Farmers in the high plateau region of Algeria are assumed to exhibit risk averse behavior, particularly, due to highly variable weather conditions inducing income instability over time. This in turn directly affects their production behavior. The Eastern High Plateau (Setif) is not a homogeneous region. In the El-Eulma daira, for example, three different agroecological zones have been identified on the basis of climate, topography and soil quality. In addition, two distinct agricultural sectors (private and socialist) coexist side by side in each of the agroecological zones. This study constitutes an attempt to measure farmers' risk attitudes in three communes (El-Eulma, Oum Ladjoul and Beni Fouda) which are representative of the three agroecological zones of the El-Eulma daira. Farmers' risk attitudes were measured through the experimental approach developed by Binswanger in India. The technique used consisted of presenting the subjects, i.e. the farmers, with a set of alternative prospects involving real money. Based on the derived risk aversion coefficients, a series of tests was run to determine if farmers' risk attitudes are dependent on the zone and/or the sector. The effect of socioeconomic characteristics (age, schooling, number of working children, etc.) on partial risk aversion was analyzed. Finally, the derived risk aversion coefficients were used in a risk programming model (MOTAD) to determine optimal farming plans for private as well as socialist sector farmers. The experiment results indicate that regardless of the zone and the sector, farmers unanimously exhibit risk averse attitudes. At low payoff level, the distribution of risk preferences is more spread. A narrower distribution occurs at higher payoff levels (e.g. 200 DA scale). There was no evidence of significant difference among sites and between sectors. Also socioeconomic attributes correlate poorly with the estimated partial risk aversion coefficients. In the socialist sector major discrepancies between the risk programming model solutions and actual activity levels occured. They were expected because of the specific structure of this sector. The inclusion of government cropping pattern recommendations in the constraint matrix indicates that government interventions have a different effect on socialist farmers' welfare of the three zones. / Graduation date: 1986

Raw product value of vegetables for processing in the Northwest used to be established by a competitive market involving proprietary processors and growers. Due to the relocation of proprietary processors to the Midwest, this competitive market has eroded forcing cooperative processors to seek other means to set raw product values. In the absence of a competitive market for raw product, cooperatives must rely on an average of last year's prices paid by processors in a given region to value raw product. This method of lagged averages may be resulting in misallocated contracted acreage to grower-members of cooperatives, and inappropriate production levels of the processed good given market conditions. Therefore, the principal objective of this research is to develop and evaluate alternative methods of forecasting raw product value. Since the market for processed vegetables at the retail level is competitive, one alternative method employed was to use a forecast of supply and determinants of demand affecting retail price to forecast raw product value. These explanatory variables were regressed against raw product values of various crops obtained from a northwest processing and marketing cooperative. The raw product values were expressed as net returns/acre to the crops under investigation. The estimated equations, which had adjusted R²'s ranging from .267 to .851, were used to forecast raw product value. A second forecasting method investigated in this study was an exponential smoothing model. Raw product value forecasts were generated over two different time horizons, identified by the cooperatives' accounting procedures. The two alternative forecasting methods were compared to each other, and to the method currently in use by the cooperative, with the aim of determining the most accurate forecasting technique. Results showed that both the econometric and smoothing approaches fit the data better over the estimation period than did a naive lagged price estimate resembling the present method in use by the cooperative. The econometric method also fit the data better than did the smoothing approach. The econometric model provided poor forecasts for the longer forecast horizon, but proved to be effective in the shorter. The smoothing technique forecasted more effectively in the longer forecast horizon as compared with the shorter. These results suggest the importance of the forecast horizon in determining the more appropriate forecasting technique. Both forecasting techniques proposed in this study produced forecasts which were more accurate than the cooperative's present method at least half of the time. This suggests that viable alternatives to the present method of establishing raw product value exist for agricultural cooperatives. / Graduation date: 1986

