W. Marshall Frasier

FARM COMPUTER ADOPTION IN THE GREAT PLAINS

Computers change rapidly, yet the last survey on computer use in agriculture was in 1991. We surveyed Great Plains producers in 1995 and used logit analysis to characterize adopters and non-adopters. About 37% of these producers use computers which is consistent with the general population. We confirmed previous surveys emphasizing the importance of education, age/experience, and other farm characteristics on adoption. However, we also found that education and experience may no longer be a significant influence. Future research and education could focus on when and where computers are most needed, and therefore when adoption is most appropriate.

Computer use in agriculture: an analysis of Great Plains producers☆

Computers have changed a great deal in the past decade, yet the last survey of computer use in agriculture was performed in 1991. Furthermore, previous computer use surveys are not very extensive in coverage. In the summer and fall of 1996, we conducted a random survey of Great Plains producers. The purpose of the survey was to examine three questions: (1) who adopts computers and what are they and their farms like; (2) what are the characteristics of non-adopters; and (3) what tasks do producers want computers to perform? Our results confirmed that most of the variables earlier studies identified as influential on computer adoption still had an impact. These included farm size (acres and sales), ownership of livestock, farm tenure, and off-farm employment exposure to computer use. We found some question as to whether age or experience is a better predictor of computer adoption. Moreover, there also appears to be reason to question whether education has a significant impact on adoption.

Adoption of More Technically Efficient Irrigation Systems as a Drought Response

Adoption of technically efficient irrigation systems can mitigate the effects of drought by allowing irrigators to maintain water consumption with reduced applications. This paper uses survey data from the worst drought in Colorados history to examine how drought conditions affect the choice of irrigation system by irrigators. Results indicate that drought conditions did significantly increase the percentage of farms using more efficient sprinkler systems relative to gravity systems. The key factors affecting the decision were land tenure, farm scale and available water supply, suggesting that those enterprises with the most owned land, the highest number of acres and the most reliable water supplies are most likely to invest in more efficient irrigation systems during severe droughts.

Optimal Rangeland Stocking Decisions Under Stochastic and Climate-Impacted Weather

A Stochastic Dynamic Programming (SDP) model is developed to analyze optimal stocking rates in the face of weather uncertainty and potential climate change projections. The model extends previous work modeling grazing as a predator‐prey relationship. Attention is given to profit maximizing decisions when growing season precipitation is unknown. Comparisons are made across results from a model that utilizes constant growing season precipitation in all years. Results suggest that optimal stocking rates and profitability decrease in climate change scenarios with increased precipitation variability as compared to the historical stochastic weather scenario.

Optimal Replacement and Management Policies for Beef Cows

Beef cow replacement studies have not reflected the interaction between herd management and the culling decision. We demonstrate techniques for modeling optimal beef cow replacement intervals and discrete management policies by incorporating the dynamic effects of management on future productivity when biological response is uncertain. Markovian decision analysis is used to identify optimal beef cow management on a ranch typical of the Sandhills region of Nebraska. Issues of breeding season length, winter nutrition, and replacement are investigated. Results illustrate the importance of nutrition management in the replacement decision.

Economically Optimal Stocking Rates: A Bioeconomic Grazing Model

Abstract A dynamic bioeconomic model that examines economically optimal stocking rate decisions while taking into account changes in forage availability is presented. The model presented here focuses on economically optimal stocking decisions while taking into account changes in the forage resource. The model is parameterized for a stocker operation in central Wyoming. Regardless of the scenario analyzed, the general rule of 50% utilization is determined to be an economically sound management strategy. The factors most heavily influencing economically optimal stocking rate decisions are forage growth rates and the Michaelis Constant. Both grain prices and cattle prices impact financial returns yet do not directly impact optimal stocking decisions by cattle producers.

A Multi-Period Analysis of Two Common Livestock Management Strategies Given Fluctuating Precipitation and Variable Prices

Many areas of the US recently endured a severe drought and management strategies to cope with the lack of forage production varied. A multi-period mathematical model is presented that estimates the outcomes of two common producer responses to changes in precipitation, partial liquidation and purchasing hay, given fluctuating cattle prices over a long term planning horizon. Results were further summarized with regression analysis and selected elasticities were calculated to reflect the sensitivity of outcomes to variability in precipitation and livestock prices. Although little impact was seen from utilizing additional hay as a strategy during drought, producers who follow this strategy are in a position to market more animals immediately post drought in general, resulting in better long run financial outcomes. Elasticity estimates suggest that profitability is more sensitive to variability in prices but that optimal choices of management strategies are more sensitive to variability in precipitation.

Linking Biophysical, Socioeconomic, and Political Effects of Climate Change on Agro-Ecosystems

ABSTRACT To meet the sustainability challenges of the future, we need leaders who are trained to work well in diverse, multidisciplinary teams and a populace that understands the biophysical and socioeconomic challenges facing humanity and how to meet the needs of its diverse stakeholders. With a goal of increasing climate literacy amongst college students, we developed a cooperative jigsaw activity to encourage students to explore the complexities of joint decision making when taking into account multiple perspectives. We found that undergraduate science (natural science and natural resources) students were engaged, drew on a variety of types of evidence to support claims about managing rangelands impacted by climate change, and referenced both complex social and natural systems in their postassessment.