Beyond Scale and Scope: Exploring Economic Drivers of U.S. Specialty Crop Production With an Application to Edamame

Specialty crops are considered high-risk, high-reward, yet growers face differing, and relatively larger risk exposure when compared to traditional row crops. With traditional row crops, economies of scale and scope are key factors to increasing economic profitability. However, increasing economic profit for specialty crop operations present challenges which limit grower ability to easily take advantage of scale and scope economies. The authors discuss production, finance, regulatory, price, and human resource risks unique to U.S.-grown specialty crops. We apply our economic risk assessment framework to analyze U.S. edamame and present strategies to manage and mitigate risks faced by growers. We conclude that edamame may represent a profitable alternative crop in the U.S., and suggest future research topics are needed to optimize yields and meet market demand.

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Soil Management Practices to Mitigate Nitrous Oxide Emissions and Inform Emission Factors in Arid Irrigated Specialty Crop Systems

Soil Systems ◽

10.3390/soilsystems3040076 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 3 (4) ◽

pp. 76

Author(s):

Xia Zhu-Barker ◽

Mark Easter ◽

Amy Swan ◽

Mary Carlson ◽

Lucas Thompson ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Nitrous Oxide ◽

Crop Production ◽

Management Practices ◽

Ghg Emissions ◽

Soil Management ◽

Emission Factors ◽

Nitrous Oxide Emissions ◽

Specialty Crops ◽

Specialty Crop ◽

The Impact

Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from arid irrigated agricultural soil in California have been predicted to represent 8% of the state’s total GHG emissions. Although specialty crops compose the majority of the state’s crops in both economic value and land area, the portion of GHG emissions contributed by them is still highly uncertain. Current and emerging soil management practices affect the mitigation of those emissions. Herein, we review the scientific literature on the impact of soil management practices in California specialty crop systems on GHG nitrous oxide emissions. As such studies from most major specialty crop systems in California are limited, we focus on two annual and two perennial crops with the most data from the state: tomato, lettuce, wine grapes and almond. Nitrous oxide emission factors were developed and compared to Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) emission factors, and state-wide emissions for these four crops were calculated for specific soil management practices. Dependent on crop systems and specific management practices, the emission factors developed in this study were either higher, lower or comparable to IPCC emission factors. Uncertainties caused by low gas sampling frequency in these studies were identified and discussed. These uncertainties can be remediated by robust and standardized estimates of nitrous oxide emissions from changes in soil management practices in California specialty crop systems. Promising practices to reduce nitrous oxide emissions and meet crop production goals, pertinent gaps in knowledge on this topic and limitations of this approach are discussed.

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Weather, Values, Capacity and Concern: Toward a Social-Cognitive Model of Specialty Crop Farmers’ Perceptions of Climate Change Risk

Environment and Behavior ◽

10.1177/00139165211026607 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 001391652110266

Author(s):

Guang Han ◽

Ethan D. Schoolman ◽

J. Gordon Arbuckle ◽

Lois Wright Morton

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Risk Perceptions ◽

Structural Equation ◽

Crop Production ◽

Cognitive Model ◽

Extreme Weather Events ◽

Equation Modeling ◽

Future Research ◽

Climate Change Risk ◽

Specialty Crop

As specialty crop production has become increasingly important to U.S. agriculture, public and private stakeholders have called for research and outreach efforts centered on risks posed by climate change. Drawing on a survey of specialty crop farmers, this study explores farmers’ perceptions of climate change risks. Underlying cognitive, experiential, and socio-cultural factors hypothesized to influence farmers’ climate change risk perceptions are tested using structural equation modeling techniques. Results show that specialty crop farmers exhibit an overall moderate concern about climatic risks. The more capable and prepared farmers feel themselves to be, the less concerned they are about climate change. Farmers who have recently experienced more extreme weather events perceive climate change to present greater risks. In addition, farmers’ risk perceptions are also shaped by attitudes toward human exemptionalism and productivism values. Based on these findings, we provide recommendations for outreach and future research.

