Master of Agribusiness / Department of Agricultural Economics / Jeffery R. Williams / The objective of this thesis is to conduct a net present value analysis of installing a solar power generation system on company owned turkey grow out ranches. This research project provides information regarding the systems power production capacity, investment cost, maintenance requirements, amount of energy saved, useful life of the equipment, marginal state and federal tax brackets for the company. The investment cost of the system includes the price of the equipment and installation service. Many of the system costs may be offset by rebates, tax credits and grants from various government agencies. These must also be included in the financial analysis as they can greatly affect the financial viability of the project. The system is projected to have a useful life of 30 years with an inverter replacement planned for year 15. Four scenarios were evaluated using two levels of rebates and two electrical rate inflation levels. The evaluations conducted showed positive after tax NPV evaluations on three of four scenarios reviewed with the most financially attractive options available when the rebates, tax credits and grants were maximized. This was the case at both electrical rate inflation scenarios. These same scenarios produced favorable results when looking at reduction of live production ranch costs. The system effectively locked in electrical rates below current rates for the 30 year life of the system. This reduced ranch live production cost by as much as 11.73 percent. It also gives the company an advantage over the competition when used as a marketing tool due to the use of green technology in company production practices.

Master of Science / Department of Grain Science and Industry / X. Susan Sun / Soybean protein modified with sodium bisulfite behaves like latex adhesives, with adhesive strength comparable to formaldehyde-based adhesives. β-conglycinin and glycinin are two major protein components of the adhesive system. The objective of this research was to investigate the effect of sodium bisulfite on the physicochemical, morphological, and adhesion properties of glycinin and β-conglycinin in order to better understand the function of glycinin and β-conglycinin in the formation of the soy latex adhesive. Sodium bisulfite broke the disulfide bonds that linked acidic and basic polypeptides of glycinin, and the reducing effect was enhanced with increasing sodium bisulfite concentration. Although cleavage of disulfide bonds was expected to destabilize proteins, the thermal stability of glycinin increased as the sodium bisulfite concentration increased. Sodium bisulfite modified glycinin had higher surface hydrophobicity, which facilitated hydrophobic interations between molecules and aggregation of glycinin. The balance between hydrophobic interactions and electrostatic forces makes glycinin form unique chain-like structures. Adhesive performance of glycinin dropped significantly at lower sodium bisulfite concentration and then increased as sodium bisulfite concentration increased up to 24 g/L. Excess sodium bisulfite was detrimental to adhesive strength and water resistance. High-molecular-weight aggregates were observed in unmodified β-conglycinin, but these aggregates were dissociated by sodium bisulfite treatment. Similar to glycinin, the thermal stability of β-conglycinin was improved by the modification. However, the denaturation enthalpy of β-conglycinin decreased significantly at high level of sodium bisulfite (36 g/L). The turbidity at pH 4.8 also dropped extensively at the concentration of 36 g/L. The contact angle of β-conglycinin reached its minimum at 6 g/L sodium bisulfite on cherry wood and 24 g/L on glass. Morphology study proved that sodium bisulfite modification made the β-conglycinin solution more dispersed. At pH 9.5, water resistance of β-conglycinin was improved to a small extent by 6 g/L sodium bisulfite. At pH 4.8, adhesive performance was enhanced by 3 g/L and 6 g/L sodium bisulfite. High level of sodium bisulfite at 36 g/L reduced the adhesive performance of β-conglycinin drastically.

