scholarly journals The Good and the Bad: Environmental Efficiency in Northeastern U.S. Dairy Farming

2016 ◽  
Vol 45 (1) ◽  
pp. 22-43 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eric Njuki ◽  
Boris E. Bravo-Ureta ◽  
Deep Mukherjee
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Performance ◽  
Pollution Index ◽  
Dairy Farming ◽  
Joint Production ◽  
Farm Size ◽  
Random Errors ◽  
Emission Component ◽  
Sources Of Pollution ◽  
Directional Output Distance Function ◽  
Size Heterogeneity

This study evaluates the environmental performance of northeastern U.S. dairy operations that differ in size using a directional output-distance function that measures the joint production of milk and emissions while incorporating a four-way error approach that captures farm-size heterogeneity, transient and persistent technical efficiency, and random errors. For the emission component, a comprehensive pollution index is generated that incorporates three major sources of pollution in dairy farming: fuel, fertilizer, and livestock. Computed shadow prices and Morishima elasticities of substitution reveal that large dairy operations are environmentally inefficient compared to their smaller counterparts.

scholarly journals Factors Affecting Global versus Local Environmental and Economic Performance of Dairying: A Case Study of Swiss Mountain Farms

2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (8) ◽  
pp. 2940 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nina Repar ◽  
Pierrick Jan ◽  
Thomas Nemecek ◽  
Dunja Dux ◽  
Reiner Doluschitz
Keyword(s):  
Economic Performance ◽  
Environmental Performance ◽  
Dairy Farming ◽  
Farm Size ◽  
Full Time ◽  
Trade Offs ◽  
Global Environmental ◽  
Farming Policy ◽  
Global And Local

Improving the sustainability of the dairy food chain requires a simultaneous improvement in global and local environmental performance, as well as in the economic performance of dairy farms. We investigated the effect of different structural, farm management, socio-demographic, technological and natural-environment-related factors on the economic and environmental performance of dairying. Our analysis relied on a case study of 56 Swiss alpine dairy farm observations, for which cradle-to-farm gate life cycle assessments and farm accountancy data were combined. The data refer to the years 2006 to 2008. The effect of the selected factors on farms’ economic and environmental performance was analysed by means of non-parametric statistical approaches. The results revealed the existence of some factors presenting synergies and several factors showing trade-offs in the enhancement of farm global environmental, local environmental and economic performance. More generally, the promotion of farm global environmental performance and farm economic performance was shown to be synergetic whereas the enhancement of farm global and local environmental performance turned out to be mostly antinomic. However, some factors, namely organic farming, higher agricultural education, silage-free milk production, and also, to a weaker extent, full-time farming, larger farm size and lower intensity of cattle concentrates use, showed a potential to bring simultaneous improvements in the global and local environmental performance as well as the economic performance of dairy farming. Policy-makers should be aware of the complexity of the joint improvement of farm economic and environmental performance and only promote factors capable of synergistically enhancing the environmental and economic performance of dairy farming.

scholarly journals Economics of autonomous equipment for arable farms

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
James Lowenberg-DeBoer ◽  
Kit Franklin ◽  
Karl Behrendt ◽  
Richard Godwin
Keyword(s):  
Precision Agriculture ◽  
Environmental Performance ◽  
Crop Production ◽  
Practical Experience ◽  
Production Costs ◽  
Farm Size ◽  
Medium Size ◽  
Economic Implications ◽  
The United Kingdom ◽  
Crop Agriculture

AbstractBy collecting more data at a higher resolution and by creating the capacity to implement detailed crop management, autonomous crop equipment has the potential to revolutionise precision agriculture (PA), but unless farmers find autonomous equipment profitable it is unlikely to be widely adopted. The objective of this study was to identify the potential economic implications of autonomous crop equipment for arable agriculture using a grain-oilseed farm in the United Kingdom as an example. The study is possible because the Hands Free Hectare (HFH) demonstration project at Harper Adams University has produced grain with autonomous equipment since 2017. That practical experience showed the technical feasibility of autonomous grain production and provides parameters for farm-level linear programming (LP) to estimate farm management opportunities when autonomous equipment is available. The study shows that arable crop production with autonomous equipment is technically and economically feasible, allowing medium size farms to approach minimum per unit production cost levels. The ability to achieve minimum production costs at relatively modest farm size means that the pressure to “get big or get out” will diminish. Costs of production that are internationally competitive will mean reduced need for government subsidies and greater independence for farmers. The ability of autonomous equipment to achieve minimum production costs even on small, irregularly shaped fields will improve environmental performance of crop agriculture by reducing pressure to remove hedges, fell infield trees and enlarge fields.