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Response of Small Farmers in Missouri to a Specialty Crop Survey

HortScience ◽

10.21273/hortsci.39.4.844a ◽

2004 ◽

Vol 39 (4) ◽

pp. 844A-844

Author(s):

Wesseh J. Wollo* ◽

Lurline Marsh ◽

Rufus Jones

Keyword(s):

Crop Production ◽

Return Rate ◽

Small Farmers ◽

Survey Questionnaire ◽

Specialty Crops ◽

Specialty Crop ◽

Crop Agriculture ◽

Traditional Crops

Specialty crop production has the potential to diversify traditional crop agriculture and improve profits. The primary purpose of this research was to determine the number of small farmers in Missouri who grow crops other than the traditional crops (soybeans, corn, wheat, cotton), and to identify issues they face in their production. A survey questionnaire consisting of fifteen questions was sent to 401 small farmers in Missouri in Fall 2002. The response was a 27% return rate. Most (77%) of the respondents grew tomato and many (50%) used irrigations. Among those who did not grow the nontraditional crops, 46% cited lack of interest as the reason while 32% cited lack of labor. The reasons given by 80% of respondents who at one time grew nontraditional crops but stopped, were lost interest, profit, and insufficient labor. Many respondents also grew herbs and other specialty vegetables in addition to the nontraditional crops. Garlic and chives were grown by 19% of respondents. Most (80%) respondents who grew specialty crops were interested in seminars, workshops or field days on their production, marketing or financing. Among respondents who grew nontraditional crops but stopped, 39% cited drought as the reason while 25% cited insects. These results indicate that small farmers of specialty crops in Missouri need training and information, to profitably produce the nontraditional crops.

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Results from Survey Instruments Used to Assess Technology Adoption for Tree Fruit Production

HortTechnology ◽

10.21273/hortsci.20.6.1043 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 20 (6) ◽

pp. 1043-1048 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Katie Ellis ◽

Tara Auxt Baugher ◽

Karen Lewis

Keyword(s):

National Level ◽

Fruit Production ◽

Future Research ◽

Eastern United States ◽

Specialty Crops ◽

Specialty Crop ◽

Research Initiative ◽

The Pacific ◽

Tree Fruit ◽

Survey Instruments

Advances in horticultural production technology are often hindered by slow grower adoption. Low adoption rates are largely the product of skepticism, which can lead to weaknesses in the commercialization process and affect future research and product development. To better understand industry concerns and design effective outreach methods, an information technology survey was designed as part of the U.S. Department of Agriculture Specialty Crop Research Initiative project titled Comprehensive Automation for Specialty Crops (CASC). This study outlines the survey results from 111 participants at tree fruit meetings in the Pacific northwestern and eastern United States in 2009. Many of the misgivings about new automated technologies, such as equipment cost and reliability of harvest assist, sensor systems, and fully automated harvest machinery, were consistent across the country. Subtle differences appeared between the eastern U.S. and Pacific northwestern U.S. responses, including justifiable equipment price points and irrigation and pest concerns; these are likely attributable to regional differences in climate, operation size and scale, and marketing strategies. These survey data will help the project team better address grower concerns and uncertainty on a regional and national level, thereby improving adoption speed and rates after CASC-developed technologies are rolled out.

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Robotic Manipulation for Specialty Crop Harvesting: A Review of Manipulator and End-Effector Technologies

Global Journal of Agricultural and Allied Sciences ◽

10.35251/gjaas.2020.004 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 2 (1) ◽

pp. 25-41

Author(s):

Joseph Davidson ◽

Santosh Bhusal ◽

Changki Mo ◽

Manoj Karkee ◽

Qin Zhang

Keyword(s):

System Optimization ◽

Robotic Manipulation ◽

Future Research ◽

Visual Localization ◽

Robotic Hands ◽

Specialty Crops ◽

End Effector ◽

Reporting Practices ◽

Specialty Crop ◽

Recent Developments

This paper reviews recent developments in manipulator and end-effector technologies for the robotic harvesting of specialty crops that include fruits, vegetables, nursery crops, and nuts among others. Quantitative performance measures and general review criteria, including methods of crop detachment and end-effector sensing, are used to evaluate technologies and determine state-of-the-art in the field. Challenges affecting commercial implementation, limitations of current mechanical designs, and best practices are then presented. Results of the review show that, in general, robotic manipulation during harvesting has been limited by lack of system optimization and insufficient robustness to position error accumulated during visual localization. Inconsistent reporting practices have also hampered research and development across the field. At the conclusion of the review, some avenues of future research that could potentially lead to improvements in system performance are proposed. Some of the proposed recommendations include specific horticultural practices, the development of modular, multi-functional designs, and the incorporation of robust grasping techniques used in many of today’s robotic hands.

