Statistical analysis of the impact of technical and economic factors of crop yield
No Thumbnail Available
Authors
Meeting name
Sponsors
Date
Journal Title
Format
Thesis
Subject
Abstract
The objective of the study has been to derive and apply an aggregate yield model designed to better reflect the impact of technical change. The application is to corn yield for selected crop reporting districts in Missouri. The method developed provides for the introduction of an economically and technically determined potential yield into aggregate yield functions similar to those in common use. The study was conducted in three major phases. First, statistical estimation of technical corn production function was undertaken. Corn yield was estimated as a function of nitrogen, a technology index, and a weather index. Thus, the estimated production function relates controlled and uncontrolled factors to corn yield. The second phase of the study concerned the determination of the potential corn yield using the production function estimated from the experiment station data. An expression for the profit maximizing corn yield based on economic and environmental factors was determined. The resulting expression related the optimal output or yield to output and input prices and the technology index. This profit maximizing yield was viewed as representing the potential under normal weather conditions; thus both an economic and physical concept. The third phase of the study used the potential yield in statistically estimating an aggregate corn yield relationship at the crop reporting district level. One and two production period models incorporating this proxy variable were estimated. Both models were simple specifications, highlighting the impact of the potential yield variable. Price and technology elasticities were calculated. The estimated price elasticities were found similar to those from other studies. Finally, 20 percent changes in the corn to nitrogen price ratio were assumed and elasticities were estimated to test for the response of the aggregate corn yield to economic factors. The response to the price ratio increase differed from that to the decrease. This was because of the economic feedback effect to the potential yield. In general, the results suggest that the potential yield variable can replace trending for technology and improve the economic structure of aggregate yield functions.
Table of Contents
DOI
PubMed ID
Degree
Ph. D.
Thesis Department
Rights
OpenAccess.
License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 License.