This investigation was concerned with the reduction of waste in raw vegetables and fruits between the times of harvest and consumption. Reduction of spoilage in produce was attempted by means of chemical and. physical agents as well as a combination of both. The first phase of the work consisted of an evaluation of a number of chemical compounds with respect to their effectiveness in reducing post-harvest spoilage. The second part dealt with an evaluation of several transparent films applied to raw produce as wrappers and their effect on the keeping quality of the plant material until consumed. Finally combinations of surface disinfection and overwrapping were evaluated for effectiveness against raw produce spoilage. 1. Disinfection Approximately 26 compounds were tested as aqueous dips using 3 concentrations of each on 7 major vegetables and 2 fruits. The following types of compounds were studied. 1. Quaternary ammonium compounds (chlorides, bromides and pyridinium derivatives) 2. Chlorine liberators (organic and inorganic) 3. Phenols (simple and poly-phenols) 4. Quinones and hydroquinones 5. Salts of fatty acids 6. SO₂ liberators 7. Benzoates The chemical treatments were evaluated for each produce by comparison with untreated controls using duplicate tests with triplicate samples for each chemical and concentration. Promising treatments were found for all but one produce (strawberries). The treatments showing promise for each of Pascal celery and Emperor grapes were further tested on a larger scale uaing commercial size units of produce as test samples and long term cold storage. Three chemical treatments for each product were judged satisfactory enough to warrant further testing by means of field trials. The chemicals found most promising for celery were Onyxide, Cetab and Decco while Roccal, Dowicide C and Phygon were selected for grapes. A field test of the three above mentioned treatments for Pascal celery was completed. One thousand bunches per chemical were tested under commercial conditions of dipping and storing. An equal number of untreated bunches was also tested. Half-lots of each treatment were evaluated on each bunch for 11 subjective characteristics and standard mold and bacterial counts of each crate of celery were made after 8 and 14 weeks of storage. On the basis of a statistical analysis of the results, 0.1% Decco of pH=5 can be recommended for the reduction of general rot development in cold storage Pascal celery. Onyxide and Cetab significantly reduce the development of mold but commercial application cannot be recommended because the amount of visible stalk injury was significantly increased over that shown by corresponding untreated or Decco treated celery. 2. Prepackaging The following films were compared for their merit in prolonging the salable life of raw produce. Pliofilm 75FF, Pliofilm 75N2, Pliofilm 75P6A, Cellophane 300LSAT, Cellophane 300MSAT-86, Lumarith P-912, Dupont Acetate 100CA48, Polythene and Kodapak II-130. Wrapping techniques were also evaluated using the followng variations; Complete seals, tent-flap closures, single hole punctures, multiple punctures and windo bags. The following products were studied: celery, tomatoes, carrots, lettuce, cauliflower, chopped salad mix, spinach, strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, and boysenberries. Harvested produce was packaged both before and after the removal of field heat. Behavior of the pre-packaged products in both 33°F storage and subsequent 8O°F storage was studied. Cold storage was extended as long as 120 days while subsequent holding at room temperature varied widely from produce to produce. Observations were made at regular intervals for each product. Several hundred uniform samples were evaluated for most products using duplicates of each treatment for every observation period. Evaluation of most samples included weightloss, C0₂ (and sometimes O₂) of the container atmosphere, mold and decay development, flavor, color, odor, wilting and shriveling. The following conclusions were drawn: All films and wrapping methods affect produce quality. For each produce, treatments could be singled out which were superior to unwrapped controls. However any particular film and type of seal found to be superior for one produce was often not acceptable for another fruit or vegetable. Among the factors found to be critical for the proper choice of treatment were type of produce, produce temperature when packed, length of storage, and temperature of storage. A. Cold Storage For most products, the partially sealed, low permeability MSAT containers and the completely sealed Polythene wraps scored highst for overall product quality. These treatments prevented the accumulation of undesirable CO₂ while at the same time protecting the produce against weightloss and consequent wilting. For some produce, especially berries, wilting was not apparent even in high permeability films such as acetates. B. Warm Storage For produce with high respiration rates (spinach, and berries) only acetate films were acceptable as wraps. The partially sealed low permeability films maintained good quality in warm storage but the high humidity within the package was conducive to micro-organism activity. Thus, in many cases samples disinfected prior to packaging in those films improved the warm storage quality. Disinfection also improved the quality of tomatoes and chopped salad mix in acetate wraps. Of the high permeability films, no significant difference was found among the Dupont acetate, Lumarith and Kodapak II. The type of seal also did not affect the characteristics of these wraps. The low permeability films differed principally in the amount of CO₂, retained by the container during storage. The Pliofilms retained the highest C0₂, levels followed by LSAT and then MSAT Cellophane. The sealed polyethylene, the single puncture and tent flap MSAT wraps exhibited similarity, especially with respect to C0₂ accumulation. The multiple puncture low permeability wraps showed characteristics between acetates and the last mentioned group. Correlation between CO₂ accumulation and off-flavor formation could be determined for most products. Higher CO₂ levels were tolerated at short storage intervals without off- flavor formation by most products but the rate of change in CO₂ tolerance varied from produce to produce. Correlation between % weightioss and degree of wilting could also be expressed as a function of the pre-packaging treatments used. Storage infection was eliminated by all films independent of the type of seal used. It should be emphasized that only a study of the resuits and relationships discussed under each product can serve as a basis for future work and commercial application of the methods presented in this work. / Graduation date: 1950

