Browsing by Author "Boys, Kathryn A."
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- Building Marketing Capacity of Local Food Systems: Case Studies from the Shenandoah ValleyHe, Shu (Virginia Tech, 2014-09-17)Small and medium-sized farms are an important demographic of the agricultural sector in the Shenandoah Valley and Chesapeake Bay watershed. Having sufficient food system infrastructure available and accessible to these farm operations is essential to help them add value to their farm products; diversify their operations and differentiate their farm and food products in an increasingly competitive and commodity-based food system. Despite its importance, however, local food systems (LFS) frequently have incorrect types or insufficient amounts of the equipment and facilities needed to support these systems. Through the use of two case studies, this study investigates current circumstances, future needs, and offers recommendations for two important components of LFS infrastructure in the Shenandoah Valley. The first study inventories and assesses existing infrastructure capacity available in the region. Using data collected from farmers, LFS organizations, and institutional foodservice organizations, a needs assessment is then completed to determine the specific amounts and types of equipment and facilities which would be needed to meet current LFS infrastructure needs. The second study explores current and potential benefits, and future challenges of a produce auction to impact Mennonite communities in the Shenandoah Valley. This analysis of the Shenandoah Valley Produce Auction (SVPA) was conducted using data obtained from both interviews and surveys. Results indicate that producers, existing infrastructure, and institutional buyers in the region would like to own, use, or rent food system infrastructure. There is unmet LFS infrastructure demand in due to the current lack of enough food cleaning, processing, packaging, and storing equipment in this area. For the SVPA, most of participants were satisfied with the auction. Buyers, however, reported that their procurement from the SVPA is limited by fluctuating prices, demand outpacing supply of produce, insufficient delivery services. Overall, food system infrastructure in general, and the SVPA in particular, were reported to have an important role in the region in supporting market access for local small and medium sized farmers, improve viability of local food system and the regional economy, and facilitating connections between consumers and their local food system. Several recommendations to strengthen the region's LFS are derived from these results.
- A Descriptive Study of Grain Production, Consumption, and Storage in VirginiaCaffarelli, Peter Anthony (Virginia Tech, 2016-01-20)Agriculture is an important industry in Virginia, with an array of crops grown and animals produced. Virginia's crop, livestock, and poultry sectors sold agricultural products worth $1.4 billion and $2.4 billion, respectively, in 2012. One of the products, grain, serves as an important input for raising livestock and poultry. Virginia needs to import grain from other states (Eastern Corn Belt states) to meet current livestock feed requirements, an expense that raises the cost of production over locally sourced grains . Further, such movements of grain from producing-areas to demand-areas rely on the efficient and timely interaction of grain storage and transportation. Describing the details of the grain supply chain provides insights into the interplay and relationships among production, storage, transportation, and end users of grains and oilseeds in Virginia. Results of a state-wide survey of Virginia grain producers shed light on the following topics: current cropping practices; current grain storage practices; available farm-level storage and its use, age, and expected life; and future storage plans and constraints. Overall findings include, grain production in Virginia has generally increased over the last decade, yet storage capacity remains constant and continues to age; livestock and poultry populations are declining leading to less demand for feed grains and oilseeds; grain farmers report satisfaction with their current storage situation and higher returns to stored grain may encourage "non-storers" to build storage; and the majority the grain leaving the farm is hauled by truck over short distances (25 miles or less). Overall, the results provide a foundation for understanding the grain supply chain in Virginia and offer useful information to Virginia's agricultural stakeholders.
- Exploring Potential Innovative Marketing Approaches for US AgribusinessesDuBreuil, Katherine Michelle (Virginia Tech, 2013-07-22)Agribusinesses are multifaceted businesses that may be involved in all the phases of agricultural production, processing, manufacturing, distributing, and retailing. Although US agriculture is a multi-billion dollar industry, the majority of agribusinesses are considered small firms, having less than $250,000 in annual gross sales. This study investigates potential innovative marketing approaches for US agribusinesses, specifically for small farms and agribusinesses. One marketing approach involves an agritourism marketing tool based on an agricultural geocaching program, AgCache. The second proposed marketing approach explores the specialty crops marketing channel to institutional foodservice establishments. For AgCache, exploratory qualitative analysis was first conducted through a series of in-depth interviews with current AgCache site owners. This was followed by survey data collection and analysis using a probit model to assess the interest in hosting an AgCache. For the specialty crops marketing channel, a probit model was utilized in order to assess the barriers faced by small-scale specialty crop producers as well as their interests in selling to institutional foodservice establishments. Specific attention was paid to logistic and food safety marketing constraints. The results reveal that with adequate attention towards specified barriers, the two marketing approaches can be implemented by US agribusinesses. As well, there is also a strong interest by small farms and agribusinesses to implement these two marketing approaches. This study provides information valuable not only to small farms and agribusinesses, but also to rural communities\' economic development and stakeholders involved in the agricultural industry. Results will be of interest to those in, and seeking to support agribusinesses and small-scale farms.
