of Agriculture farm-level data, the extent of underreporting is estimated by exploiting the fact that farm households face an incentive to underreport farm income that varies with their reported off-farm income. Results indicate that 39% of total farm income is underreported. For large farms, the results imply a substantial discrepancy between reported and earned farm income. For small-scale operations, underreporting reduces but does not eliminate the gap between farm and off-farm wages.

This article investigates the evolution of hog spatial market integration in China based on a minimal spanning tree by using provincial hog price data. The empirical results show that hog spatial market integration in China has increased gradually and reached a high stable level after 2012. Hog spatial market integration underwent a structural break in April 2007, after which hog market integration was greatly strengthened. Moreover, the market power of hog markets in eastern China and central China is increasing, and Shandong is a price setter, whereas hog markets in southwestern, northeastern, and northern China are price followers.

Environmental valuation is the branch of environmental economics in which researchers estimate the economic value of environmental goods and services. Environmental valuation has been practiced for decades. However, there are some ideas in the field of environmental valuation held by many environmental economists and nonenvironmental economists that appear to be outdated. This article discusses three such ideas: 1) that it is better to estimate willingness-to-pay values than willingness-to-accept values; 2) that stated preference valuation methods are questionable because they are based on hypothetical choices rather than real choices; and 3) that it is better to use a repeated-choice question format than a single-choice format in choiceexperiments. We discuss the origins of each idea and why the idea became prevalent in the first place. We then review recent literature, which casts doubt on the idea. We conclude with a reminder for researchers—in environmental economics and in other economic fields—to periodically reassess ideas they currently hold in light of recent research developments and in light of the context in which they are used.

Cotton marketing, like the marketing of other agricultural commodities, traditionally has been done through relatively small country markets. Problems for cotton producers resulting from this type of market structure are the limited availability of market price information and the limited degree of buyer competition for their product at the local level. Though these are seemingly inherent problems in local markets, new technologies in the form of electronic markets can help to overcome them.

Increased vegetable production for the fresh market often has been suggested as an agricultural alternative that will improve the income situation of small-scale farmers. Because vegetable production is an intensive activity and high incomes per acre are possible, it has political appeal as a quick solution to the low income levels generally associated with small farm operations. This study was developed from the small farm program of the University of Florida, which has concentrated on the northern and panhandle areas of Florida. Trials conducted by the Vegetable Crops Department of the University of Florida in 1974 and 1975 indicate that by variation of the planting season and control of insects and diseases, vegetables can be produced during periods of the year when the north Florida area has not historically competed in the fresh vegetable market.

While a carbon market offers substantial opportunities for US agriculture, regional differences in such a market are often ignored. This paper focuses on the advantages and challenges for agriculture in the South. The potential of two promising options are analyzed: conversion from cropland to forests and greater use of conservation tillage. It is argued that the right institutional arrangements can overcome three fundamental challenges to an efficient carbon market: transaction costs, risk, and perverse incentives. Some examples are given, such as the use of a farmer-owned organization and the provision of land use and carbon information by the government.

This research evaluates the use of online examinations in college courses from both instructor and student perspectives. Instructional software was developed at Kansas State University to administer online homework assignments and examinations. Survey data were collected from two classes to measure and evaluate the level of student preferences for online examinations. The statistical determinants of student preferences for online testing were identified and quantified using logistic regression analysis. Strategies for the effective use of online examinations are summarized for potential adopters of online examinations.

These articles provide a discussion of studies presented in a session on spatial econometrics, focusing on the ability of spatial regression models to quantify the magnitude of spatial spillover impacts. Both articles presented argue that a proper modeling of spatial spillovers is required to truly understand the phenomena under study, in one case the impact of climate change on land values (or crop yields) and in the second the role of regional industry composition on regional business establishment growth.

In coastal communities with uniform flood risk, amenity value is comprised of two components – view and access. Having controlled for view, it is assumed that any residual amenity value represents the benefit derived from accessing the beach for leisure/recreational purposes. However, as properties closer to the beach typically have improved viewsheds, the two amenities are highly correlated, and disentangling view and access is problematical. A spatial autoregressive hedonic model captures ease of beach access via a network distance parameter that varies independently from property viewshed, collinearity effects are mitigated, and access and view can be disentangled.

A long-season (160–180 days) cotton variety with a conventional production system was formerly grown in the Texas Coastal Bend Region. Cotton producers in the region used intensive insecticide applications throughout the growing season and harvested in August or September, and occasionally in October. In general, intensive insecticide applications for boll weevil and fleahopper control destroyed the beneficial insects and spiders. Late-season tobacco budworm infestations were thereby aggravated. These late-season insect infestations were a result of the relatively high rainfall during August and September. Moreover, high rainfall during this time not only interfered with harvest, but also reduced both the yield and quality of cotton (Lacewell et al.).

