Robert P. King

Agricultural Cooperatives I: History, Theory and Problems

Abstract This paper presents the principles of cooperation and briefly describes the history and development of agricultural cooperatives in developed and less-developed countries, with particular emphasis on South Africa. A new Cooperatives Act, based on international principles of cooperation, was promulgated in South Africa in August 2005. The theory of cooperatives, and new institutional economics theory (NIE) (including transaction cost economics, agency theory and property rights theory) and its applicability to the cooperative organizational form, are also presented, as are the inherent problems of conventional cooperatives, namely free-rider, horizon, portfolio, control and influence cost problems caused by vaguely defined property rights. An analysis of the future of cooperatives in general, based on a NIE approach, suggests a life cycle for cooperatives (formation, growth, reorganization or exit) as they adapt to a changing economic environment characterized by technological change, industrialization of agriculture and growing individualism.

A Bioeconomic Model for Weed Management in Corn and Soybean

A Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of the Graduate School of the University of Minnesota In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. Advisor: Robert P. King (This abstract was borrowed from another version of this item.)

Agricultural cooperatives II: Can they facilitate access of small-scale farmers in South Africa to input and product markets?

Abstract The objective of this research is to investigate whether agricultural cooperatives can facilitate smallholder farmer access to input and product markets. Farmers in two case study communal areas of KwaZulu-Natal face high transaction costs as reflected primarily in their low levels of education and literacy, lack of market information, insecure property rights, poor road and communication infrastructure, and long distances to markets. Analysis of the reasons why cooperatives were originally established in various parts of the world suggests that most of the causes (such as poverty, market failure and high transaction costs) also apply to the study farmers, as do the seven international principles of cooperation. Smallholder farmers in both case study regions have the potential to grow high-value crops such as vegetables, fruit and cut flowers. In the supply chain from farm to market, the optimum boundary for each organization involved in the chain (e.g. cooperative and investor-oriented firm) depends on the minimum operational and transaction costs for each business.

Calibration of Option-Based Probability Assessments in Agricultural Commodity Markets

A method for evaluating the reliability of option-based price probability assessments is developed based on the calibration concept. Empirical tests using goodness-of-fit criteria are applied to four agricultural commodities. Results suggest that assessments in the corn and live cattle markets are reliable, but such assessments overstate the volatility of soybean prices and understate the location of hog prices.

GWM: General weed management model

Abstract GWM is a decision support system designed for evaluating soil-applied and post-emergence weed management options in row crops. It has a general structure to allow use with different crops. The system consists of a simulation model, databases, and a database management module. The simulation model has a set structure for linking processes of weed population dynamics during a single season, but allows flexibility in how each process is modeled. Databases store model prameters, information about management options, and field-specific simulation inputs. The database management module allows a user to specify entirely the simulation model or modify existing versions without programming. GWM has been parameterized to evaluate weed management as in two existing models (WEEDSIM and WEEDCAM) and for dry bean production. The structure of GWM and associated databases appears to capture essential aspects of weed biology influencing management decisions. GWN can be enhanced as knowledge of weed biology and ecology is refined.

Direct and Frequent Measurement of Student Performance: If It's Good for Us, Why Don't We Do It?

Teachers serving learning disabled (LD) students provided information about the use of direct and frequent measurement in special education. Although most were familiar with these measurement strategies, relatively few teachers used them because they thought they were too time consuming or because of their own lack of skills. However, teachers who did use the techniques most often reported that measurement of this type requires less than 10% of a students instructional time. The implications of these and other findings related to special education measurement and teacher training are discussed.

Risk Management by Colorado Dryland Wheat Farmers and the Elimination of the Disaster Assistance Program

The impacts of eliminating the Disaster Assistance Program and modifying the provisions of federal all-risk crop insurance are evaluated for a sample of eastern Colorado dryland wheat farmers. A stochastic simulation model and stochastic dominance techniques are used to identify changes in risk management strategies and to obtain approximate measures of welfare changes. The results indicate that all ten sample farmers were made worse off by this policy change, despite substantial subsidies in crop insurance premiums. Welfare losses were sizable, relative to expected net returns, and acreage covered by federal crop insurance did not increase appreciably.

Research on agri-food supply chains in southern Africa involving small-scale farmers : current status and future possibilities

Abstract The main objective of this article is to review the research by agricultural economists over the past decade on linking smallholder farmers to agri-food supply chains in Southern Africa, and to consider international and local urban trends in the development of such supply chains. The research reviewed covers the constraints placed by transaction costs on access by smallholder farmers to input and product markets; the potential role of contracting in linking smallholders to agribusiness firms; linking smallholders to supermarkets; equity-share schemes; the role of trust in a business relationship; promoting investment in smallholder agriculture by developing rental markets in communal areas; and the role of collective action (e.g., the formation of cooperatives, investor-owned firms or trusts) in promoting access to input and product markets. The development of alternative food networks in urban areas, which face a growing influx of poor people, could provide opportunities for smallholders, as individuals or groups, to supply the communities with the products and services they desire.

Agribusiness Economics and Management

Agribusiness scholarship emphasizes an integrated view of the food system that extends from research and input supply through production, processing, and distribution to retail outlets and the consumer. This article traces development of agribusiness scholarship over the past century by describing nine significant areas of contribution by our profession: (1) economics of cooperative marketing and management, (2) design and development of credit market institutions, (3) organizational design, (4) market structure and performance analysis, (5) supply chain management and design, (6) optimization of operational efficiency, (7) development of data and analysis for financial management, (8) strategic management, and (9) agribusiness education. Copyright 2010, Oxford University Press.

A Bioeconomic Analysis of Site-Specific Management for Weed Control

have been implicated as potential sources of ground and surface water pollution and attendant health hazards (Nielsen and Lee; Hoar et al.; United States Environmental Protection Agency). These adverse effects have led to imposition of regulatory actions ranging from herbicide restrictions to use quotas. In the United States, atrazine, the most commonly detected herbicide in groundwater, is currently a restricted-use product. In the Netherlands and Denmark, quotas have been imposed to regulate the amount of pesticides that can be used for crop production. The Netherlands aims for 30 percent reduction in herbicides (active ingredient) by 1995 when compared to 1984-1988 use levels. The target reduction by the year 2000 is 45 percent (Wossink and Renkema). Denmarks goal is to reduce current herbicide use levels by 50 percent in 1997 compared to 1987 use levels (Thompson, Stafford, and Miller). In spite of these concerns, the deleterious effects of uncontrolled weed populations are too significant to be ignored (e.g., Auld, Menz, and Tisdell). In the United States alone, the annual value of crop yield losses would run into several billions of dollars if weeds were left unchecked (Chandler, Hamill, and Thomas). These considerations suggest that information that results in the use of profitable and environmentally friendly weed-control strategies is valuable. Several computer-based bioeconomic models that serve as useful decision support tools for crop production management are now available (Mortensen et al.; Swinton and King 1994a, 1994b; Wilkerson, Modena, and Coble; Thornton et al.). These models employ concepts of economic thresholds to recommend control