In 1959 there were 49,006 acres of corn grown in the state of Utah. Included in this were 4,232 acres of grain corn, 38,770 acres of silage corn , and 4,470 acres of sweet corn. The remaining acres of corn were used for pasture, cut as fodder, or any miscellaneous use.

The state of Utah is located in a semi-arid climatic zone and contains about 52.7 million acres of land which varies topographically from smooth desert plains and valleys to steep mountain ranges (8).

A study was undertaken to evaluate the general sheep marketing process in Bolivia, to determine the present economic structure of farm units belonging to Altiplano sheep producers, to analyze the economics of marketing Altiplano sheep at an earlier age, and to analyze the economics of using various local products as a supplemental sheep feed in Bolivia. In general the Bolivian sheep marketing process is inadequate and inefficient because of lack of marketing information, poor producer-buyer contact, lack of commercial sheep transportation, slaughterhouses lacking in facilities and hygienic conditions, and apparently unattractive retail methods. By selling their relatively unproductive male sheep before they are one year old and replacing them with ewes and yearling ewes, the results of the study indicate that the "criollo" and semi-improved sheep producers could increase the return to their sheep enterprise by 43 percent and 10 percent, respectively, and that they could increase the value of sheep available for sale or trade by 67 per cent and 13 percent, respectively. To help determine the economics of feeding sheep a supplemental ration in Bolivia, a sheep feeding experiment was des1gned to test three breed-types of sheep, and two roughage-to-concentrate ratios. Two hundred and thirty-five lambs were fed for 63 days. The results of the study indicate that fattening lambs commercially in Bolivia is potentially profitable.

<p>The Grand River and its tributaries drain an area of over 2,000 square miles, in south-western Ontario between Lakes Huron, Erie, and Ontario. The area includes the present-day counties of Brant and Waterloo, and the adjoining parts of Wellington, Oxford, Wentworth, Haldimand, and Halton. It is one of the most fertile regions in Ontario, with a variety of soil types, mostly clay loams and a relatively mild climate. In Brant county, about 11 miles south of the town of Brantford, lies the township of Tuscarora, the Reserve of the Six Nations Indians, and all that remains of their original land grant, which extended almost the whole length of the Grand River. The type of agriculture and land use in Tuscarora presents a striking contrast to the conditions in the surrounding townships, which have been settled by non-Indian people. Large areas of the Reserve lie unused and are under either rough grass, scrub, or woodland, and little land is being used for agriculture. This study is an enquiry into the poverty of the Reserve, as reflected in the land use. The enquiry has three aims. First, the history of settlement and land use on the Reserve since the end of the eighteenth century is considered, to discover whether the present day poverty has its roots in the past. Secondly, a comparison is made between the trends in agricultural development in Tuscarora and those in the neighbouring townships of Oneida, to see whether these conditions have persisted since the Reserve was first established. Thirdly, an investigation is made of soil conditions as a contributing factor to the present day poverty of the Reserve.</p> / Master of Arts (MA)

<p>This dissertation examines the seasonal round of st Lucian contract workers who travel to Ontario every year for temporary employment in the Foreign Agricultural Resources Management Service program (FARMS). The study's focus is divided among Ontario growers as employers, st Lucian agricultural workers as employees, residents of a rural town in Southwestern Ontario, and governmental departments that influence the FARMS program in Canada and in st Lucia. The main argument of the dissertation is that labour migration has been an integral part of st Lucian history since emancipation on the island. It is both an economic strategy and a symbol of the freedom emancipation promised. While factors external to the island, such as the need for agricultural labour in Ontario and a long history of connections between Canada and the British West Indies influence where st Lucians travel, the propensity of these men and women to leave the island and return can only be explained in terms of st Lucia's history as a British colony. Within this history, labour migration emerges in conjunction with other strategies of enduring yet resisting the plantation economy that characterized the island for centuries. Although "workin' on the contract" in Canada is used by st Lucians for individual social and economic goals, it derives its meaning from the shared cultural beliefs and values of the island's society.</p> / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Much of the literature on herbicide resistant weeds suggests that farmers do not adopt resistance management practices on rented land to the same extent as on owned land. This study uses data from the USDA Agricultural Resource Management Survey for corn and soybeans to compare adoption of resistance management practices on owned and rented land analyzing national and regional data for a variety of weed management practices. There was little support for the hypothesis that renters adopted resistance management practices less than owners. In most cases, there was no significant difference in adoption rates. In cases where there were statistically significant differences, it was more common that resistance management practice adoption was higher on rented land than on owned land. The second part of this study estimated a hazard model to predict when resistance to glyphosate would first be detected in corn fields in a state. The model was used to test hypotheses about whether adoption of different weed management practices delayed or sped up the onset of resistance. The analysis found evidence that greater use of phosphinic acid herbicides (the herbicide family that includes glyphosate) sped up the onset of glyphosate resistant weeds.

