William D. Gorman

Academic and Professional Programs in Agribusiness

Concern for serving the agribusiness sector of agriculture has been of increasing interest for agricultural economics professionals in recent years. Many departments of agricultural economics have added specific programs with agribusiness emphasis, and others have incorporated agribusiness into the name of the department. The MBA programs in agribusiness at Santa Clara and Harvard Universities and

Cohort analysis of food consumption: a case of rapidly changing Japanese consumption

According to the “1989–91 USDA Survey of Food Intakes,” older American adults consume much more coffee than younger ones, while the opposite is the case with pop (soda) (Table 1). In forecasting consumption of coffee and pop in the future, as the US population ages as a whole, there can be two extremely different projections. One is that those in their twenties and thirties in the 1980s might consume much more coffee and much less pop as they reach their forties and fifties, resulting in a substantial increase and decrease, respectively, in consumption of coffee and pop (as a nation). The other possibility is that those younger adults in the 1980s might retain their consumption habits for soft drinks as they get older, resulting in drastic decreases and increases, respectively, in consumption of coffee and pop (Rentz & Reynolds, 1991). According to Tanaka and Mori (1998), in 1989, Japanese adults in their twenties and thirties consumed, at home, approximately 5 kg of mandarin oranges as compared to approximately 15 kg consumed by those in their late forties, fifties and early sixties, per capita, per year. In the early 2000s, consumption of mandarin oranges would have increased substantially if the younger adults in the 1980s eat as much mandarins after 20 years as the middle-aged groups in the 1980s, period effects ignored. However, on the contrary, consumption would have decreased substantially, if these younger adults in the 1980s retain their consumption habits of mandarins even after they reach their forties or fifties. The first prediction, either for soft drinks or mandarins, is based on the assumption of pure age effects alone and the second on the assumption of predominance of consumers’ cohort membership effects in consumption changes.

Issues, facts, and opportunities for exports of US beef to Japan

The Japanese-US beef trade issues are discussed and a proposal put forth to feed cattle for 240 days in order to achieve higher quality grades and prices for US beef exported to Japan. Contrary to popular opinion. US grain-fed beef is not considered higher in quality than chilled grass-fed beef from Australia in the Japanese market because the Japanese quality grading system places much greater emphasis on marbling. Results indicate the longer fed beef concept may be a better alternative for the US than continuing to seek full liberalization of exports, although further analysis is needed before this can be stated with certainty.

Relative prices of imported grain fed beef in Japan: The case of air‐freighted chilled carcasses

The United States (US) has been successful in their demand that Japan remove its beef import quotas. Estimates of the quantity of US HQ beef likely to be exported to Japan under free trade conditions are highly dependent upon assumptions made concerning its competitive position relative to domestically produced beef. Most researchers have assumed that US HQ beef is comparable and perfectly substitutable to domestic Wagyu and|or first and second grade fed dairy beef which can lead to overestimation of the impacts of trade liberalization. This article presents new evidence that US fresh chilled Choice grade HQ beef may more closely equate with third grade dairy beef with respect to price.

Greenhouse cucumber production cost comparisons at selected United States sites

Costs for growing cucumbers (Cucumis sativa L.) [Cucumis sativus] in greenhouses were estimated at 11 sites in the USA representing different growing, light, and economic conditions. Soilless growing systems were assumed and utility rates were collected from the different sites. The major factors influencing production costs of greenhouse cucumbers are light and heating requirements. Southwestern cities of Tucson, AZ, and Las Cruces, NM, had the lowest per unit production costs because of high natural light duration, relatively low heating requirements, and low labor costs (...)

Research issues in agribusiness management: The topic of finance

Topic areas for research on problems of financing agribusinesses were suggested. Priority research areas identified included: (1) implications of federal taxation policies, (2) impacts of the 1986 tax law changes on the attractiveness of leasing as a method of acquiring assets, (3) inadequate equity capital sources for small and intermediate sized firms, (4) identification of factors that motivate individuals and|or companies to provide capital to new or expanding firms, (5) understanding entrepreneurial knowledge and behavior in regard to financing decisions, and (6) analysis of the interactions between forms of business ownership and financing alternatives. The research needs and opportunities were discussed for each of the identified topic areas.