Master of Science / Department of Agricultural Economics / Kevin C. Dhuyvetter / When purchasing feeder calves, bulls are typically discounted relative to steers. Most would agree that a discount is warranted but determining the appropriate discount to apply is considerably more difficult. Being able to calculate this discount under varying conditions would help stock operators maintain a certain level of profitability or recognize opportunities to make more profit when excessive discounts are being applied. The goals of this study were to determine how castration timing affects performance (as measured by average daily gain), morbidity, and carcass quality and how morbidity affects performance and carcass quality. Ordinary Least Squares regression and logit models were estimated to quantify the effects of various management and environmental factors on performance, morbidity, and carcass quality. These model estimates of production variables along with price and cost assumptions were used to calculate breakeven purchase prices and price discounts for bulls relative to steers, accounting for the possibility of contracting bovine respiratory disease, if owned for a short background period or if ownership is retained through slaughter. Model results confirm that late-castrated steers do indeed exhibit diminished performance and increased morbidity probabilities relative to early-castrated steers. Increased morbidity also decreases average daily gain. However, this study found that castration timing and morbidity during the backgrounding period have minimal effects on carcass quality, with morbidity only impacting hot carcass weight and castration timing significantly affecting days to market and only tending to impact hot carcass weight. Ultimately, based on 2009 market conditions, bulls should be discounted at feeder calf sales compared to steers. The average calf arrived at 459 pounds, and at this weight bulls should be discounted $4.69/cwt relative to the same weight steers. The discount increases to $5.37/cwt for 400 pound calves and drops to $4.20/cwt for 500 pound calves. If ownership is retained through slaughter, required discounts will change to $6.77/cwt, $4.91/cwt, and $7.55/cwt, respectively.

Master of Science / Department of Agricultural Economics / Ted C. Schroeder / Newer marketing techniques and production technologies have made large amounts of data available in fed cattle production that previously were not available to the cow-calf producer. The application of this data in breeding and management practices has only begun to be evaluated. This research used individual records, taken from birth to slaughter, on 6,360 calves from a single cow-calf producer who retained ownership of the calves through a custom feed yard and marketed them in a grid system. Using this information, four major topics were analyzed; identifying profitability drivers among animal characteristics, assessing weaning weight as a predictor of finished performance, utilizing lifetime performance of calves to evaluate cow productivity, and quantifying the effects of illness on cattle efficiency and carcass quality. The main profitability driver was hot carcass weight, while avoiding quality and yield grade discounts was also imperative to returns. Weaning weight did not prove to be a highly accurate tool to predict the finished quality and profitability of an animal. Evaluations of cow performance based on calf productivity were accomplished, accounting for all variation possible, however since sires were not known these performance evaluations may not be capturing an accurate picture of maternal influence on calf genetics. Performance evaluations can still be useful, but it is suggested that they not be the basis for all culling and replacement decisions. Evaluating calves based on the age of their dam highlights a peak in performance in most all measures when a cow is 7 years old. Illness in the feedlot linearly affected Net Return in a negative fashion and also negatively influenced Return to Ranch. This was mostly related to losses in efficiency, but also losses in hot carcass weight and dressing percentage in highly treated animals.

Master of Science / Department of Agricultural Economics / Ted C. Schroeder / It is clear that consumers rely on certain experience and credence attributes when purchasing beef products from the retail meat case. It is essential for all beef industry sectors to recognize the complexity of consumers buying behavior. The objective of this research is to determine if there are incentives to brand beef products and to determine what types of brands entertain price premiums as well as what levels these premiums exists. Retail scanner data, collected from 2004 through March 2009, was used for the evaluation of branded beef and also to determine what other product attributes benefit with a premium to six specific cuts of beef. Hedonic models were estimated using Ordinary Least Squares regressions to determine which variables affected the overall price per pound of each of the six cuts of beef chosen to analyze. Results indicate that there is an incentive to brand beef products at the retail level. Local, regional, national, and store brands all garnered premiums across the six models for the beef cuts, steak, roast, ground, strip, cube, and ribs in relation to products with no brand. Other variables that garnered premiums across all models include organic, Prime quality grade, and Kosher and Kosher-Glatt religious labels. Steak exhibited the highest mean price per pound followed by cube, roast, strip, ribs and ground. In all of the models estimated explaining price variation, there were few coefficients that were statistically insignificant. Additional modeling was done to determine if outlier observations were influencing the regression results. The sensitivity analyses resulted in small changes in parameter estimates indicating the identified influential observations did not have undue impact on the parameter estimates.

