William H. Lesser

Marketing livestock and meat

ContentsPart I: Background Material * Introduction * Economic Concepts * Part II: Economics of the Demand and Supply for Red Meats * Historical Overview * World Livestock and Meat Production * Trade in Livestock and Meat Products * World Consumption of Red Meats * Prices * Livestock Cycles * Part III: Understanding Livestock Marketing * Functionaries in the System * Market News--Sources and Ideas * Regulation of Livestock Marketing * Grades and Grading * Marketing Alternatives * Controlling Price Risk Through Futures Markets * Part IV: Understanding Meat Marketing * Meat Packing * Processing and Distribution * Retailing * Away-From-Home Consumption * A View to the Future * Indexes

Methodologies for ex ante projections of adoption rates for agbiotech products: Lessons learned from rBST

Pre- and post-release adoption studies for rBST are evaluated for insights into improving ex ante projection methodologies. The conclusion is drawn that user surveys can provide reasonable projections, but the following factors require consideration. The sigmoid curve fits the data well, but the standard experiential learning justification needs reconsideration. Attitudinal variables can enhance the discrimination among users and nonusers, but useful attitudinal questions are not well developed at this point. Rents are a major determinant of use, but projecting rents and shares a priori is a difficult task. Management requirements are a significant factor in use, so that proxies for management quality need improvement. And finally, anti-biotech attitudes can be most effective if products are labeled so that labeling becomes a key element in forecasting use. lEconLit cites: Q160, Q130r

Is genetically engineered technology a good alternative to pesticide use: the case of GE eggplant in India

Are pesticides used efficiently in eggplant cultivation? Is Genetically Engineered (GE) eggplant a good alternative to pesticide use? Building on the literature on damage control specification for production functions, we estimated the pesticide productivity for eggplant, using data from a farm-level survey conducted in Maharashtra, India. Even though the intensity of pesticide use by Open Pollinated Variety (OPV) growers is less relative to hybrid growers, the average use of pesticides is substantially greater than the estimated optimum use levels. We then used Bt trial plot data to estimate the potential benefits that Bt technology might provide in terms of reduction in pesticide application. If the adoption of GE eggplant reduces the pesticide use by 52%, as is reported from the field trials of GE eggplant, that will result in a saving of Rs. 6844/acre for hybrid growers and Rs. 2784/acre for OPV growers. Results from our study suggest that GE technology provides a good alternative to pesticide use for farmers in developing countries such as India.

BIOENGINEERED CROPS AS TOOLS FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT: OPPORTUNITIES AND STRATEGIC CONSIDERATIONS

SUMMARY Crop bioengineering provides unique and dramatic opportunities for international agricultural development. However, we consider the technology not as a ‘silver bullet’ or panacea for crop improvement in the developing world but as an increasingly important tool that can be used to complement conventional methods of crop improvement. The number of bioengineered crops ready for commercial release in developing countries is expected to expand considerably in the next few years. But the multi-national life sciences companies that are leading the research, development and commercialization of bioengineered crops focus primarily on major crops that have high commercial value and extensive international markets. These companies also hold proprietary gene technology for many other crops of extreme importance to subsistence and resource-poor farmers but do not pursue product development and commercialization because of low anticipated returns. Such crops have traditionally been overlooked and are sometimes referred to as ‘orphan crops’ because of the relative lack of research and development applied to them. We propose a strategy for the development and delivery of bioengineered crops, including orphan crops, for developing countries. Consulting local public and private sector stakeholders to determine their highest priority needs for agricultural products is the first step. This ensures local stakeholder buy-in and that we do not invest in technology that is unlikely to be adopted. Next, the feasibility of developing and delivering the product is assessed. If the result is positive, the work is organized into ‘product commercialization packages’ (PCPs) that integrate all elements of the research, development and commercialization processes. The main elements of each PCP include (i) technology development; (ii) policy-related issues such as intellectual property and licensing, as well as gaining regulatory approval by the relevant national authorities; (iii) providing public information to producers and consumers about the benefits, risks and correct management of these new products; and (iv) establishing, or verifying, the existence of marketing and distribution

Disease Resistance of Wheat Varieties: Can Private Varieties Withstand the Pressure?

US wheat varieties are examined for differential disease resistance between public and private varieties, an issue for critics of plant intellectual property. Analysis using disease resistance rankings of wheat varieties from Kansas and Texas indicate that private varieties are as or more resistant. This finding was further confirmed with two years of Texas data. Thus, the results from the study reject the criticism of private breeding activities that they are more susceptible to disease compared to public varieties. However, private varieties resistance is incorporated from public offerings so that productive private wheat breeding is partly derivative.

Elite Germplasm for GMO's in Brazil: Modeling Government- Agribusiness Negotiations

Advances in agricultural biotechnology have led to interest by agribusiness to license elite germplasm from national programs in developing countries, now in need of funds. Uncertainties about the value of the material have delayed negotiations. This article proposes a method of setting upper (monopoly; no seed saving) and lower (competitive) negotiating bounds on values. The model accounts for (1) annual productivity enhancements, (2) effects on world prices, and (3) obsolescence effects of greater R&D. A demonstration application for soybeans in Brazil, which has completed the preconditions (IPR, biosafety, internal policy), suggests limited private value for public germplasm. The optimal solution is cooperation (licensing).

The Impact of Component Pricing of Soybeans and Milk: Comment

ponent pricing of these commodities are small (p. 454). The application to soybeans appears well conceived and the results reasonable (see also Updaw). The use of the same model to analyze the effects of component pricing of milk, however, contains a significant perceptual error which biases the estimated equilibrium effects toward zero. The purpose of this comment is to identify this error and its effect on conclusions about the economic

Whither the Research Anticommons

Fifteen years ago, the “tragedy of the anticommons” article warned that excessive patenting of biotech products and research methods could deter rather than stimulate invention, but little evidence was offered. Here, subsequent changes in patent law, public research support, and surveys of researchers are summarized. Results indicate the anticipated anticommons has not materialized significantly, and while ongoing monitoring is warranted, declining public research funding may necessitate more patenting to stimulate private investment.

Predicting the Direct Benefits of a Food Price-Reporting or Preference-Changing Program

A method is developed for estimating returns to food price reporting and store selection preference changing programs. The approach is demonstrated by an example. While the extimated return to preference changing is small, the direct savings for price reporting can be substantial. Further replications are required to verify these results.