Online course offerings have been growing at a rapid pace in post-secondary education. An ordered probit model is estimated to analyze the effects of online vs. face-to-face course format in achieving specific letter grades. An upper-division agricultural economics course taught over 9 years using both formats is used for the analysis. For a sample of 81 students, variables of grade point average, number of credit hours taken, verbal SAT score, gender, course format, and major were used to predict final score in the course. Results indicate that online students performed better than face-to-face students at a marginal significance level. Online students were 2% less likely to earn a D in the course, and 15% less likely to earn a C in the course than their face-to-face counterparts. Online students were 8%t more likely to earn a B in the course and 9% more likely to earn an A in the course than face-to-face students.

Organic food sales have been increasing rapidly. Changing consumer tastes and preferences provide market opportunities for organically-grown food products, including potatoes. We developed a model to determine the factors that influence U.S. demand for fresh organic potatoes. The model's explanatory variables include organic potato price, consumer income, rice price, organic carrot price, red and Yukon Gold potato price, chicken price, the number of Whole Food stores, average Body Mass Index, the organic penetration rate and regional dummy variables. We found organic potato demand to be more sensitive than conventional potato demand to changes in price and consumer income. The New England region had the highest preferences for organic potatoes. We forecasted a 19% annual growth rate in U.S. per capita organic potato consumption to 2013.

We develop an econometric model to identify factors that influence fresh-market demand for red, russet, Yukon, and organic potatoes. Explanatory variables include potato price, pork price, chicken price, steak price, consumer income, Body Mass Index, organic penetration rate, number of Whole Foods stores, and U.S. region. We find the strongest demand for organic and Yukon potatoes in New England, for russets in the East South Central region and for reds in the West North Central region. White meats were complements for Yukons and organics while red meats complemented russets and reds. Own-price elasticities ranged from −0.60 for reds to −1.50 for organic potatoes.

This course is a study of management principles for the profitable operation of farms, ranches, and other business firms related to agriculture. Emphasis is given to decision-making, planning, implementation, and control in farm, ranch, and other agribusiness operations. Topics covered include tools used for management of financial capital and other inputs (including land, buildings, and equipment); investment analysis of business-related improvements; and tax implications for management. Economic concepts useful for management decisions will be reviewed and applied. The lab is an applied problem-solving supplement to the lecture material and is required for all students in the course.

This paper empirically examines the income risks for Pacific Northwest apple growers, both conventional and organic. Current yield based apple production insurance, the Growers Yield Certification (GYC), and hypothesized revenue based insurance are also examined for their risk management effect on growers. Results show that organic apple production is more risky but has higher expected return than its conventional counterpart. The current GYC is subsidized and subsidized more for organic growers. However, the current low price selection levels prevent these programs from offering effective risk reducing effect, and they also prevent the hypothesized revenue insurance from showing its advantage over yield insurance as in the case of other major field crops.

This paper empirically examines the income risks for Pacific Northwest apple growers, both conventional and organic. Current yield based apple production insurance, the Growers Yield Certification (GYC), and hypothesized revenue based insurance are also examined for their risk management effect on growers. Results show that organic apple production is more risky but has higher expected return than its conventional counterpart. The current GYC is subsidized and subsidized more for organic growers. However, the current low price selection levels prevent these programs from offering effective risk reducing effect, and they also prevent the hypothesized revenue insurance from showing its advantage over yield insurance as in the case of other major field crops.

A utility maximization model is used to assess alternative risk management portfolios of Pacific Northwest non‐irrigated grain producers using three rotational practices. Risk management tools include hedging with wheat futures, yield insurance, two revenue insurance products (with and without price replacement), and government programs under the 2002 Food Security and Rural Investment (FSRI) Act. Government programs account for the primary risk management value of all the analyzed portfolios. The revenue insurance product with price replacement is preferred when available, and yield insurance is preferred over revenue insurance without price replacement. Hedging is not extensively utilized unless government programs are eliminated.

The 2002 Food Security and Rural Investment (FSRI) Act introduced a price protection program called Counter Cyclical Payments (CCP) to major grain producers in the US. The CCP program is an addition to the Loan Deficiency Payment (LDP) and Direct Payment (DP) programs from the previous 1996 Federal Agriculture Improvement and Reform (FAIR) Act. At the same time, US federally subsidized crop revenue insurance programs also protect farmers from market and production risks. These government policy programs may crowd out the traditional price risk management role of hedging in commodity futures markets.

Risk management strategies (market and insurance based) are evaluated for selected small grain producers in the Pacific Northwest using expected utility maximization. Equivalent variation (EV) compares alternative risk management portfolios to cash sales under specified restrictions and conditions. Resulting EV's are strongly influenced by government payments, and hedging-based strategies are not used when counter cyclical payments are included in government programs. Optimum risk management portfolios include extensive coverage by insurance-based products only when such products have premiums that are heavily subsidized, or have premiums with no significant expense load.

Survey data from 311 garden centers, landscapers, and combined garden center/landscaping firms in selected western US trade centers were factor analyzed. Six first-order factors of product and service attributes were identified: plant selection, product information, supplier services and knowledge, advertising and promotion, plant quality, and ordering services. These six first-order factors were collapsed into three second-order factors: buyer-oriented services, buyer perception of supplier reputation, and sales support. These classifications of plant supplier attributes can be incorporated by the astute supplier into a successful business strategy. © 1993 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Survey data from 3 11 garden centers, landscapers, and combined garden center/landscaping firms in selected western United States trade centers were analyzed. Results identified important product and service attributes used in respondent decisions to purchase nursery stock. In general, product characteristics were ranked higher than supplier services. The highest-ranked product characteristics included plants free of insects and disease, properly dug and handled container or balled and burlapped stock, properly dug and handled bare root stock, and plants available when needed. However, several additional product characteristics received high rankings. The highest-ranked service was supplier knowledgeable about plant materials. A χ 2 analysis was conducted to segment this market on the basis of firm size, business type, and geographic location. Results indicated there were limited between-group differences to use in segmenting the market on the basis of size, business type, or location.