Raymond J. Folwell

Economic implications of a virus prevention program in deciduous tree fruits in the US

Abstract Viral diseases in fruit trees present a potential danger that could injure the fruit industry, the planting stock industry (nurseries), and consumers in the United States and abroad. Currently, the US has a virus protection program (VPP) that serves to minimize the spread of viral diseases. This paper reports research estimating the economic consequences of the loss of the program on nurseries, growers and consumers. The potential economic losses are a measure of the value of the existing program. The paper focuses on apples, sweet cherries, and Clingstone peaches. The effects of a loss of a VPP on nurseries would include direct and indirect losses from viral diseases in the form of lower quantity and quality of planting stocks. Fruit growers would be affected by reduced plant growth and fruit yield. Consumers would be affected by higher prices and reduced quantity of fruit. We measured benefits of the virus prevention program as changes in consumer and producer surpluses. Empirical estimates were made using the method of avoided losses. Benefit estimates to three economic sectors—nurseries (avoided change in producer surplus), producers (avoided change in consumer and producer surpluses), and consumers (avoided change in consumer surplus)—were calculated. Total benefits for all three sectors were approximately

Economic aspects of alternatives to methyl bromide in the postharvest and quarantine treatment of selected fresh fruits

227.4 million a year, or more than 420 times the cost of the program. Our analysis utilizes a method that might be used to evaluate other programs that prevent the introduction of plant diseases.

Factors in retail shelf management impacting wine sales

Abstract Methyl bromide is the most commonly used postharvest and quarantine treatment of temperate fruit worldwide. Low costs, short fumigation times, and consistent quarantine security are the main reasons for methyl bromides dominance. Recent environmental issues and laws have created the need for an alternative to methyl bromide for postharvest and quarantine treatment of fresh fruits. The objective of this study was to analyze alternative treatment scenarios with capabilities equal to those achieved by methyl bromide for treatment of apples, sweet cherries, nectarines, peaches, and plums. Partial budget scenarios for each commodity were developed to determine the methyl bromide treatment costs which established a benchmark scenario to compare to the alternative treatment scenarios of each commodity. Irradiation was the only alternative identified that was available for all the fruits in this study. Cost increases for all fruit treated with irradiation ranged from two to 14 times methyl bromide costs. Controlled atmosphere storage for apples had cost increases of 122% over methyl bromide costs. Costs for regular cold storage for apples was 93% of the benchmark cost. However, the reduced costs of suppressing the pests resulted in a marketing window of only four months since there is an eight-month limit on regular cold storage and four months were required for suppressing the pests.

Economics of employing pheromones for mating disruption of the codling moth, Carpocapsa pomonella

Food|beverage retailing practices have placed increasing emphasis on shelf management. While price is the major economic factor influencing sales of individual products, other nonprice factors such as number of facings, shelf height, and season of the year, are also paramount to the sales of products. The significance of these factors varies with wine type. Price and number of facings were significant in the sales of table wines in all stores in the study, whereas shelf height was in in two of the stores. For sparkling and dessert wines, number of facings was significant in explaining variations in sales in all stores, whereas price, shelf height, and season of the year were significant in a limited number of stores.

Management of a Cooperative Bargaining Association: A Case in the Pacific Northwest Asparagus Industry

Abstract The costs of using mating disruption versus traditional insecticide applications for controling the codling moth in Washington apple orchards were examined. Successful mating disruption prevents the codling moth from ovipositing and consequently there are no larvae to damage apples. The spray records of central Washington apple producers and research orchards were analyzed. Analysis of these budgets revealed that on average mating disruption is more expensive by

The relation of potato leaf roll virus net necrosis in potato tubers to the interval between planting and inoculation

188.22 per hectare. Mating disruption was more economical under low codling moth population pressure. The years 1991 and 1992 were considered low and high codling moth population years, respectively. On the average, it was

Economies of size in wineries and impacts of pricing and product mix decisions

97.46 more expensive per hectare to use mating disruption in 1992 than in 1991. A risk analysis or price/cost sensitivity analysis confirmed that changes in pheromone prices, cover spray use and cullage could alter the outcome of the economic analysis to where pheromone control would be the economically desirable control method.

Economic Consequences of Phylloxera in Cold Climate Wine Grape Production Areas of Eastern Washington

Bargaining cooperatives are formed and operated with the primary goal of providing countervailing market power for many small producers faced with selling their product to a few large buyers. This case study outlines the management challenges encountered in organizing and managing a bargaining association to represent Washington and Oregon asparagus growers in contract negotiations with asparagus buyers. Industry events and changing marketing conditions leading to a management crisis that threatened survival of the cooperative are outlined. The case introduces relationships between fresh and processed market segments in the produce industry that must be carefully incorporated into a successful management strategy for a bargaining cooperative.

Economic Comparison of Selective and Nonselective Mechanical Harvesting of Asparagus

Abstract The green peach aphid, Myzus persicae , is a vector of potato leaf roll virus. Inoculated potato plants may develop tubers expressing net necrosis at harvest or in storage, which can significantly reduce the crops commercial value. Insecticides have been traditionally used in a prophylactic manner to suppress the aphid population in the field thereby preventing inoculation and the advent of net necrosis. To analyze the rationale of such an insecticide application decision, data generated by two field experiments were used to establish an empirical relationship between the probability that a tuber will express net necrosis (NN probability) and the time after planting that inoculation occurs (inoculation interval). In contrast to past studies, the data analyzed here allow for the investigation of the impact of inoculation dates occurring over the entire growing season. This uncovers the previously unknown empirical result that NN probabilities may peak before monotonically declining in the second half of the growing season. It implies that insecticide spraying might profitably be concentrated on inoculation intervals generating peak probabilities, to ‘flatten’ the peaks to acceptable probability levels. The data also permitted a limited analysis of the systematic ways that increasing storage periods may alter the empirical relationship between NN probabilities and inoculation intervals.

Economic Comparison of Selective and Non-Selective Mechanical Harvesting of Asparagus

Five wineries ranging in size from 10,000 to 900,000 gallons were analyzed as to investment and operating costs and the impacts of changing product and input prices on their relative financial attractiveness. The larger wineries, while being more costly to establish, offer lower per unit operating costs and greater financial returns. The returns to smaller wineries tend to be more sensitive to wine or product prices than grape and input prices.