2003 News Archive

Iowa State University

Dr. Sergio H. Lence (515) 294-4545

$190,687

To develop a long-term futures and options pricing model for four commodities, including crops and livestock. The model will be incorporated into a web-based risk management tool accessible to the agricultural community. The tool will enable users to access data on equilibrium futures and options prices and will project equilibrium futures prices on long-term contracts that do not trade.

The Rodale Institute

Chris Hill (610) 683-1414

$718,314

To expand the geographic coverage and scope of the Organic Price Index in order to gather and present comparable price data for organic and conventional products representing commercial crops, specialty crops, and underserved commodities. The price data will be collected, organized, analyzed and made available without cost to assist producers in assessing market and production risks.

University of Nebraska-Lincoln

Dr. Walter Schacht (402) 472-0205

$608,880

To develop an ecological forecasting/decision support system (risk management tool) to assist producers in managing forage production and utilization on rangeland, pastureland, and hayland.

Mississippi State University

Dr. Keith Coble (662) 325-6670

$452,363

To develop financial derivatives that will address the marketing risk management alternatives available to cattle feeders marketing cattle on a carcass weight or grid pricing basis.

The Rodale Institute

Chris Hill (610) 683-1414

$2,328,519

To develop an enhanced Organic Transition Simulation Model (OTSM) in an easy to use simulation tool for farmers to help them analyze a wide variety of risk factors and costs when considering a transition to organic. This tool, including on online training course, will help farmers analyze the relative economic benefits of organic versus conventional systems over time by combining simulation with instruction to identify and understand important farm variables in management, production and marketing; and train extension agents and producers in the basics of organic production and marketing.

Economic Research Service, USDA

Dr. Carolyn Dimitri (202) 694-5252

$595,489

To develop an educational tool to guide organic producers in making decisions that reduce marketing and production risk.

University of Georgia Research Foundation, Inc.

Dr. Luane Lohr (706) 542-0847

$304,227

Analyze the price risk associated with marketing organic commodities by developing a price forecasting model and assessing variability of prices over time and market conditions, and then, package the research findings into a decision support tool for farmers and agribusiness professionals to use in managing the risks of crop allocation and marketing.

Kansas State University

Dr. Hikaru Hanawa Peterson (785) 532-1509

$158,726

To develop a risk management tool, by way of an online spreadsheet calculator, to assist organic grain farmers in the central Great Plains (Kansas and surrounding states) in improving techniques for assessing as well as market risks, including price and quality risks, and organic versus conventional risks.

Iowa State University of Science & Technology

Dr. Mark Gleason (515) 294-0579

$438,738

To develop a web-based risk management tool for growers of organic apples throughout the eastern U.S. The program will be based on existing and newly-acquired experimental management and market data for organic and conventional production systems and will assist producers in reducing the impact of multiple-year losses and the impact of market and production risks.

The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois

Dr. Paul Ellinger (217) 333-5503

$371,140

To develop and integrate a suite of computerized decision aides and informational databases that will enhance crop and livestock producers' abilities to make sound financial and risk management managerial decisions. Also, to choose the risk components to be included in the farm financial/risk simulation tool, develop a framework to estimate uncertainty in input costs and asset valuation that is consistent with the other parameters estimated and utilized for the tool, and provide outreach and classroom training for producers and extension personnel in order to familiarize them with the tool.

Washington State University

Dr. Holly Wang (509) 335-8521

$182,431

To develop a computerized risk assessment tool that can be used by producers to evaluate the economic impact of alternative production strategies (conventional vs. organic) for apple producers in the Pacific Northwest (PNW) region.

AIR Worldwide Corporation

S. Ming Lee (617) 267-6645

$431,410

To develop and provide a web-based interactive weather analysis tool that will assist specialty crop producers to manage their operations and improve management of multi-year risk.

The Ohio State University Research Foundation

Dr. Matthew Roberts (614) 688-8686

$151,296

To develop a web-based risk management tool to assist livestock producers and aquaculture producers in managing feed cost risk. The tool allows for multi-year assessments of potential feed procurement strategies.

AgriLogic, Inc.

Joe Davis (817) 473-8771

$987,910

To develop a web-based tool called the Forage and Rangeland Decision Support System (FRDSS). The tool will assist livestock producers in improving price, revenue and lowering market risk and will offer easy access to a specialized combination of local environmental information (weather, soil moisture, terrain elevation, etc.) and financial management tools specifically designed for forage and rangeland applications. Deployment of the tool will be throughout Pennsylvania, Utah, Nevada, and Wyoming.

Agren, Inc.

Stanley Buman (712) 792-6248

$576,136

To develop a risk management tool and a distribution mechanism to aid producers in drought management planning with regard to destocking recommendations.

Michigan State University

Dr. Suzanne Thornsbury (517) 432-5418

$143,288

To develop strategies and a web-based decision support tool for managing multi-year risk, particularly multiple year losses resulting from tree loss, price cycles and uncertainty about price.

AgriLogic, Inc.

Joe Davis (817) 473-8771

$1,174,540

To develop a web-based risk management tool for forage risk assessment and management system for the ranching industry. The proposed system would provide the means to monitor and assess the performance of free-grazing animals, the forage conditions in response to site-specific weather, and the potential least-cost feeding or destocking decisions relative to market and weather risk.

Rural Coalition

Loretta Picciano (202) 628-7160

$715,000

To develop and provide risk management tool(s) to reduce risk exposure and increase health and safety through farmer worker - farmer partnership and training.