R. Tronstad - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by R. Tronstad

From field to textile mill, all stages of the cotton industry are adversely affected by sticky co... more From field to textile mill, all stages of the cotton industry are adversely affected by sticky cotton. Honeydew deposited by phloem-feeding insects such as whiteflies and aphids, and sugars produced by the plant itself may build up to levels that impede fiber handling. Typically, stickiness is first encountered when sugar-contaminated cotton lint is carded at the textile mill. Growers often sustain considerable costs in managing honeydew-producing insects. Further, if stickiness is found by textile processors, growers in regions associated with sticky cotton may suffer price reductions in future years. At present, no test for sugars contamination is as rapid as HVI testing. Moreover, no current test of sugars contamination has been directly calibrated with fiber processing efficiency. Because current measures for mitigating stickiness in the field and at the mill are unreliable, stickiness is best avoided by managing insect and plant sources. Well-implemented integrated pest and pla...

Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics

Invasive insect species represent perhaps one of the most significant potential sources of econom... more Invasive insect species represent perhaps one of the most significant potential sources of economic risk to U.S. agricultural production. Private control of invasive insect species is likely to be insufficient due to negative externality and weaker-link public good problems. In this study, we compare a system of Pigouvian taxes with tradable permits for invasive species control. While the emissions control literature shows that taxes are preferred to permits under cost uncertainty, invasive-species control involves correlated cost and benefit uncertainty. Hence, we expect a quantity-based system to be preferred. Monte Carlo simulations of optimal steady-state outcomes confirm our expectations.

Arizona has experienced a trend toward increasing fiber micronaire values in recent years resulti... more Arizona has experienced a trend toward increasing fiber micronaire values in recent years resulting in substantial discounts on fiber value. There is some evidence to suggest management can impact fiber micronaire. Approximately 250 cases were identified in cotton production areas in Arizona ranging from the lower Colorado River Valley to near 2,000 ft. elevation with grower cooperators in the 2000 season. Field records were developed for each field by use of the University of Arizona Cotton Monitoring System (UA-CMS) for points such as variety, planting date, fertility management, irrigation schedules, irrigation termination, defoliation, etc. Routine plant measurements were conducted to monitor crop growth and development and to identify fruiting patterns and retention through the season. As the crop has approached cutout and the lower bolls began to open, open boll samples have been collected from the lowest four, first position bolls (theoretically the bolls with the highest mic...

A field experiment was conducted in 2004 at the University of Arizona Maricopa Agricultural Cente... more A field experiment was conducted in 2004 at the University of Arizona Maricopa Agricultural Center (1,175ft. elevation) to evaluate the effects of five irrigation termination (IT1, IT2, IT3, IT4, and IT5) dates on yield and fiber micronaire of several Upland cotton varieties. In addition, the economic relationships of IT treatments were also evaluated. The first IT treatment (IT1) was made with the intention of terminating irrigations somewhat pre-maturely. Based upon current UA recommendations for IT to complete a single cycle fruit set, the more optimal date of IT would have included one or two additional irrigations (beyond IT1). In this experiment, IT2 was structured to provide an additional (one) irrigation before the more optimal date. For the IT3 plots, the intention was to attempt to time termination to match the conventional growers optimal date. The IT4 and IT5 were imposed to attempt to produce a second cycle fruit set and irrigations continued until 27 August and 21 Sept...

Field experiments were conducted in 2004 and 2005 at the University of Arizona Maricopa Agricultu... more Field experiments were conducted in 2004 and 2005 at the University of Arizona Maricopa Agricultural Center (1,175ft. elevation) to evaluate the effects of five irrigation termination (IT1, IT2, IT3, IT4, and IT5) dates on yield and fiber micronaire of eleven Upland cotton varieties and one Pima variety. In addition, the economic relationships of IT treatments were also evaluated. The experimental design was a split plot in a randomized complete block design with three replications. The main treatments included the five IT dates and the subunits consisted of 11 Upland varieties and a Pima variety. The first two IT treatments (IT1 and IT2) were imposed with the intention of terminating irrigations very early and pre-maturely at peak bloom. Based upon current UA recommendations for IT to complete a single cycle fruit set, the more optimal date of IT would have included one or two additional irrigations (beyond IT1 and IT2). In this experiment, IT2 was structured to provide an addition...