Traditional factors known to affect feeder cattle prices, such as corn prices, have been questioned recently given the volatile nature of agricultural markets and some recent research findings. This work utilizes two very current and unique datasets to examine feeder cattle pricing relationships from Kentucky internet auctions and Certified Preconditioned for Health (CPH) sales. In addition to examining traditional pricing factors, factors that affect feeder cattle basis were also examined. Basis questions are of great interest in the southeast as transportation costs to major cattle feeding areas have been impacted by rising fuel prices and increased market volatility. Finally, price premiums were examined for cattle selling as age and source verified and natural. Results suggested that traditional factors were still found to influence feeder cattle prices, with some evidence that the magnitude of these effects may be smaller. Basis factors were found to be relevant; specifically fuel price was found to have a negative effect on basis in internet sales. This finding was also consistent with weaker basis in areas further away from the Midwest. Finally, premiums for age and source verification were moderate, roughly $11 per head for age and source verified calves, $17 per head for natural calves, and about $32 per head for cattle with both attributes.

This dissertation provides the analysis necessary to launch the first direct climate markets. Combining statistical modeling with qualitative interviews, I build off of an innovative insurance project to show why and how to start traded markets on indexes of El Niño/La Niña. I provide statistical models of El Niño/La Niña's worldwide economic impacts; a stochastic catalog used to price virtually any risk management contract on El Niño/La Niña, even as new forecasts change traders' expectations; a comprehensive statistical description of the lifecycle of new derivatives showing how the prospects for new derivatives changed fundamentally in the last decade (this work is co-authored by Michael Penick, Senior Economist at the US government's derivatives regulator, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission); and, interviews with risk management professionals at businesses facing El Niño/La Niña risk and financial firms interested in trading that risk. Based on this analysis, I conclude that catastrophe bonds settling on NOAA's Niño 3.4 sea surface temperatures can, and likely will, launch in the near future.

The United States is the leading producer and exporter of corn and soybeans in the world. The United States exports 20% of the world’s corn and 30% of soybeans in a typical year (USDA, ERS). The U.S., being the top producer and exporter of these commodities, is also confronting major rivals such as Argentina, Brazil, and Ukraine, which are increasing their exports and causing the U.S. to lose some of its market share. In order to stop this decline in market share, the U.S. can adopt and implement different policies to manage resources and employ advanced technology more effectively. In this study, we empirically estimate the export demand function of U.S. corn and soybeans to the top four export destinations: China, Japan, European Union, and Mexico in the current context of energy and agriculture linkages and production of ethanol from corn. A log-linear, panel data equation is used to estimate the U.S. corn and soybeans export demand function. Own price, cross price, income and exchange rate elasticities are estimated econometrically. Data for the U.S. and its top four importer countries were gathered for the 1980-2012 period. A Hausman test implies that a random effects estimator is better for the estimations. Elasticity analysis indicates that U.S. corn demand is elastic to own price, cross price, income and poultry inventory, while inelastic to real exchange rate and pig inventory. The positive cross price elasticity reveals that corn and soybeans are substitutes in these countries. Conversely elasticity analysis for the U.S. soybean demand shows elastic cross price, real exchange rate, and pig and poultry inventory effects, while inelastic own price and income effects. Consequently, for the U.S. to gain more international market share, U.S. corn and soybean producers need to take advantage of their advanced technology and high management skills to increase quality and have more competitive pricing compared to rivals. The U.S. can gain more market share by employing better regulation to increase the quality of products, and provide incentives to U.S. farmers and exporters that could help boost their advantages in a highly competitive international environment. Higher quality and more product differentiation could help in this regard. This could help U.S. farmers increase exports to currently existing foreign destinations and access new markets, to expand market shares.

This study aimed to increase vegetable consumption and preference in elementary school-aged children using two interventions: 1) flavor-flavor conditioning; and 2) sensory-based, vegetable-themed education. In both interventions, increase in consumption was measured by visual observation of how many vegetables children took and consumed from a vegetable buffet. Preferences were measured with a self-administered survey. In the flavor-flavor intervention, children ages 5 to 11 (n=59) were exposed to sweetened and nonsweetened vegetable purees. Preferences were assessed prior to intervention using a rating and ranking system. Nine paired tastings were presented. Children received a posttest immediately after the final conditioning (n=27) and again 2 to 3 weeks after the final conditioning (n=24). A repeated measures ANOVA was used to examine the effect of conditioning (sweetened vegetable purees) on flavor preference. The change in attitudes and behaviors related to vegetables was evaluated using independent samples t-tests. Pre- and post-flavor conditioning change in whole vegetable consumption was assessed using paired t-tests. Flavor-flavor conditioning is not an effective strategy to increase whole vegetable consumption or preference for vegetables in elementary school-aged children. The vegetable-themed curriculum focused on four vegetables (carrots, peas, cauliflower, broccoli) and included three 30-minute lessons on each vegetable. Lessons included information on how the vegetable tastes, where it grows, and what it looks, feels, sounds, and smells like. Lessons were taught once per week for 3 weeks each month over four months. Children ages 5-11 enrolled in an after-school program at one elementary school were invited to participate (n=27). The amount of vegetables consumed by participants during a vegetable buffet was observed pre- and post-intervention (n = 20, 12 respectively). Differences in these amounts were assessed using independent samples t-tests. The education intervention was associated with increased consumption of carrots (p-value =0.001) and peas (p-value=0.003) but not cauliflower or broccoli. There was no change in vegetable-related attitudes/behaviors post-intervention. The results support the use of sensory-based, vegetable-themed education to increase vegetable consumption among children. Future studies should involve a larger sample size and should consider in-school rather than after-school education.