D. Scott Brown

Consumer Food Prices from the Ground Up

Large-scale econometric models attempt to capture a significant amount of detail with respect to their applicable industry sector coverage. They do require a substantial commitment of resources in both monetary and temporal scales. It is possible, in developing this level of detail, to make comments on a number of issues of importance to decision makers, but at the same time the detail involved can generate enough trees to make it difficult to recognize the economic forest. This paper examines the performance of the modeling system maintained at the Food and Agricultural Policy Research Institute (FAPRI) at the University of Missouri and its ability to estimate consumer food prices and expenditures. The paper also examines the implied marketing margin behavior incorporated into the structure of the system. There is substantial detail in the modeling complex. Although each level of the model is developed with attention to predictability and economic theory, relatively few studies have looked at the overall performance of the model in a marketing margin context.

Rebuilding the US Beef Herd: Rethinking the Way Industry Develops Replacements

Use of existing and emerging management technologies enable beef producers to improve breeding performance of heifers during the first breeding season and during subsequent calving and rebreeding periods as 2 year olds. These practices ensure that heifers that enter the herd as raised or purchased replacements contribute to the general performance and productivity of an entire cowherd immediately, and cumulatively long-term. Rebuilding the US cowherd requires careful consideration and use of these newer management technologies. Veterinarians will play a crucial role in influencing the technologies used during the rebuilding process.

Management Strategies for Adding Value to Replacement Beef Heifers: A Working Model

This article provides an overview of the Missouri Show-Me-Select Replacement Heifer Program, and is included to provide an example of a working model for the collective considerations that relate to beef heifer development presented in this issue. This program expanded services provided by veterinarians to cow-calf producers, making veterinary practitioners a more integral part of the overall reproductive management of beef herds in their practice areas.

Reporting and usability of ARMS income and balance sheet data

Purpose - The purpose of this research is to examine the usability and communication methods of the Agricultural Resource Management Survey (ARMS) data. Recommendations for improving access and usability are proposed to Economic Research Service (ERS). Design/methodology/approach - The current methods for accessing the ARMS data are described. Several accounting issues related to the usability of the data are presented. Cost of production issues related to the data are also discussed. Findings - Recommendations to ERS include: increase efforts to disseminate the ARMS results more widely, make the ARMS web tool easier to access, develop partnerships with universities, increase the value of the web tool by providing more information on the data that are already available, consider the accounting items of extraordinary income, inventory valuations, and nonmonetary income and consider issues related to cost of production items. Originality/value - By identifying the factors limiting the current use of the ARMS data, changes can be made that may result in wider dissemination and use of the data.