Michele C. Marra

The Decision to Double Crop: An Application of Expected Utility Theory Using Stein's Theorem

A nonlinear, single-equation acreage allocation model derived from expected utility theory using Steins theorem for covariance decomposition is developed. This decomposition allows the covariance of utility parameters and revenues to be expressed in terms of measurable variables. The model is applied to state-level data to estimate the relative importance of various economic factors in determining the pattern of double cropping wheat and soybeans in the southeastern United States. The hypothesis that the riskiness of returns is important in the aggregate is rejected for some of the states, although the constrained expected utility model without the effect of risk performs better than a standard wheat acreage response model.

The Effect of Label Information on U.S. Farmers' Herbicide Choices

This paper analyzes the effect of labeling information on U.S. farmers herbicide choices. Herbicide choices reported by U.S. soybean farmers are used to estimate farmer preferences for different herbicide attributes using a mixed logit model. Our results indicate that statements displayed on pesticide labels regarding risks to human health and the environment are important components in herbicide selection. We find that farmers are willing to pay an average of

The economic implications of potato response to irrigation: results from 1985 field tests in Maine

27 per acre to avoid using an herbicide labeled with the word “Warning” and

Agricultural Resource Economics and the Environment

38 per acre to avoid using an herbicide labeled with the word “Danger.”

Commodity program flexibility and U.S. potato acreage

The economic value of potato yield and quality response to supplemental irrigation were shown to be dependent on the potato cultivar and the market destination. The results of on-farm tests in Aroostook County, Maine indicate the value of this response ranged from —

INFORMATION QUALITY, TECHNOLOGY DEPRECIATION, AND BT COTTON ADOPTION IN THE SOUTHEAST

257.18 to

The Role of Farm Size and Resource Constraints in the Choice between Risky Technologies

1057.46 per hectare in 1985. The annual variable and ownership costs, excluding the value of management time, of center pivot irrigation systems were estimated to be from

The Economic Impact of Genetically Engineered Crops

226.67 to

A Genetically Engineered Crop's Impact on Pesticide Use: A Revealed-Preference Index Approach

387.02 per hectare in 1985 and were found to be dependent on the long-term system plans of the producer as well as on the standard components of cost. The managers’ time commitment was found to be quite large both in the planning stages and in the first year operation of the systems.

ESTIMATING THE DEMAND FOR A NEW TECHNOLOGY: BT COTTON AND INSECTICIDE POLICIES IN THE SOUTHEAST

Agricultural resource economics depends upon a widely scattered literature. This article presents some of the contributions of a forthcoming book on the subject. Some of the major environmental and resource management issues for agriculture are summarized with the needs of policy analysts, graduate students, and research economists in mind. Models involving dynamics and externality management are emphasized and illustrated with examples from water, pesticides, and land resources.