This study uses a marginal treatment effects approach and farm household rice survey data from Northern Ghana to examine the heterogeneous effects of agricultural technologies on household welfare. Results indicate significant heterogeneity in the gains from the adoption of improved rice technologies among farmers. We found significant evidence of a pattern of positive selection on unobserved gains from the adoption of agricultural technologies on rice yield and household dietary diversity scores (HDDS). Moreover, the policy-relevant treatment effects suggest that reducing the distance to sources of agricultural technologies increases rice yield and HDDS through technology adoption.

The effects of considering variable within-farm soil runoff and leaching potential on costs of reducing nitrogen losses are analyzed for a Virginia dairy. Manure applications may cause nitrogen losses through runoff and leaching because of factors such as uncertain nitrogen mineralization. Farmers can reduce nitrogen control costs by applying manure on soils with less nitrogen loss potential. Ignoring within-farm soil variability may result in overstating the farm's costs of reducing nitrogen losses.

The Financial and Risk Management (FARM) Assistance program created by Texas Cooperative Extension is a strategic analysis service offered to farmers and ranchers in Texas. The program serves as an example of large-scale, focused programming by extension agencies, as well as the implementation of technical stochastic simulation methods for use on the farm.

The Rice Outlook and Situation (RO&S) forecasts were compared to the forecasts of a univariate Box-Jenkins (BJ) model. On balance, the RO&S forecasts had lower mean square forecast errors and lower mean absolute forecast errors than the BJ model forecasts. The differences in the squared and absolute forecast errors were not significant, however. Based on the concept of conditional efficiency as set forth by Granger and Newbold, it was found that the BJ forecasts did not add any information that might improve forecast accuracy beyond what was already incorporated in the RO&S forecasts.

In the last settler's syndrome, each new settler wants the area to remain as it was on their arrival. Newcomers' preferences often differ from long-term residents, and conflicts arise. To explore land use issues among various groups, a survey of opinions on mountain views was developed and administered to Watauga County residents in western North Carolina. Watauga County provides an interesting case study, because it is a growing area with an influx of newcomers along with long-time residents. The results suggest that agreements can be achieved on some land use issues, whereas disagreements will arise on others.

As farm sector prices continue to increase at rates higher than any since World War II, attention is being given to the cause of the price increases and their structural impacts on the farming sector. Land, a major component of farm assets, has been the focus of many studies examining the effects of inflation. Melichar showed current increases in land prices to be consistent with productivity gains. Lee and Rask illustrated that even though current levels of land prices may be justified, firms may have negative cash flows, especially if loans are repaid on level repayment plans. Current inflationary conditions led Robison to conclude that though current land prices may be justified, the benefits and costs are unequally distributed and that, increasingly, persons who in earlier years made land purchases are more able to afford to purchase more, thereby accelerating the trend toward fewer and larger farms.

This study analyzes the potential impacts of expanded ethanol production on southern agriculture. Results of regression analysis suggest that acreage planted for field crops (corn, cotton, soybeans, and wheat) is inelastic with respect to relative prices. The results provide statistical evidence of potential significant acreage shifts favoring corn over cotton, soybeans, and wheat. Simulations indicate that higher corn prices will increase corn acreage, but the South continues to be a deficit corn region. U.S. corn production is capable of supplying domestic demand for ethanol, feed for livestock and poultry, and other uses, while maintaining exports at more than 2 billion bushels annually.

Farmers and other business people commonly consider multiple goals or objectives in their-decisions, especially investment or other long-run decisions. Various techniques, such as discussed by Keeney and Raiffa, have been developed to incorporate multiple goals or objectives in decision making. These techniques differ in how the decision-making process is viewed, empirical data required about goals, and solution algorithms. Considerable emphasis has been given to development of alternative models and solution algorithms, but problems (Willis and Perlack), of quantifying farmers' goals for use in these models have received relatively little attention.

The effect of irrigation system uniformity on the selection of risk-efficient irrigation strategies is evaluated using crop simulation and stochastic dominance procedures. Alternative strategies are evaluated under assumptions of both uniform and non-uniform application. Results indicate that the variability of net returns resulting from the employment of a specified schedule increases when irrigation uniformity is explicitly represented. Solutions derived using economic efficiency and stochastic dominance criteria indicate that the uniformity with which irrigations are applied contributes to the application of water-intensive irrigation schedules.