Demand for domestic tobacco has decreased over the past two decades. In 2004, the tobacco buyout program terminated marketing quotas and price support established under the federal tobacco program in 1938. Additionally, in 2003, the World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WTO FCTC) acknowledged the importance of supply control in conjunction with demand control strategies to eliminate or reduce the consumption of tobacco products. According to the Census of Agriculture, the number of tobacco farms in the US fell by 40 percent between 2002 and 2007. Tobacco farmers are looking for alternative on-farm and off-farm sources of income. This study uses a rank-ordered logit model (ROLM) to explore factors affecting farmers’ perceptions about the potential for grain crops, cotton, peanuts, hay, fruits and vegetables, cow/calf, dairy, beef cattle and, other crops/livestock to replace tobacco production. Results suggest that hay is one of the on-farm enterprises perceived as having the highest potential to replace tobacco among burley tobacco farmers. Age, education, farm size and farm cash receipts were found to affect farmers’ perceptions about the potential for different alternative enterprises to replace tobacco. Additionally, results suggest that researchers should be careful when designing ranking questions in order to maximize rate of response and quality of the data obtained from this type of questions.

Before leaving to study abroad in Kathmandu, I was excited to learn about Nepal’s agriculture industry. As one who focuses her studies on food politics, learning that Nepal is an agrarian country was very intriguing; Nepal is agrarian to such as extent that about 80% of its citizens gain their livelihood from farming, over 30% of the GDP derives from agriculture, and most people grow their own food. I expected to learn about the culture and strategy surrounding producing food in a different yet effective way. For my final research project while in Nepal, I chose to investigate Nepal’s potato industry and how concurrent government agricultural policies play out in the field - literally. After months of gaining experience and research, my previous vision of sustainable agriculture and happy valleys was turned upside down.

LEVELS OF BURNOUT AND JOB SATISFACTION IN LARGE-SCALE AGRIBUSINESS Hugh Patrick Bosley August, 2004 39 pages Directed by: Richard Miller, Reagan Brown, and Steve Haggbloom Department of Psychology Western Kentucky University Abstract This research examined organizational sources and levels of Burnout and Job Satisfaction of a large scale agribusiness (n=300) by administering the Maslach Burnout Inventory – General Survey, the Hoppock Job Satisfaction Blank, the Areas of Work Life Survey, and demographic questions. This study provided normative sample data for the agribusiness sector, found a good degree of fit between the agribusiness sample data and existing industry norms, and determined the relationships between burnout and job satisfaction for the agribusiness sector followed known patterns of other industries. Recommendations are made for future normative research to be conducted on a larger and more diverse sample size, in order to better draw conclusions for the industry as a whole.

This study examines the underutilization of rural hospitals in Kentucky. The authors study hospital and patient characteristics to determine why and how rural patients bypass local rural hospitals and how they make their decision in the hospital choice. A Health Care Service Survey conducted in rural Kentucky and hospital data drew from American Hospital Directory are used. A binary probit model and a conditional logit model are applied. The results suggest that the hospital quality, prior experiences and the satisfaction of the local hospital, along with patients’ value of hospital size, reputation and patients’ insurance coverage influence rural patients’ hospital choice. The study offers seven policy implications to better utilize rural health care institutions.

State policy incentives for solar power have grown significantly in the past several years. This paper examines the effectiveness of policy incentives to increase residential solar PV capacity. County-level solar adoption data and controls for demographic characteristics, solar resources, and pro-environmental preferences are used to estimate a model of residential solar adoption. Empirical findings show that financial incentives, solar-specific mandates, and loan financing programs are important drivers of residential PV capacity growth. Incentives that reduce the up-front cost of adoption and that are subject to low uncertainty are found to have the largest impact. Results also point to a significant positive relationship between hybrid vehicle sales and residential PV capacity growth, indicating the importance of pro-environmental preference as a predictor of solar PV demand.

Problems that confront the farmer are varied, but one of the most important is the combination of his possible enterprises so that maximum financial return from farming is obtained. This problem has been made more important in the last decade by the severity of the agricultural price-cost squeeze.

One of the major objectives of every farmer, rancher, or feedlot operator is that of trying to maximize profits by marketing their cattle for greatest net returns. For this reason, it is very important at which market the producer decides to sell his cattle, Local supply and demand conditions are constantly causing prices and price differentials between markets to fluctuate, making the decision of choosing the market which will yield the greatest net return rather difficult.

A profit criterion which will make possible the selection of optimum conversion practices in the Pinyon-Juniper woodlands can be made operational if: (a) it is possible to predict eradication costs and resulting total costs (eradication costs, seed costs, and seed application costs) , and (b) it is possible to determine for age production resulting from initial eradication, as well as when it reaches absolute minimum allowable limit due to tree re-growth . Knowledge of the above relationships makes it possible to determine the optimum practice.

Wolf (Canis lupus) predation on livestock can cause economic and emotional hardships for livestock producers, complicating the balance of wolf conservation with other human interests. New management tools that decrease risk of predation may offer additional flexibility or efficiency for both livestock producers and management agencies. I examined 1) the efficacy of electrified fladry compared to fladry at protecting a food source from wolves in captivity, 2) the efficacy of electrified fladry for reducing wolf use of pastures and preventing depredations, and 3) the applicability of electrified'-fladry. In captivity I tested the reaction from 15 groups (46 wolves) to the presence of fladry, electrified fladry, or no barrier within their enclosures. During trials, a deer carcass was provided in one corner of the pen, and a strand of fladry (n = 5 pens), or electrified fladry (n = 5 pens), was strung across the pen to protect the food resource. Failure of the barriers was defined by at least one animal in a group moving across the barrier. Both fladry and electrified fladry effectively excluded wolves from a food resource for short durations of time (1'-14 days), but electrified fladry was more effective. My research indicated that although electrified fladry has the potential to reduce wolf depredations, animal learning, motivation, and personality play critical roles in the effectiveness of fladry systems. In Montana, I assigned 9 livestock operations to randomly receive a treatment (electrified fladry, n=6 pastures) or control (not receiving electrified fladry, n=6 pastures). I measured cost per kilometer for purchasing materials, number of people and hours required for installing and maintaining, as well as recording observations of potential difficulties with electrified fladry. I formed and distributed an exit'-survey to each rancher who participated in the study to assess opinions about the use of the technique. Wolf activity at the ranches was insufficient and I was not able to determine if electrified fladry was successful or unsuccessful for preventing livestock depredations. I found, however, that electrified fladry may be limited by costs associated with its purchase and that the application and effectiveness of electrified fladry may limit its usefulness for addressing wolf'-livestock conflict. The understanding of human perceptions of management tools is critical to determining the success of implementing management techniques and fostering participation and cooperation among stakeholders.

The state of Utah is comprised of 52.7 million acres of land of which 86 percent is covered by range vegetation. This rangeland provides part or all of the feed for approximately 430,000 head of cattle and 1,300,000 sheep. Rangeland products constitute from 33 to 40 percent of the agriculture income within the Intermountain Region. Utah's vast rangeland area represents a basic resource of considerable importance to her economy.