scholarly journals Young Consumer Green Purchase Behavior

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sohaib Zafar ◽  
Atif Aziz ◽  
Muhammad Hainf
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Performance ◽  
Green Marketing ◽  
Purchase Behavior ◽  
Chain Process ◽  
Environmental Performance Index ◽  
Sources Of Pollution ◽  
Supply Chain Process ◽  
A Company ◽  
Day By Day ◽  
Temperature Melting

Environmental pollution is increasing day by day which is causing serious threats to our planet. Global warming, increase in temperature, melting of glaciers are some of issues which the world is facing now.  Due to ease of information sharing and technology business across the globe has become quite easier and businesses are operating in whole world. Multinationals are working in whole world. Business is one of the sources of pollution. The production process, supply chain process and many other processes from manufacturing to end product cause pollution. So, to prevent Earth from pollution concept of green marketing emerged which means to produce products which are eco-friendly and then promote these products through ecofriendly ways. The main aim of a company is to satisfy consumers. So, company keeps focus on the factors which forces the consumer to buy the product. Consumer can be motivated by various factors while purchasing product. In this paper those factors are discussed and their effect is measured on green purchase behavior. According to environmental performance index Pakistan is among top 12 countries which are affected by pollution. Meanwhile according to DAWN newspaper 2019 Pakistan has largest population of youngsters in history. So, this paper investigates the factors that influence green purchase behavior of young students.

scholarly journals Evaluating the Pollution of the Apies River in Pretoria South Africa

2021 ◽  
Vol 241 ◽  
pp. 01004
Author(s):  
P Tau ◽  
Ro Anyasi ◽  
K Mearns
Keyword(s):  
Agricultural Practices ◽  
Pollution Index ◽  
Anthropogenic Sources ◽  
Chemical Pollution ◽  
Human Consumption ◽  
Natural Sources ◽  
Sources Of Pollution ◽  
Microbiological Methods ◽  
Microbiological Pollution ◽  
Geological Formations

This study was done to assess the pollution of Apies River using both chemical and microbiological methods. The pollution index of the river revealed that the concentration of most pollutants downstream is more than 50% of the upstream concentration. The natural sources of the pollution in Apies River are the weathering of geological formations; whereas the anthropogenic sources are agriculture; Municipal WWTW and direct deposit of waste into the river. The natural sources of pollution contributed towards chemical pollution; whereas the anthropogenic sources contributed both chemical and microbiological pollution. The Apies River is hypertrophic downstream of the Rooiwal WWTW; however the current physiochemical state of the River warrants its ability to be used for safe irrigation in agricultural practices. The current microbiological state of the River does make it harmful for human consumption especially as drinking water; however, the water should be boiled prior to use to inactivate the bacteria present in the water. The study was able to provide in analysis the variation of the contaminants in the River.

Toxic Elements in the Soils of Urban Ecosystems and Technogenic Sources of Pollution

2020 ◽  
Vol 16 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Urban Soils ◽  
Toxic Elements ◽  
Natural Waters ◽  
Pollution Index ◽  
Urban Ecosystems ◽  
Pollution Level ◽  
High Iron Content ◽  
Industrial Enterprises ◽  
Sources Of Pollution ◽  
Physicochemical Methods

Using physicochemical methods of analysis (XRF and AAS), the elemental composition of urban soils of large urban ecosystems of one of the industrially developed regions of Russia was studied. It was revealed that most of the soils of urban ecosystems have technogenic anomalies in a number of heavy metals and metalloids: As, Co, Ni, Pb, Zn, Cr. An abnormally high iron content in the soils of the region was established compared with the world level and clarke of element in the soils. Without exception, all studied urbanozems are characterized by a high S content. Territories with a moderately hazardous and dangerous pollution level, which amounted to 20% of the studied urban ecosystems, respectively, were identified by the total pollution index. Sources of toxic elements in urban soils are metallurgical, defense, metalworking and chemical industries. The industrial production and toxicant-polluted urban soils considered in the article are a potential source of pollution of natural waters and surface layers of the atmosphere. The soils of cities and sanitary protection zones of industrial enterprises with geochemical anomalies require bioremediation

scholarly journals The Technical Efficiency of Specialised Milk Farms: A Regional View

