Dean McCorkle

Economic Implications for the Biological Control of Arundo donax: Rio Grande Basin

Abstract. Giant reed, Arundo donax L., is a large, bamboo-like plant native to the Mediterranean region. It has invaded several thousand hectares of the Rio Grande riparian habitat in Texas and Mexico. The United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service (USDA-ARS) is investigating four herbivore insects as potential biological control agents for giant reed. One of the most important reasons for targeting this invasive weed is to reduce its impact on available water supplies, especially in the Rio Grande Basin. This study examined selected economic implications of this program for agricultural water users in the U.S. The research included (a) estimating the value of the water saved (to agricultural purposes) by reduction of giant reed, (b) benefit-cost analyses, (c) regional economic impact analyses, and (d) an estimate of the per-unit life-cycle cost of water saved during a 50-year planning horizon (2009 through 2058). Positive results related to the benefit-cost ratio, economic impact analyses, and competitive results for the per-unit life-cycle cost of saving water are associated with the biological control project for giant reed. The benefit-cost ratio, calculated with normalized prices, indicates

Strategic Agribusiness Operation Realignment in the Texas Prison System

4.38 of benefits for every dollar of public investment. According to 2009 results for the economic impact analyses, economic output is

The long-term viability of U.S. wine grape vineyards: Assessing vineyard labour costs for future technology development

22,000, value-added is

The economic impact of intensive commodity price risk management education.

11,000, and no employment is supported by the water savings from giant reed. Additionally, the per-unit cost of water saved is

Hedging With a Put Option

44.08, a value comparable to other projects designed to increase water supply for the region. These results indicate this program will have positive net economic implications for the U.S. and the Lower Rio Grande Valley of Texas.

The Economic and Financial Implications of Supplying a Bioenergy Conversion Facility with Cellulosic Biomass Feedstocks

Mathematical programming-based systems analysis is used to examine the consequences of alternative operation configuration for the agricultural operations within the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Continuation versus elimination of the total operation as well as individual operating departments are considered. Methodology includes a firm systems operation model combined with capital budgeting and an integer programming based investment model. Results indicate the resources realize a positive return as a whole, but some enterprises are not using resources profitably. The integer investment model is found to be superior for investigating whether to continue multiple interrelated enterprises.

Cash Flow Projection for Operating Loan Determination

The motivation for this study centres on the labour-and cost-intensive nature of wine grape production and the potential opportunities for robotic technology. The objectives of this study are to develop cost of production budgets for five representative wine grape vineyards in four US states, assess the economic viability of wine grape production under current operating conditions, evaluate labour costs by production task, and identify common production challenges and tasks that could be augmented with robotic technology development. Investigators have worked with grower panels to develop a production budget for representative vineyards in four states, and to gather input on production tasks that the growers and technology developers feel would be most suitable for robotic technology. A stochastic simulation model was developed to assess baseline pro-forma financial statements for each vineyard size. Combined, the results help in exploring opportunities to strengthen vineyard profitability and competitiveness using robotics.