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History of Controlled Environment Horticulture: Indoor Farming and Its Key Technologies

HortScience ◽

10.21273/hortsci16159-21 ◽

2022 ◽

Vol 57 (2) ◽

pp. 247-256

Author(s):

Cary A. Mitchell

Keyword(s):

Environmental Factors ◽

Plant Growth ◽

Crop Production ◽

Controlled Environment ◽

Specialty Crops ◽

Specialty Crop ◽

History Of ◽

Controlled Environments ◽

Basic And Applied Research ◽

Experimental Findings

The most recent platform for protected horticultural crop production, with the shortest history to date, is located entirely indoors, lacking even the benefit of free, natural sunlight. Although this may not sound offhand like a good idea for commercial specialty-crop production, the concept of indoor controlled-environment plant growth started originally for the benefit of researchers—to systematically investigate effects of specific environmental factors on plant growth and development in isolation from environmental factors varying in uncontrolled ways that would confound or change experimental findings. In addition to its value for basic and applied research, it soon was discovered that providing nonlimiting plant-growth environments greatly enhanced crop yield and enabled manipulation of plant development in ways that were never previously possible. As supporting technology for indoor crop production has improved in capability and efficiency, energy requirements have declined substantially for growing crops through entire production cycles in completely controlled environments, and this combination has spawned a new sector of the controlled-environment crop-production industry. This article chronicles the evolution of events, enabling technologies, and entrepreneurial efforts that have brought local, year-round indoor crop production to the forefront of public visibility and the threshold of profitability for a growing number of specialty crops in locations with seasonal climates.

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Economic Studies Reinforce Efforts to Safeguard Specialty Crops in the United States

Plant Disease ◽

10.1094/pdis-05-20-1061-fe ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 105 (1) ◽

pp. 14-26

Author(s):

M. Fuchs ◽

C. V. Almeyda ◽

M. Al Rwahnih ◽

S. S. Atallah ◽

E. J. Cieniewicz ◽

...

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

Disease Management ◽

Crop Production ◽

The United States ◽

Specialty Crops ◽

Extension Educators ◽

Specialty Crop ◽

Planting Material ◽

Planting Materials ◽

Economic Studies

Pathogen-tested foundation plant stocks are the cornerstone of sustainable specialty crop production. They provide the propagative units that are used to produce clean planting materials, which are essential as the first-line management option of diseases caused by graft-transmissible pathogens such as viruses, viroids, bacteria, and phytoplasmas. In the United States, efforts to produce, maintain, and distribute pathogen-tested propagative material of specialty crops are spearheaded by centers of the National Clean Plant Network (NCPN). Agricultural economists collaborated with plant pathologists, extension educators, specialty crop growers, and regulators to investigate the impacts of select diseases caused by graft-transmissible pathogens and to estimate the return on investments in NCPN centers. Economic studies have proven valuable to the NCPN in (i) incentivizing the use of clean planting material derived from pathogen-tested foundation plant stocks; (ii) documenting benefits of clean plant centers, which can outweigh operating costs by 10:1 to 150:1; (iii) aiding the development of disease management solutions that are not only ecologically driven but also profit maximizing; and (iv) disseminating integrated disease management recommendations that resonate with growers. Together, economic studies have reinforced efforts to safeguard specialty crops in the United States through the production and use of clean planting material.

