Agricultural Economics electronic theses and dissertations (MU)
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The items in this collection are the theses and dissertations written by students of the Department of Agricultural Economics. Some items may be viewed only by members of the University of Missouri System and/or University of Missouri-Columbia. Click on one of the browse buttons above for a complete listing of the works.
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Item Spatial choice, performance, and competition among interdependent organizations in coupled spatial-economic systems : insight into transboundary spatial externality in US franchise industry(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2025) Frimpong, Stephen; Sykuta, MichaelIn this study, we address three broad research questions. First, we ask what is the effect of transboundary franchise externality on spatial choice of franchise establishments? Second, what is the effect of transboundary franchise externality on establishment performance? Finally, we answer the question what is the effect of transboundary franchise externality on multimarket competition and the implications of multimarket competition for economic performance of firms? We address each of these three overarching research questions separately in each chapter of this book. Franchising relationships account for more than half of economic activities in the lodging industry in the United States. The growth of franchising organizations in the United States has led to increasing interdependencies among establishments. These interdependencies create transboundary spatial externalities. However, existing franchise literature often assumes that economic agents prioritize short-term profits while overlooking franchise spillovers. In this study, we examine the impact of transboundary franchise externalities on establishment location choices, economic performance, and multimarket competition. Our analysis utilizes restricted-use, national longitudinal data from the US Census Bureau on 41,000 franchise establishments spanning 2007--2017. We develop a capital mobility spatial-econometric framework to estimate transboundary franchise externalities and simulate the effects using an endogenous switching regression model. Transboundary franchise externalities significantly and positively influence establishment location decisions, economic performance, and multimarket competition. Additionally, these externalities lead to the formation of geographic clusters of franchise establishments. By accounting for transboundary franchise externalities, franchising negatively correlates with economic performance. These results provide insights into the paradox of location, performance, and competition within the new economic geography literature and agency theory. They suggest that franchising may not be an optimal solution for addressing agency problems. Our findings have major policy implications for franchise location strategy, optimizing economic performance, and governance regulations.Item A key component in beef cattle profitability : factors affecting Missouri feeder steer prices by weight differential(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2025) Chinn, Danyelle; Westhoff, PatrickThe beef cattle industry is a leading contributor to Missouri's agricultural economy, making it essential to provide producers and stakeholders with data and analysis regarding the economic factors that influence the success of Missouri's cattle producers. The objective of this research is to identify and evaluate the key economic factors that influence feeder steer prices across six weight categories (300 -- 400 pounds, 400 -- 500 pounds, 500 -- 600 pounds, 600 -- 700 pounds, 700 -- 800 pounds, and 800 -- 900 pounds). While many previous studies evaluating factors affecting feeder steer prices are modeled on animal performance and body condition, this research prioritizes economic factors that influence price differences between weight ranges of feeder cattle. Using an ordinary least squares (OLS) regression, the results indicated that corn price, calf crop, expected fed cattle price, the total prices paid index, precipitation 18 months prior, and price of feeder steers 24 months prior are significant determinants of feeder steer prices in Missouri in at least one of the six equations.Findings from this study provide valuable insights into the cattle industry for cattle producers looking to purchase or sell feeder calves and for stakeholders looking to better understand the driving forces behind feeder steer prices.Item Minimum land required to attain specified income levels, Southeast Missouri Delta, 1975(University of Missouri--Columbia, 1966) Kelly, Alfred B."In economic theory, land, labor, capital and manage ment are considered scarce resources, and their optimal allocation among competing uses is the essence of the study of economics. An optimal allocation is one in which the marginal value product of the last units of all resources used is the same in all alternative uses to which society has designated the resources to be allocated, or for a specific resource the last unit applied in any one use will produce the same marginal value product as the last unit of that resource applied to any other use. All resources will then be receiving their opportunity cost at their highest and best economic use. This condition will theoretically result in the maximum economic product from the use of all resources and will, therefore, give the greatest possible net national product to our society. A basic assumption underlying this principle is perfect competition. The assumption of perfect competition in agriculture abstracts from the real world by assuming perfect knowledge, perfect mobility and no government intervention. Therefore, this principle cannot be attained In reality but can be used as a guide or norm to be approximated in constructing a study model."--Introduction.Item Three essays on the racial wealth gap in the Black Belt(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2025) Muldrow, Melody; Valdivia, Corinne; Rahe, MalloryWealth grants individuals the freedom to seek out opportunities actively (Robeyns, 2011). It also provides the luxury of taking risks and offers a safeguard against financial setbacks (Hamilton, 2020). Notably, disparities in wealth significantly impact individuals' quality of life, as they limit access to opportunities and resources necessary for achieving true freedom (Hamilton, 2020; McIntosh et al., 2020; Zaw et al., 2017). Despite successfully identifying and documenting trends in the racial wealth gap between Black Americans and White Americans, society has yet to fully understand the long-term effects of the legacy of slavery on the capacity of current and future generations to transfer wealth (Aliprantis & Carroll, 2019; Feiveson & Sabelhaus, 2018; Killewald & Bryan, 2018; Kuhn et al., 2020). This lack of comprehension arises from the absence of a consensus regarding the role of wealth in exacerbating the racial wealth gap. To truly grasp the extent of this disparity, society must recognize the need for a new approach to quantifying it, such as Sen's concept of negative resistance. This dissertation, comprising three essays, examines the wealth disparities between Black and White Americans from regional, state, and county perspectives.Item Rising strong : building resilience, recovery and technology adoption for small businesses and farms amidst natural hazards and external shocks in the United States(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2025) Martinez Palomares, Jorge Carlos; Valdivia, CorinneThis dissertation explores the strategies, coping mechanisms, and technology adoption of small businesses and farms in the United States amidst natural hazards, external shocks, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, and pest problems. The study is presented through three essays, each addressing distinct aspects of recovery and adaptation. The first essay investigates strategy adoption intensity among small businesses facing natural hazards, emphasizing disparities by geographic location, gender, and ownership structure. The second essay examines different coping strategies used by families and small business owners during the COVID-19 pandemic. Employing the Double ABC-X model as a framework, it identifies key stressors, such as unemployment and health concerns, and resources like social capital that influence the subjective well-being of the participants. The third essay focuses on Iowa soybean producers' willingness to adopt smart and integrated farm technologies, underscoring the importance of innovation in enhancing agricultural resilience. It employs mixed-method approaches, including focus groups and discrete choice experiments, to reveal factors influencing adoption decisions. These three essays contribute to a nuanced understanding of the interplay between external shocks, resilience mechanisms, and the role of social, financial, and technological resources in recovery and adaptation processes