- Penalties for Foodborne Illness: Jury Decisions and Awards in Foodborne Illness LawsuitsMahdu, Omchand (Virginia Tech, 2015-07-28)This study examined how case attributes impact plaintiff success and payouts in jury settled foodborne illness (FBI) lawsuits. Given the risk to firms in terms of potentially large payouts, future litigation, and lost reputation, the results may provide economic incentives for food firms and others in the supply chain to produce safer and better quality foods. Legal databases were systematically searched to identify cases of FBI, which were resolved through the U.S. court system. Reviewing the outcomes of 511 FBI jury trials between 1979 and 2014, plaintiffs won 34.8% of cases, and received a median award of $32,264. The Heckman two-step estimation procedure was used to examine the effects of various factors on plaintiff success rates and subsequent amounts awarded. Plaintiff chances of victory increased if lawsuits involved a child, foodborne pathogen was identified and pain and suffering was claimed, and decreased if defendants used of one or more expert witnesses or had 'deep pockets'. Cases involving a child, chronic complications, or defendants with 'deep pockets' resulted in higher awards. Corporate and policy implications of these findings are considered.
- A regional economics-based research agenda for local food systemsBoys, Kathryn A.; Hughes, David W. (2013)The purported benefits of local food systems (LFSs) are extensive and diverse. While a growing general literature has considered various aspects of these systems, this set of issues has not been considered broadly from the perspective of regional economics - a field that is uniquely suited to assess local food systems and the policies that affect them. This commentary attempts to narrow this gap. Research topics are considered that would allow for improved examination of the extent to which LFS directly and indirectly engender local economic growth. Also incorporated are research ideas concerning how to determine the distribution of benefits (socially, across income class, and geographically). In this regard, suggestions are also made concerning how to remove some of the limitations found in current analytical approaches.
- Three essays evaluating tradeoffs in agricultural decision makingBarrowclough, Michael John (Virginia Tech, 2016-05-27)The act of decision making involves a choice amongst tradeoffs. In agriculture this is no different. This dissertation is composed of four papers that examine the tradeoffs being made across different agricultural decision making processes. The first two papers examine the tradeoffs made at the individual producer level while the last two papers examine tradeoffs made at the national policy level. The first paper investigates farmer attitudes towards how a hypothetical set of production practices referred to as "]conservation agriculture" will affect yield, labor use, erosion, and cost in two communities of Bolivar province, Ecuador. By evaluating the tradeoffs producers are willing to make when choosing to adopt such practices, changes in producer welfare associated with adoption may be identified. These measures can assist in identifying constraints to adoption and aid in extension and policy outreach development. The second paper aims to gain a better understanding of the dynamic relationship between farmers and food buyers. This issue is examined from the perspective of small-scale specialty crop producers who are currently or are considering marketing their products into wholesale food markets. With a focus on farms in Virginia and North Carolina, this study seeks to identify key contract characteristics and buyer attributes which are valued by small-scale specialty crop producers; quantify tradeoffs small-scale specialty crop producers are willing to make between buyer attributes and contract characteristics when establishing a new contractual relationship; and determine the factors influencing these tradeoffs. The third and fourth papers examine the demands that U.S. biofuel production has placed on domestic nutrient fertilizer production. A key argument in favor of domestic biofuel production is that it is a renewable path towards energy independence. However the inputs used in the production of biofuel feedstock, primarily fertilizer nutrients, are anything but renewable. These two papers add to the discussion surrounding biofuel policies by asking an important question that has not received the attention it deserves: "What about the non-renewable inputs (e.g., nutrient fertilizers) that go into producing the inputs (e.g., corn) used for biofuel production?"
- Three Essays on the Generalized System of (Trade) PreferencesSharma, Anupa (Virginia Tech, 2016-02-09)The Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) is a unilateral trade liberalization program in which developed countries offer non-reciprocal tariff reductions (tariff preferences) on certain products imported from designated developing and least developed countries. GSP is considered an important tool in the World Trade Organization's approach to development. This dissertation--composed of three essays--explores whether low-income countries have achieved an increased access to high-income markets as a result of these non-reciprocal tariff preferences offered to their exports. The first essay provides an overview of the GSP program. The second essay presents an evaluation of the GSP program by considering the products and markets where low-income countries' exports are concentrated. Using a theoretically consistent gravity equation for primary and processed agri-food trade over the period 1962-2010, the results illustrate that the GSP program and modifications of it have delivered significant positive effects in developing countries' exports to developed country markets in agricultural trade but not necessarily so in non-agricultural goods. The third essay develops two theoretically founded novel indices to measure preference margins offered by high-income countries to low-income countries through tariff reduction. One index captures the restrictions bilateral tariff rates impose on market access conditions of a country as compared to the most favored nation rate, called the Exponential Trade Restrictiveness Index (ETRI). The other index captures the relative ease with which a country can access foreign markets compared to its competing suppliers, called the Exponential Relative Preferential Margin (ERPM). Then, these two bilateral indices are used to develop a model of sector-based bilateral trade to re-evaluate the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) in terms of relative market access preferences. The results show that the GSP has increased relative market accessibility for low-income countries and in turn boosted exports from these countries by 26 to 28 percent.