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Potential applications of biogenic selenium nanoparticles in alleviating biotic and abiotic stresses in plants: A comprehensive insight on the mechanistic approach and future perspectives

Green Processing and Synthesis ◽

10.1515/gps-2021-0047 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 (1) ◽

pp. 456-475

Author(s):

Efat Zohra ◽

Muhammad Ikram ◽

Ahmad A. Omar ◽

Mujahid Hussain ◽

Seema Hassan Satti ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Abiotic Stresses ◽

Crop Production ◽

Plant Secondary Metabolites ◽

Selenium Nanoparticles ◽

Future Research ◽

Biotic And Abiotic Stresses ◽

Biotic Stresses ◽

Agriculture Sector ◽

Developmental Growth ◽

Potential Applications

Abstract In the present era, due to the increasing incidence of environmental stresses worldwide, the developmental growth and production of agriculture crops may be restrained. Selenium nanoparticles (SeNPs) have precedence over other nanoparticles because of the significant role of selenium in activating the defense system of plants. In addition to beneficial microorganisms, the use of biogenic SeNPs is known as an environmentally friendly and ecologically biocompatible approach to enhance crop production by alleviating biotic and abiotic stresses. This review provides the latest development in the green synthesis of SeNPs by using the results of plant secondary metabolites in the biogenesis of nanoparticles of different shapes and sizes with unique morphologies. Unfortunately, green synthesized SeNPs failed to achieve significant attention in the agriculture sector. However, research studies were performed to explore the application potential of plant-based SeNPs in alleviating drought, salinity, heavy metal, heat stresses, and bacterial and fungal diseases in plants. This review also explains the mechanistic actions that the biogenic SeNPs acquire to alleviate biotic and abiotic stresses in plants. In this review article, the future research that needs to use plant-mediated SeNPs under the conditions of abiotic and biotic stresses are also highlighted.

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Determining the structure of pharmaceutical industry in Iran

International Journal of Pharmaceutical and Healthcare Marketing ◽

10.1108/ijphm-06-2017-0030 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 13 (1) ◽

pp. 101-115

Author(s):

Sara Emamgholipour ◽

Lotfali Agheli

Keyword(s):

Pharmaceutical Industry ◽

Economies Of Scale ◽

Monopolistic Competition ◽

Pharmaceutical Market ◽

Data Availability ◽

Market Demand ◽

Firm Level ◽

Content Type ◽

Measure Concentration ◽

Pharmaceutical Industries

Purpose As the pharmaceutical industry is one of the key sectors of the health-care system, the identification of its structure is of particular importance. This paper aims to determine the structure of the pharmaceutical industry in Iran to provide appropriate solutions for pricing and regulation by policymakers. Iran is a growing pharmaceutical market with over $4bn in sales, so the supply side needs to be examined to meet the domestic consumption. Design/methodology/approach This research is a descriptive and retrospective analytical study which examines the Iranian pharmaceutical industry through library studies and using pharmaceutical data of the country’s Food and Drug Administration during 1992-2016. Due to data availability in firm level, the concentration ratio of N leading firms and the Herfindahl–Hirschman index are used to measure the concentration of the pharmaceutical market in 2014 and 2016. Findings The results show that pharmaceutical manufacturing, importing companies and distributing companies play roles in monopolistic competition market, loose oligopoly market and oligopoly market, respectively. For all companies, the magnitudes of Herfindahl–Hirschman indices indicate non-competitive settings. As a result, these companies set their own prices, and market demand affects their sales. In addition, demand for medicines is shaped in the form of supply-induced demand. Research limitations/implications This research was accomplished with no computational limitation. However, it was confined to only one country, one industry and the mentioned period of study. Practical implications The pharmaceutical manufacturers have no influence on medicine prices, and government pricing regulations lessen the market power of such market agents. However, the easy entry to and exit from market stimulate producers to participate in manufacturing activities. The pharmaceutical importers may expand their imports in response to entry new actors; however, the new entrants weaken the coordination on pricing decisions. Social implications As pharmaceutical distributers act in an oligopoly market, they can collude, reduce competition and lower the welfare of pharmaceutical consumers. In such conditions, high investment requirements and economies of scale may discourage the entry of new firms. Originality/value Although there are various studies on market structure in non-pharmaceutical industries, this study is a new effort to measure concentration in the Iranian pharmaceutical market and to determine its structure.

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