Rose Kre bill-Pr a t herA probit model is used to quantify factors influencing the probability that a selected group of agricultural decision makers (producers and landowners receiving crops from a share lease) used futures or options for commodity marketing during the 1986, 1987, or 1988 marketing years. Respondents were selected from participants in orientation sessions associated with the nationwide Futures and Option Marketing Pilot Program. Results suggest previous use of cash forward contracts, location, size and farming operation (measured by gross farm sales), having a college degree(s), and membership in a marketing club have the greatest impact on the probability of using futures and options.Effective commodity marketing at the farm level has received increasing attention over the past two decades. Periods of heightened commodity price volatility, greater exposure to world supply and demand conditions, a more market-oriented farm policy, and periods of farm financial stress have all contributed to this additional focus. This increasing emphasis on marketing has drawn attention to Research for this article was conducted under projects K149 and H896 of the Idaho Agricultural Experiment Station. Financial support was provided under Cooperative Agreement number 89-EXCA-3-0988 with the Extension Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The authors express appreciation for the helpful comments provided by anonymous journal reviewers.

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Organic food sales have been increasing rapidly. Changing consumer tastes and preferences provide market opportunities for organically-grown food products, including potatoes. We developed a model to determine the factors that influence U.S. demand for fresh organic potatoes. The model's explanatory variables include organic potato price, consumer income, rice price, organic carrot price, red and Yukon Gold potato price, chicken price, the number of Whole Food stores, average Body Mass Index, the organic penetration rate and regional dummy variables. We found organic potato demand to be more sensitive than conventional potato demand to changes in price and consumer income. The New England region had the highest preferences for organic potatoes. We forecasted a 19% annual growth rate in U.S. per capita organic potato consumption to 2013.Resumen Las ventas de comida orgánica han estado aumentando rápidamente. Los cambios en gustos y preferencias de los consumidores proveen de oportunidades de mercado para productos alimenticios cultivados orgánica-mente, incluyendo a las papas. Nosotros desarrollamos un modelo para determinar los factores que influencian la demanda en los E.U. para papas orgánicas frescas. Las variables explicativas del modelo incluyen el precio de la papa orgánica, el ingreso del consumidor, precios del arroz, de zanahoria orgánica, de papa roja y Yukon Gold, de pollo, el número de tiendas de mayoreo de alimentos, el promedio del índice de masa corporal, el nivel de penetración de lo orgánico, y las variables regionales del modelo. Encontramos que la demanda de papa orgánica es más sensible que la demanda de papa convencional a los cambios en precio y al ingreso del consumidor. La región de Nueva Inglaterra tuvo las preferencias más altas para papas orgánicas. Pronosticamos un nivel de crecimiento anual de 19% de consumo de papa orgánica per cápita para el 2013 en E.U.

Some believe Panama Canal toll rates will increase dramatically as Panama's sovereignty over the Canal becomes complete at the end of this century. This paper focuses on the ability of Panama Canal management to extract additional toll revenues from United States grain traversing the Canal and the impact of increased toll rates on export grain flows. Analyses show toll rates established by a revenue-maximizing Canal management would exceed historical and current rates. A monopolizing Canal operator would have moderately increased Pacific port exports in the mid-1970's; whereas, in the 1979-82 period, Pacific port flows would have exceeded historical level.