Master of Science / Department of Grain Science and Industry / Hulya Dogan / Kansas is the top wheat-producing state, providing about 1/5 of the yearly wheat crop in the U.S. Therefore, the quality of wheat grown in Kansas is a primary concern of the milling and baking industry. Quality of wheat flour is measured through analysis of protein, dough rheology, and baked product characteristics. This study characterized four commonly-grown Kansas hard red winter wheat cultivars chosen to span the largest possible range of protein contents and baking qualities. Flour protein content and moisture was determined by NIR, and composition was assessed using SE-HPLC. Dough empirical rheological and mixing characteristics were determined by farinograph and mixograph recording dough mixers. Rheological measurements of fundamental dough properties were performed through strain sweeps, frequency sweeps, temperature sweeps, creep-relaxation, and stress relaxation on a rheometer. All cultivar flours were baked to assess baking quality through evaluation of loaf volume, texture profile analysis (TPA), C-cell, and x-ray microtomography (XMT). Overley and Karl 92 have the two highest protein contents, respectively, and are not significantly different in percent of unextractable polymeric protein (UPP). Generally, cultivars with higher protein and percent UPP (Overley and Karl 92) gave larger loaves, much more expanded air cells, thinner cell walls, greater void fractions, and better mixing properties. Lower TPA firmness was found for Overley, corresponding with its larger XMT fragmentation index, existence of large air cells, and high void fraction. In contrast, 2137 gave the lowest XMT fragmentation index, low void fraction, larger cell wall thicknesses, and a significantly firmer (P< 0.05) crumb structure. Protein content was found to have an inverse relationship with the elastic nature of dough in fundamental rheological measurements since small amplitude measurements generally do not give good correlations to baking quality. Stress relaxation gave the most useful information about flour quality through its relaxation spectra. Flours with high total polymeric protein percentages could be identified through their higher relaxation spectra. Starch gelatinization properties of the flours were different for RVA and rheometer temperature sweeps. All of these tests have helped characterize the four Kansas wheat cultivars chosen for this study.

Master of Science / Department of Agricultural Economics / John M. Crespi / The objective of this analysis is to develop a demand model for the Sunsweet Cooperative and from this model, determine if the benefits to Sunweet’s advertising, as measured by the change in revenues, exceed the advertising costs. Weekly retail scanner data from July 20, 2008 through June 13, 2010 were used. Ordinary least squares regression equations were estimated to determine the overall demand for Sunsweet dried prunes. Two different models were estimated, one for Sunsweet’s overall prune demand and another for the Sunsweet’s Ones product. The advertising elasticity for the total dried prune demand was 0.10 and for the Ones product was 0.24. The demand equations demonstrated that Sunsweet’s advertising expenditures are increasing the overall demand for their dried prunes and their specific Ones product. What cannot be determined from the demand estimations is whether increase in revenues was greater than the cost of the advertising program. This is an especially important question for Sunsweet as it can be discerned from the data that Sunsweet’s advertising expenditures are quite large as a fraction of its revenues when compared with other similar food sellers. Using the regression equations, a benefit-cost simulation was conducted. We developed a measure that tells us how much the quantities sold of prunes would be affected by increased advertising expenditures by Sunsweet while taking into account the costs of advertising under an assumption of monopolistic competition. Two different scenarios were evaluated, one with a shutdown condition that did not allow average revenue to be below average cost and another without this shutdown condition. The total Sunsweet prune model resulted in an average benefit cost of 2.143 with the shutdown constraint and 1.845 without the shutdown constraint. The Ones product model resulted in an average benefit-cost estimate of 2.672 with the shutdown constraint and 2.358 without the shutdown constraint. Overall these ratios are good for a company operating under monopolistic competition and suggest that for every dollar spent on the advertising campaign, the average return was near to or greater than $2. Overall our analysis showed that Sunsweet’s advertising expenditures are increasing their overall demand and their benefits of advertising are exceeding their costs of advertising.

