Research

Publications

"Land tenure and profitability among young farmers and ranchers.", with Andrew Stevens

Agricultural Finance Review (2022) Volume 82 Issue 3

This article investigates how land tenure correlates with measures of profitability among young farmers and ranchers in the United States. We hypothesize that young producers who own a larger proportion of their operation face different incentives between short- and long-run returns than young producers who primarily rent their land. We analyze whether these differing incentives result in observable differences in various measures of profitability. We use state-level data from the Agricultural Resource Management Survey (ARMS) from 2003 to 2018 to estimate fixed-effects panel models correlating land tenure with the value of farm production, expenditures on repairs and maintenance, net farm income, total operator household income from farming, rate of return on assets (ROA) and rate of return on equity (ROE). Our results show different correlations for crop farms and livestock farms, as well as different correlations for farms with the lowest and highest gross sales. For crop farms, renting land is associated with higher production, higher income, higher ROA, and higher ROE. For livestock farms, renting land is associated with lower production.

“Agricultural disaster programs and family farm labor supply in Taiwan.”, with Hung-Hao Chang and Lih-Chyun Sun

Journal of Agribusiness in Developing and Emerging Economies (2018) Volume 8 Issue 4

This paper investigates the effects of disaster relief payments on the on-farm and off-farm labor supply of farm households in Taiwan. The effectiveness of the policy amendments of the disaster relief assistance programs is also examined. A unique sample of 124,827 persons living in the family farm household in 2009, 2011, 2012, 2013, and 2014 was used. This sample was merged into the township-level administrative profile of all of the recipients of agricultural disaster relief payments from the Natural Disaster Program in Taiwan. A fixed effect panel data model was estimated to analyze the impacts of disaster relief payments on each individual’s labor supply decision. Our results show natural disaster payments significantly reduced individual’s propensity to work on the farm. Moreover, the higher the payments, the higher(lower) the possibility of the individual engaging in on-farm(off-farm) work. In addition, an increase in disaster payments can increase the on-farm labor supply of family farm members.

Working Papers

"Demand Responses to Avian Influenza Outbreak and Information" (Job Market Paper).

This study investigates the impact of avian influenza on consumer meat and poultry purchasing decisions. Specifically, I focus on two aspects: self-searched avian flu information and state-level outbreaks. First, employing the Exact Affine Stone Index (EASI) implicit Marshallian demand system, I estimate the impact of avian flu search intensity on the demand for meat and poultry products, with consideration of price substitution effects.  In addition, I evaluate the effects of avian influenza outbreaks on poultry and meat demand using a quasi-experimental design, shedding light on the temporal and geographical disparities in consumer responses. The findings reveal that heightened public interest in avian influenza leads to an increased demand for poultry during non-outbreak periods; conversely, it decreases poultry demand when domestic outbreaks occur. Moreover, during outbreak periods, outbreak states exhibit a higher demand for poultry products compared to states without outbreaks.

"A Tale of Two Countries: The Trade War's Impact on Agricultural Land Uses in the US and Brazil", with Xiaodong Du.

This study examines the impact of the Trade War, channeled through price and price uncertainty, on corn and soybean land use in the United States and Brazil. Using the dynamic supply response framework and time series model,  we find that the Trade War has resulted in an increase in corn planting and a decrease in soybean planting in the US, with a greater impact on the western and northern regions of the Corn Belt. In contrast, in Brazil, the impact on land use is comparatively less significant and variable, with an increase in soybean land share and a decrease in the share of first corn.

Works in Progress

Sugar-Sweetened Beverages Tax Pass-Through and Multi-Product Firm Responses (with Xiaodong Du).

The Heterogeneous Effect of Exposure to the Dust Bowl on Later Life Outcomes (with Jason Fletcher and Owen Thompson).

Hospital Access at Birth and Adult Outcomes: Evidence from the Hill-Burton Program (with Jason Fletcher and Owen Thompson).

Wind Turbine and Crop Productivity (with Nicole Karwowski and Qinan Lu).