No description available.

No description available.

No description available.

No description available.

No description available.

George Orwell wrote Animal Farm to warn of the dangers of a totalitarian regime in the practical application of communist ideology. His novella reflects his experience of, and response to, momentous events occurring in Europe in the first half of the twentieth century. It is a acknowledgement of the extent to which totalitarian leaders rely on the manipulation of thoughts and actions in order to maintain power across the class boundaries. In this essay, Orwell’s political and personal standpoints are examined and the book is analysed from a Marxist and socialist perspective. Whereas Animal Farm was written to reflect the terrible experience of Orwell and many of his contemporaries, its message is in many ways limited by his efforts to adhere to a parody of the events in Soviet Russia. Attention is given to the role of propaganda and Squealer, the chief propagandist in Animal Farm. Although Squealer does not wield power overtly in the way that Napoleon does, he is pivotal in the maintenance of a cowed population. Further, and more importantly from the point of view of the Marxist criticism of Orwell's novella, the Author is found wanting in his depiction of the working classes and his ability to champion those upon whom he in actual fact looked down.

Master of Agribusiness / Department of Agricultural Economics / Christine Wilson / For five generations, Lauver Family Farms has been founded upon faith, family, and farming near Rockwell City, IA. It is these core principles and beliefs that drive everyday actions through conservation minded decisions, community involvement, and a passion for the land. Presently, the farm is operated by Grandfather Don Lauver, Father Kevin Lauver, and sons Andrew and Jacob Lauver. The Lauver Family Farm was originally purchased in 1942 by Joseph Gordon, who at his peak held 700 acres in his name. In 1945 Glen and Viola Lauver purchased what is now Lauver Family Farms, located on the Des Moines Lobe land region of Iowa. The Des Moines Lobe is a glacial lobe encompassing rich, heavy soils with high organic matter, requiring dredge ditches and tiling in many areas. Through a commitment to conservation, corn and soybean acres are rotated annually. With regard to corn cultivation and planting practices, soybean stubble is field cultivated once, followed by planting. On soybean ground, the corn stalks are disk ripped, and then field cultivated twice before planting soybeans. The goal is to minimize trips through the field by exhibiting these conservation tillage practices. If land has much slope or erosion potential, then it is only disked and then planted. Currently, the farm is comprised of 400 acres of row crops and 50 acres of wetland, 30 acres on the Home Farm and 20 acres on the Obye Farm, enrolled in the Conservation Reserve Program in 2002. Kevin and Don Lauver, the primary decision makers, requested an analysis of the environmental and economic impact of the Conservation Reserve Program on the farm. By taking acres out of production for at least 10 to 15 years that perennially drown due to often wet soil conditions, they will be able to utilize the Conservation Reserve Program as a risk management tool. Now, Lauver Family Farms is faced with a decision to determine if a 10 or 15 year enrollment in the Conservation Reserve Program has the greatest economic and environmental return, since the current enrollment expires in 2016. Procedures and methods were established to meet the purpose of this thesis to determine which option was the most profitable long-term for the operation. The purpose includes evaluating the sources of data relevant to Lauver Family Farms decision by utilizing decision tools to make a collective decision on the future of the farmland and opportunity costs analyzed. Lauver Family Farms’ objective for this project was to determine how the Conservation Reserve Program provides a return on the investment of the decision to re-enroll, or even enroll more acres in the program. This analysis will be used each time an enrollment decision must be made, and will be of significant importance as sons Andrew and Jacob Lauver make management decisions in the years to come.