We estimate a simultaneous bivariate qualitative choice model of Arizona agribusiness firmsÕ prop... more We estimate a simultaneous bivariate qualitative choice model of Arizona agribusiness firmsÕ propensity to trade and visit as a tourist with the cross-border state of Sonora, Mexico. The trade equation is estimated as an ordered probit model with responses of:: 1) a firm has not ever traded or investigated doing any trading activities with Sonora, 2) the firm has not done any trade with Sonora but they have investigated doing business in this cross-border state, and 3) the firm has traded with Sonora, either directly or through a second handler like a broker. A proprietorÕs propensity to visit Sonora as a tourist is modeled from the binary response of whether the individual has ever visited Sonora as a tourist or not. Simultaneity arises since both trade and tourist visits are hypothesized to influence one another. Results indicate that tourist visits have a greater influence on whether firms trade than traditional variables considered like firm age and size. Venture business visits, quantified through the tourism equation, were also found to have a greater impact on an agribusiness firmÕs propensity to trade than traditional variables. Our results suggest that communities seeking to develop and expand cross-border trading activities should target entrepreneurs with an exploratory and venture spirit first. Then, target firms that are fairly established (over 15 years in age) and desire to diversity their production risk through multiple geographic production regions. Firm size and foreign language fluency of the agribusiness owner were found to be less significant than tourist visits, venture business visits, and firm age.

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Many studies report that Bt cotton has led to significant yield gains, reduced insecticide use, o... more Many studies report that Bt cotton has led to significant yield gains, reduced insecticide use, or both in different countries. With rare exception, these studies examine adoption in one region in isolation from adoption in others. This article summarizes the global impacts of Bt ...

Dean received his first "welcome" to Arizona in the early 1980s when he was brought in from Idaho... more Dean received his first "welcome" to Arizona in the early 1980s when he was brought in from Idaho to fight forest fires on the Tonto National Forest near Lake Roosevelt. A couple days after working the fire lines, Dean's group met up with a local Arizona hotshot crew that invited them to a get together that evening to share a few spirits and stories. As the Idahoans sat waiting in a local motel, the door suddenly flew open and the local hotshots tossed what looked and sounded like a live rattlesnake at Dean. His sense of touch confirmed that it was indeed a six-foot rattlesnake-albeit a dead one. The "redneck" locals had gone into the forest with flashlights to capture and kill the reptile before throwing it on Dean's lap. The incident was a memorable introduction to the 48th state. In spite of this unforgettable experience, Dean continued on with his firefighting to become a smokejumper in the summers while he furthered his college education during the academic school year. He received formal training at Gonzaga University (1980 B.A., magna cum laude, biology) and the University of Washington (1987 Ph.D., economics). Dean has conducted extensive research in law and economics and contract economics with emphasis on applications in agriculture and natural resources, and has published articles in the American Economic Review, the American Journal of Agricultural Economics, the Journal of Law and Economics, the RAND Journal of Economics, and many other journals and books. His most recent appointment was as professor of agricultural economics at Montana State University in Bozeman. In 1994-1995 he was a John M. Olin faculty fellow in law and economics at Yale Law School. He has also been a visiting scholar at Cornell University (2000) and was a visiting professor at Universitat Pompeu Fabra in Barcelona, Spain (2001). He was visiting professor of law at the University of Virginia School of Law from 2002-2003. He is the author of The Nature of the Farm: Contracts, Risk, and Organization in Agriculture (MIT Press, 2003). The following interview provides more background on Dean's interests and experiences plus some insights into his aspirations for the Cardon Chair. Arizona Review. What are some of your experiences and interests that attracted you to the Cardon Chair position? Lueck. I was attracted to the position for a variety of reasons. First, many of my current colleagues in AREC have skills and interests that complement mine as do the issues that are important to Arizona. Throughout my career, my work has been at the intersection of agriculture and natural resource issues. Research issues facing Arizona like farmland conversion, urban expansion, water management and policy, federal land management, impacts of endangered species regulations, agricultural production on tribal lands,

Price differentials for hay are driven by variations in location, quality, and season. We model h... more Price differentials for hay are driven by variations in location, quality, and season. We model hay prices using a local market (Yuma, AZ) for three alfalfa qualities. Seasonality in the mean and variance for high, low, and off-grade quality hay were modeled using polynomial functions and a trivariate conditional error structure. Results indicate that both conditional means and variances exhibit strong seasonality patterns that reflect local supply and demand factors. Although seasonality in the mean followed a similar pattern for all hay qualities, conditional variance seasonality patterns were quite different. Results have implications for accurate risk and market assessments for producing, buying, storing, and selling alfalfa.

