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Title from PDF of title page (University of Missouri--Columbia, viewed on March 17, 2010). The entire thesis text is included in the research.pdf file; the official abstract appears in the short.pdf file; a non-technical public abstract appears in the public.pdf file. Thesis advisor: Dr. Laura McCann. Vita. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis--Auburn University, 2008. / Abstract. Includes bibliographical references (p. 53-56).

A computerized dairy herd simulation was developed to evaluate the economic impact of changing length of lactation relative to length of dry period in a dairy herd. It created weekly production for individual cows in a typical herd. Cows were dried off early if they were producing below a designated daily milk yield. They were replaced with fresh cows to produce more daily milk and increase profit while maintaining a constant number of cows in milk (98 to 102). A two by four factorial of dry off strategies was designed using rates of lactation decline of 6% and 8% and early dry off at 8, 13, 18, and 23 kg. Cows producing less than this for 2 wk consecutively were dried off. There were 100 cows in each herd and each of the eight scenarios was run 10 times (10 herds) for 80 herds total. Dry cow groups at 8, 13, 18, and 23 kg dry off were 14, 17, 23, and 32% of total herds, respectively. Average daily milk (kg) increased for the four dry kg: 30.4, 31.2, 32.3, and 33.7 kg/d per milking cow, whereas RHA decreased. Three different milk-feed income scenarios, (+20%, average, -20%) were combined with three dry cow costs, (+20%, average, and -20%). Nine combinations were analyzed statistically at each rate of decline. Net cash income changed $3561, $1571, and $-3051 from 8 to 13 to 18 to 23 kg dry kg under a normal economic situation. Net farm income under the same scenario changed $3170, $2945, and $-1154. Under the best economic situation, net cash income increased with each successive dry kg, $5086, $4248, and $921. Net farm income also increased by $4695, $5621, and $2819. Net cash income and net farm income were largest at 13 and 18 kg when milk-feed income was low and dry cow cost was high, the worst economy scenario. Only in the most optimistic economic situations does it appear practical for a dairy business to adopt early dry off beyond 13 kg/d per cow given the small gains and the yearly variability. Strategies of dry off at larger dry kg, although not greatly profitable, nevertheless were not extremely unprofitable either. / Master of Science

Master of Agribusiness / Department of Agricultural Economics / Vincent R. Amanor-Boadu / The purpose of this thesis is to identify which alternative crops could be enhance the income of Quandahl Farms the most by moving the smallest acreage from the farm’s traditional corn and soybean enterprises into its production. The considered crops are grapes, raspberries, and black currants. The objectives of this study included assessing the technical feasibility of producing the selected crops in Northeast Iowa given the agronomic conditions in the region and the agronomic requirements of the crops. The other was the assessment of the economic feasibility of the selected crops and determining the minimum acres required for each to enhance the farm’s financial situation and still allow for corn and soybeans to be the main crops. The analyses were conducted using secondary data on the selected crops from published budgets and government and extension reports as well as the historical financials of Quandahl Farms. The analyses were conducted over a 10-year horizon to ensure a significant duration of cash flow and allow the establishment of the alternative crops. In that 10-year period, the net present value of Quandahl Farms income is $214 per acre per year. Additionally, the analyses were evaluated under four alternative scenarios of prices and yield for each of the crops in addition to the base scenario. The results shows that grapes and black currants were not economically feasible in Northeast Iowa even though they were agronomically feasible. On the contrary, raspberries were found to be both technically and economically feasible in Northeast Iowa. The net present value under that base scenario for raspberries was $23,267 at a discount rate of 4.5%. Based on the net present value of corn and soybean revenue of the same period, it is estimated that taking 22 acres from the current production and putting it into raspberries would increase average farm income by $60,000. The study shows there is an opportunity to allocate a relatively small proportion of current corn and soybean acreage to raspberries to significantly increase farm incomes. As a result, it is recommended to the principals of Quandahl Farms to consider making this small investment in raspberries to protect the farm from the frequent vicissitudes of farm incomes. The next step after their agreement is to develop the business plan to implement such an investment.

Master of Science / Department of Agricultural Economics / Mykel R. Taylor / Land value research has been conducted over many decades with efforts being focused on a broad spectrum of topics encompassing many different issues. The research in this thesis will focus on understanding the relationship between net farm income, cash rent, and land value. This research could provide insight and direction in determining future land value behavior. Understanding land prices is important to many different segments of the agricultural industry. Those involved in the industry want to know where land values are going and what the future looks like. Although certain segments may not be directly affected by land value movements, if value decreases the environment of the agriculture industry is changed. Farmers and ranchers are interested in future land values as they make purchase and sale decisions or as they consider future growth of their operation. Agribusinesses understand the affect a decrease in land value would do to farmer’s decisions regarding capital purchases. Additionally, agriculture finance institutions are interested in the future movement of land value as they are concerned about the affects adverse movements in land value would have on their customer’s balance sheet and ultimately their collateral position. In this paper the relationship between land value and cash rent; where land value is a function of historical cash rent and cash rent is a function of net returns to the land will be tested for its’ existence in Kansas. Data were collected for the nine crop reporting districts in Kansas from 1973 through 2012.

Thesis (MBA. (Business Administration)) -- University of Limpopo, 2010 / Refer to document

Artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM) continues to grow in more than 70 countries in the developing world, creating thriving local rural economies but also causing significant environmental contamination and health issues, with one particularly problematic issue involving the use of mercury in the gold extraction process. With the advent of the United Nations Minamata Convention on Mercury in 2009, a legally binding treaty aimed at reducing and where feasible eliminating mercury use, countries with significant ASGM populations require solutions for this sector. In April 2014, a mixed-methods rapid appraisal study was carried out over a three week period in the gold mining region of Kedougou, Senegal. During this time 80 structured interviews, 120 household surveys, physical measurements, observations and numerous informal interviews were utilized in conjunction with a comparative data analysis in order to create a national inventory of the ASGM sector for Senegal, to explore the sector’s socio-economic contribution to rural development in Senegal, and to provide a basis for discussing policy approaches needed to improve the sector. The results of this study show a thriving ASGM sector composed of approximately 67,000 people, producing an estimated 4.5 tonnes of gold per year and releasing approximately 5.2 tonnes of mercury into the environment. The methodologies used to create these estimates also provide in-depth information that illustrates an ASGM sector that is highly inter-connected with customary tenure practices and traditional agrarian livelihoods, and that is important for rural inhabitants in Senegal and other countries. This information can be utilized by the Senegalese and other governments to inform the policies that are being developed for the ASGM sector as they implement the obligations created by the Minimata Convention. / Graduate / 0503 / 0366 / 0617 / persaud.anthonyw@gmail.com

This study examines the potential effects of categorical increases in production expenditures on farm income performance according to farm standing. The objective of this study is to expose differences in anticipated net farm income return from production expenditure investments and the optimal expense allocation strategy for each performance level. Studying farm performance through segregation by utilizing a two-tier analysis and quantile regression acknowledges the possibility that managerial strategy can differ based on managerial ability. Study outcomes are useful to farm managers because they offer more prescription style results and interpretations than found in other farm performance studies. Study findings show that as managerial proficiency increases so does a manager’s ability to extract higher returns from additional expenditures in certain input categories. Additionally, better managers are able to produce higher returns from more investment sources than their lower performing peers. Overall, study results and interpretations point to the importance of farm management ability as the key input for improving farm performance.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Hawaii at Manoa, 1995. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 200-208). / Microfiche. / ix, 208 leaves, bound map 29 cm