Master of Agribusiness / Department of Agricultural Economics / Ted C. Schroeder / The beef cattle industry is one of the last industries in production agriculture that is not heavily integrated. Therefore each segment of the industry is constantly looking for opportunities to increase the value of their cattle. In recent years, one of those opportunities available to cow-calf producers was verification of certain production practices (i.e. Age and Source, Natural, and Non-Hormone Treated). The value flows from the consumer to the cow-calf producer. The packers need these verified cattle to fill export contracts therefore they are willing to pay a premium for these types of cattle. The objective of the thesis was to determine the value of a Health Verified Program (HPV) to feedlot operators. HPV is not required to export beef like other verified programs, but it does verify the procedures that a group of calves has received from the previous owner. Since the feedlot is a deciding factor of value for HPV, feedlot managers were asked from across the United States not only what value they place on HPV but other questions that could be beneficial to others involved in the beef cattle industry. Regression models were used along with a correlation analysis to determine value. There is value to a health verified program along with other procedures that are available to cow-calf producers. Individual producers need to determine which verifications and procedures are economical and efficient for their individual operations with all factors considered.

Master of Agribusiness / Department of Agricultural Economics / Kevin Dhuyvetter / The size of our dairy operation increased from 300 milk cows to 1,700 milk cows in 2003. Once the dairy operation increased, the dependency on milk price to support the entire operation also increased. This was due to the fact that the cropping side of the operation became more devoted to growing feed for the livestock as opposed to producing cash crops. Thus, the increase in the number of milk cows led to decreased diversity in our income potentially increasing the financial risk of the operation. The purpose of this thesis is to study different risk management tools and strategies to aid in the formulation of a risk management plan for milk sales in our operation. Risk management strategies using forward contracts, futures, put options, and cash were analyzed at different time periods and various minimum price levels. The strategies were analyzed over the last ten years (2001-2010) of available price data. Twenty-five risk management strategies were analyzed both with and without set minimum milk prices. Minimum price levels ranged from $14/cwt to $17/cwt in $1 increments. The time frame for the transaction ranged from zero to twelve months prior to production in three-month increments. Based on historical data, risk management strategies can be used to decrease the price risk faced by an operation. The risk management strategies did not affect the average price received at statistically significant levels typically considered. Different risk management opportunities are highlighted that need to be analyzed before fully implementing a risk management plan for dairy operations.

Master of Science / Department of Clinical Sciences / Luciana Bergamasco / As public concern for food animal welfare increases, the need for objective pain assessment and methods to alleviate pain associated with production practices such as castration gains attention. The aims of this study were (i) to evaluate the physiological response to pain induced by castration in calves and (ii) to elucidate age-related differences in pain response of calves subjected to different castration methods. Seventy six Holstein bull calves were blocked by age (≤ 6 weeks and ≥ 6 months) and randomly assigned to one of four treatment groups: control (n = 20), castration by banding (n = 18), cut and clamp surgical castration (n = 20), and cut and pull surgical castration (n = 18). Measurements included electroencephalogram, heart rate variability, infrared thermography, electrodermal activity, and concentrations of serum cortisol, and plasma substance P prior to, during, and following castration. Electroencephalogram recordings showed desynchronization for all treatments, consistent with increased arousal; yet the magnitude of desynchronization was greatest for 6-month-old calves castrated by cut and clamp. Additionally, older calves in the cut and pull group showed greater desynchronization than younger calves in the same group. Based on the heart rate variability analysis, 6-month-old calves in the control or cut and pull castration groups showed greater sympathetic tone than younger calves in the same treatment groups. Overall, younger calves showed lower electrodermal activity than older calves. Regardless of treatment, concentrations of cortisol and plasma substance P were greater in 6-month-old calves relative to their younger counterparts. In summary, neurohormonal and electroencephalographic stress responses of calves to castration were age-specific. Castration by cut and clamp showed the most pronounced stress response in 6-month-old calves.