to become dean of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS). At Texas A&M, where he had... more to become dean of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS). At Texas A&M, where he had been previously, Sander was head of the Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics and director of the Institute of Biosciences and Technology. He received his B.S. in animal science from the University of Minnesota and his Ph.D. in biochemistry in 1965 from Cornell University. Sander then went to Brandeis University as a postdoctoral fellow before being hired by the University of Florida as an assistant professor in the Department of Biochemistry, College of Medicine. Dr. Sander has not slowed down throughout his career, particularly lately. In spite of his full plate of duties as vice provost for CALS, in 2006 he took on additional responsibilities as vice president for Outreach. This includes the University of Arizona South and continuing education and academic outreach programs, along with a dual reporting relationship with Arizona Cooperative Extension. In 2007, he became executive vice president and provost on an interim basis, and as such, he is the chief academic officer of the University. After a permanent provost has been selected, Dr. Sander will return to his "normal" duties as vice president for University Outreach and dean of CALS. CALS consists of ten academic departments and two schools, with research stations and Extension offices throughout Arizona. The latest faculty productivity ranking places CALS as number one in the nation in the category of agricultural sciences. Agronomy and Crop Sciences topped the list at number one among U.S. research universities, including institutions such as Cornell, University of California-Davis, University of Illinois, and Purdue. Dr. Sander has played a key role in this ranking through hiring/retention deliberations and resource allocation decisions for at least two-thirds of the faculty that currently work within CALS. Dr. Sander is married to Louise Canfield Sander with whom he enjoys two children and four grandchildren. Although Dr. Sander carries one of the busiest schedules on campus, he took the time to fill me in on several questions regarding "the rest of the story" on Dr. Eugene G. Sander. Arizona Review. Since genetics, environment, and management are three key components of production agriculture, how did these elements influence your career? Does your lineage contain many educators, administrators, military officers, or other leadership positions? Sander. I had parents who were hard working, intelligent, and well educated. They believed in education and insisted that my sister and I do well at everything we started. My father was a county extension agent and my mother was a school teacher, and they managed our family and insisted that everyone get |

We estimate the weight gain for range calves as a polynomial function of calf age accounting for ... more We estimate the weight gain for range calves as a polynomial function of calf age accounting for weather, sex, lagged calf weights relative to the growth function, and compensatory gains. Birth weights plus single day weighings that occurred around 3, 8, 12, and 20 months of age are the data used to estimate our growth function. This function is then used to determine the economic trade-off between herd size and calf sale weights, for both spring and fall sale dates. In addition, we evaluate the profitability of feeding supplement by increasing the rate of gain associated with our growth function when forage and nutrients are limiting for the two grazing environments of Southeast and Central Arizona. Using prices from 1980 to 1998, results indicate that the most profitable herd mix, sale date, and feeding protocol is 450 lb. calf sales with no supplemental feeding and sales occurring in May for both regions. Although, feeding supplement was not associated with the most profitable ou...

We utilize Classification and Regression Tree analysis to categorize the return of extending the ... more We utilize Classification and Regression Tree analysis to categorize the return of extending the season for upland. High, medium, and low values for cost of water, lint prices, and quality discount/premiums were applied to the lint yield and quality differentials realized from 198 irrigation termination experiments conducted in central Arizona for the crop years of 1991, 1992, 1994, 1996, 1996, 1997, and 2000. The progression of each crop was analyzed using heat units (86/55 F). The relative ranking results of CART, where the most important variable is normalized on 100, were: variety (100), additional heat units after IT-1 (94), yield of IT-1 (93), crop year (83), micronaire associated with IT-1 (68), HUAP for IT-1 (67), lint price (5), water cost (2), and the quality discount/premium year (.09). Significant yield variation from extending the season was found. In addition, agronomic signals for predicting micronaire changes were very important for determining profitability since qu...

The adoption of subsurface drip irrigation (SDI) provides a potential solution to the problem of ... more The adoption of subsurface drip irrigation (SDI) provides a potential solution to the problem of low-water-use efficiency in production agriculture. Other advantages of SDI include reduced NO3 leaching compared to surface irrigation, higher yields, a dry-soil surface for improved weed control, better crop health, and harvest flexibility for many specialty crops. Use of SDI also allows the virtual elimination of

Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics

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