Empirical results demonstrate that uncertainty about costs and requirements for environmental compliance is an important determinant of dairy producers… investment behavior. Ex ante forecasting of how uncertainty and irreversibility are likely to affect producers… responsiveness to agricultural technologies has implications for the design of environmental policies. Simulation modeling methods are described. The empirical analysis focuses on Texas producers… propensity to adopt free‐stall dairy housing. Free‐stall investments offer advantages for both productivity‐augmentation and pollution abatement, yet uncertainty and irreversibility are obstacles to adoption. Implications of this ex ante paradigm for policy design and implementation are discussed.

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‘Marsh’ grapefruit (Citrus paradisi Macf.) were seal-packaged in low-density, polyethylene films ranging from 20 to 40 µm in thickness and stored at temperatures from 5 to 28°C for periods up to 109 days. Film thickness had a negligible effect on transpiration, respiratory gas exchange, and juice quality. Storage temperature had a negligible effect on transpiration of seal-packaged fruit. However, 28° storage temperature significantly affected acid concentration in both seal-packaged and unwaxed fruit, probably as a result of increased respiratory activity at high storage temperatures. Quality of both seal-packaged fruit and unwaxed fruit deteriorated in storage at 28°.