AgBioForum, vol. 02, no. 2 (1999)
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This issue's title is: "Farm-Level Economic Impacts of Agrobiotechnology." Click on one of the browse buttons above for a complete listing of the contents of this issue.
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Item Biotechnology : an essay on the academy, cultural attitudes and public policy(AgBioForum, 1999) Kershen, Drew L.Biotechnology is the latest historical example of a scientific discipline creating enormous cultural, social, and public policy controversies. By comparing biotechnology to these past controversies, and by comparing biotechnology to present-day computer technology, Professor Kershen argues that acceptance or rejection of biotechnology will ultimately occur as a result of ideological and political beliefs and pressures. He argues that the debate about biotechnology will not be resolved primarily based on expanded knowledge and understanding of biotechnology as a science.Item Sophisticated irrigation technology and biotechnology adoption : impacts on ground water conservation(AgBioForum, 1999) Arabiyat, Talah S.; Segarra, Eduardo; Willis, David B.A county-wide dynamic optimization model is used to evaluate the potential contribution associated with the adoption of sophisticated irrigation system technology and anticipated biotechnological advances in crop production on ground water conservation. The results indicate that adoption of these technologies could contribute significantly to ground water conservation efforts.Item Evaluating the gains associated with biotechnological improvement : the case of kiwifruit in New Zealand(AgBioForum, 1999) Bohorova, Svetlana; Scrimgeour, FrankSignificant productivity gains are achievable from the improvement of kiwifruit. Genetic engineering is perceived as a tool for product diversification associated with alterations in quality attributes and the seasonal growth of kiwifruit. Benefits from diversification to the industry are weighted against the net benefits of adoption to growers.Item Trait enthusiasm does not guarantee on-farm profits(AgBioForum, 1999) Coaldrake, KarenAdoption of agronomic traits has led to investment into quality traits. However, true values of these traits are poorly understood. Traits may lack the required value to satisfy all participants in the chain from technology supplier to end user. There are no guarantees, under current conditions producers will benefit.Item The profitability of rBST on U.S. dairy farms(AgBioForum, 1999) Butler, L.J. (Leslie James)This brief paper addresses some of the issues that surround rBST use on United States (U.S.) dairy farms 5 years after its commercial availability. Specifically, the focus of our inquiry is on two fundamental issues. First, has this technology been profitable and productive at the farm level? And, second, has it changed the competitive position of adopters vis-a-vis nonadopters? While it would appear that rBST is an effective technology for increasing milk production and would also appear to be an economically feasible technology, the conclusions of the few ex post studies available seem to give mixed results. Is profitability truly lacking for this technology, and if so why? How do we reconcile this potentially lackluster performance at the farm level with all the accumulated experimental evidence and our economic models? Is Monsanto extracting all of the innovation rents and, if so, is this optimal (even for Monsanto)? These are some key questions that beg for further economic analysis.