Dustin L. Pendell

Economic Assessment of FMDv Releases from the National Bio and Agro Defense Facility.

This study evaluates the economic consequences of hypothetical foot-and-mouth disease releases from the future National Bio and Agro Defense Facility in Manhattan, Kansas. Using an economic framework that estimates the impacts to agricultural firms and consumers, quantifies costs to non-agricultural activities in the epidemiologically impacted region, and assesses costs of response to the government, we find the distribution of economic impacts to be very significant. Furthermore, agricultural firms and consumers bear most of the impacts followed by the government and the regional non-agricultural firms.

Market Impacts of Reducing the Prevalence of Bovine Respiratory Disease in United States Beef Cattle Feedlots

Bovine respiratory disease (BRD) is a common endemic disease among North American feedlot cattle. BRD can lead to significant economic losses for individual beef cattle feedlot producers through mortality and morbidity. With promising new management and technology research that could reduce BRD prevalence, this study evaluates the potential impacts of a reduction of BRD in the US beef cattle feedlot sector. Using a multi-market, multi-commodity partial equilibrium economic model of the US agricultural industry, we evaluate the market impacts of reduced BRD to producers from various livestock, meat, and feedstuffs industries. We find that as morbidity and mortality is reduced, beef cattle producers experience losses due to increased supplies (lower beef cattle prices) and increased demand for feedstuff (higher feedstuff prices). Beef cattle processors see gains as the price of beef cattle is lower, whereas feedstuff producers gain from higher feedstuff prices. Producers in the allied industries (pork, lamb, poultry, and eggs) see a small reduction in returns as consumers substitute with less expensive beef products. Consumers see gains in welfare as the increase in beef cattle supply results in lower beef prices. These lower beef prices more than offset the small increases in pork, lamb, poultry, and egg prices. Overall, the potential economic welfare change due to management and technologies that reduce BRD is a net gain for the US society as a whole.

United States feedlot operator willingness to pay for disposal capacity to address foreign animal disease risk

Foreign animal diseases can cause severe and lasting economic impacts to producers, directly and indirectly. Understanding producer investment cost structures can provide industry and policy makers better tools to encourage biosecurity adoption. Consistent with the literature, many factors can contribute to an individual operators decision to invest in biosecurity based on individual characteristics, perception of disease likelihood, or expected losses associated with a disease event. We used a producer survey and a one-and-one-half bound econometric model to estimate feedlot operator willingness to pay to invest in disposal capacity within the next 3xa0years. Results indicate an average willingness to pay of

An Investigation Into Equine Daily Use Values and the Impacts of Equine Competitions

14,310 for a one-time investment in on-farm disposal capacity to address carcass movement restrictions during a disease outbreak. We found several factors that contribute to and explain the heterogeneity between feedlots and their adoption decisions. Primarily, size of the feedlot and death loss rate significantly impact adoption, which both potentially speak to the financial liquidity and investment potential of a feedlot enterprise. While there is no failsafe in disease prevention, these results provide a better understanding for how to study and structure policy and cost structures to incentivize adoption of biosecurity.

Spatial Market Integration In Regional Cattle Markets

&NA; If a horse contracts a disease, it proves costly to the individual financially responsible for the horse both in the direct cost of treatment and indirectly in the value of use lost should the horse require rest from physical work (riding, training, driving). This study aimed to estimate the daily use value an equine owner places on their horse both when an equine event was approaching and when there was no planned event. Results of the interval regression indicate an average willingness to pay of

Persistence of Profitability in Family-Owned Food Businesses

4.14 (P < .01) more per day to avoid a day of lost use when an equine event was approaching in 21 days. Additional differences among daily use values exist for respondents in different household income categories. Daily use was found to increase by

Assessing the relative sustainability of smallholder farming systems in Ethiopian highlands

0.19 (P < .05) per day when a respondent traveled more than 250 miles from their residence to participate in an equine event. HighlightsDaily use values increase over time until an equine event declines.Distance traveled for an equine event has a positive impact on daily use values.Impact to use values varies by income category reported by survey respondents.