This study investigates which factors may influence producers’ use of irrigation technologies and/or water management practices (WMPs). One major finding is that Arkansas producers are more likely to rely on WMPs instead of sprinkler irrigation as a response to changes in depth to water and drought occurrences. This finding highlights the importance of expanding the existing literature that focuses mostly on more efficient irrigation technologies, especially in areas where WMPs are more prevalent. Climate factors also play a role. Sprinkler systems are more prevalent in regions with lower average temperature. WMPs are used to mitigate the impact of more frequent droughts.

No-till acreage has increased in recent years, but many farmers alternate no-till with other tillage practices, limiting public and private benefits from sustained no-till adoption. Revealed preference data are used in an ordered logit regression analysis to determine the effect of soil characteristics, climate, regions, farm characteristics, and producer demographics on producers’ choices to use continuous tillage, alternate no-till systems with tillage systems, or continuously use no-till. The model provides insight into the characteristics and conditions that are conducive to each tillage regime. The attributes found to significantly affect continuous no-till use are erodibility classification, drainage, farm size, and climate.

Research has shown health concerns may motivate consumers to purchase foods sold at direct market outlets, yet connections between management of specific diseases and food purchase decisions remain unclear. We utilize a two-step decision framework to evaluate whether family incidences of six illnesses (cancer, heart disease, diabetes, obesity, back/joint pain, and Alzheimer's disease/dementia) affect decisions to buy food at farmers’ markets and farm stands. We find that cancer, diabetes, obesity, and back/joint pain influence the decision to purchase from farm stands. Disease incidences have varying directional effects on frequency of purchase for both farmers’ markets and farm stands.

This study estimates the dry bean yield increase in South Africa that is attributable to genetic improvements through the Agricultural Research Council's (ARC) bean breeding program. Using 32 test plots across South Africa from 1982 to 2014, results indicate that ARC breeding increased average yields by 11.65 kg/ha annually, for a cumulative 43.28% increase. These yield increases were not at the expense of yield variance, an important measure of food security. These findings indicate that the returns on investment are relatively high (an estimated 5.67:1 benefit-cost ratio) and can lead to greater food security though increased and stabilized bean yields.

Little research exists on the optimal temporal frequency between soil tests, given empirical data on potassium (K) carryover and its interaction with cotton yield. We evaluate how decreasing the temporal frequency between obtaining K soil test information affects the net present value (NPV) of cotton production. Monte Carlo simulation was used to determine NPV for cotton production using five soil test schedules ranging from soil testing annually to every fifth year. NPV of returns to K was maximized at $7,580/ac. when producers updated soil testing information every 2 years, which was $2/ac. per year greater than annual soil testing.

The paper examines U.S. citizens' attitudes toward the concept of multifunctional agriculture and their perceptions about its various attributes. While the concept has emerged as a major narrative shaping agricultural policies and WTO trade rules, there are considerable disagreements among researchers and policy-makers about what should be considered legitimate attributes of multifunctional agriculture, preventing WTO negotiations from moving forward. Results show that U.S. citizens rated national food security and environmental services as the most important multifunctional roles of U.S. agriculture, and national food security makes the largest contribution to explaining U.S. citizens' attitudes toward multifunctional agriculture.

We examined the cross-national adoption of six major private food safety standards, focusing on the role of certifiers and international trade. Results show that the number of certification bodies existing in the domestic country, food exports, and the proportion of food exports to North America had positive effects on a country's adoption of food safety standards. Distance leads to product differentiation for the standards and therefore disadvantages developing countries in Africa and Asia for adopting the standards, which are all based in the United States or Europe. Providing these countries with better access to certifiers can alleviate this geographic disadvantage.