2014 ◽  
Vol 2014 ◽  
pp. 1-13 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jindřich Špička ◽  
Luboš Smutka
Keyword(s):  
Production Efficiency ◽  
Returns To Scale ◽  
Value Added ◽  
Dairy Farms ◽  
Herd Size ◽  
Dairy Farming ◽  
Farm Size ◽  
Scale Efficiency ◽  
Economic Determinants ◽  
Net Value Added

The aim of the article is to evaluate production efficiency and its determinants of specialised dairy farming among the EU regions. In the most of European regions, there is a relatively high significance of small specialised farms including dairy farms. The DEAVRS method (data envelopment analysis with variable returns to scale) reveals efficient and inefficient regions including the scale efficiency. In the next step, the two-samplet-test determines differences of economic and structural indicators between efficient and inefficient regions. The research reveals that substitution of labour by capital/contract work explains the variability of the farm net value added per AWU (annual work unit) income indicator by more than 30%. The significant economic determinants of production efficiency in specialised dairy farming are farm size, herd size, crop output per hectare, productivity of energy, and capital (atα=0.01). Specialised dairy farms in efficient regions have significantly higher farm net value added per AWU than inefficient regions. Agricultural enterprises in inefficient regions have a more extensive structure and produce more noncommodity output (public goods). Specialised dairy farms in efficient regions have a slightly higher milk yield, specific livestock costs of feed, bedding, and veterinary services per livestock unit.

scholarly journals Efeito do sistema de criação no desempenho técnico e econômico de rebanhos leiteiros

2017 ◽  
Vol 38 (3) ◽  
pp. 1561
Author(s):  
Rodrigo De Andrade Ferrazza ◽  
Marcos Aurelio Lopes ◽  
Fábio Raphael Pascoti Bruhn ◽  
Flavio De Moraes ◽  
Francisval De Melo Carvalho
Keyword(s):  
Comparative Analysis ◽  
Milk Production ◽  
Economic Performance ◽  
Dairy Farms ◽  
Dairy Farming ◽  
The State ◽  
Farm Size ◽  
Operational Costs ◽  
Husbandry System ◽  
Economic Indexes

This study aimed to investigate the effects of husbandry system on the technical and economic performance of dairy farming. Samples included data from 61 dairy farms from the State of Minas Gerais, Brazil, which were collected between 2002 and 2011. Farms were categorized by type-pasture-based (PB), semi-confinement (SC), and confinement (C)-and technical and economic indexes were compared. In general, the results indicated indexes that are higher than the average for Brazilian farms but lower than those in other countries or technological farms in other Brazilian regions. Milk production was mainly determined by farm size rather than by productivity indexes. Components of the total and effective operational costs that were most significant were feeding followed by labor. The comparative analysis indicated that, although C systems have technical indexes that are superior to those of the PB and SC systems, economic performance was independent of the intensification level. Thus, pasture systems are potentially competitive, provided that the producers are efficient.

scholarly journals Cost Efficiency of Dairy Farming in New Zealand: A Stochastic Frontier Analysis

2014 ◽  
Vol 43 (3) ◽  
pp. 406-418 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nan Jiang ◽  
Basil Sharp
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Cost Efficiency ◽  
Stochastic Frontier Analysis ◽  
Stochastic Frontier ◽  
Capital Intensity ◽  
Dairy Farms ◽  
Dairy Farming ◽  
Farm Size ◽  
Frontier Analysis ◽  
The North

Research on the efficiency of dairy farming in New Zealand is limited and has focused predominantly on technical efficiency. We contribute to the literature on empirical analysis by examining cost efficiency of New Zealand dairy farms. We construct simplified translog stochastic cost frontiers based on an unbalanced panel of 824 farms. Average cost efficiency is estimated at 83 percent for dairy farms in the North Island and 80 percent for farms in the South Island. Our analysis of the relationship between inefficiency and farm characteristics suggests significant associations between cost efficiency and capital intensity, livestock quality, and farm size.

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