As an economist, I have been trained to see the world through a lens of critical thinking. As a manure visionary, I have been trained to look beyond traditional monetary values to measure both benefits and costs. If and when … Continue reading →
Cell addresses in spreadsheets, by default are relative objects. This means that when a formula is copied in Excel the relationship to adjacent cells that are included in the copied cell formula, also gets copied. If the cell to the … Continue reading →
Food pricing has many layers. Earlier, it was established that Biomass Rules considers food to be retail consumption of human nutrients. There are exceptions, but this working definition simplifies many parts. It is easy to look at the farm gate … Continue reading →
The more things change, it seems the more they stay the same. This Biomass Rules chart with data from 2006, appeared in Chapter 19: Williams, James L. and Mark Jenner. Petroleum Dependence, Biofuels – Economies Of Scope And Scale; US … Continue reading →
The first federal census of agriculture was conducted in 1840. It has been conducted for 184 years. The oldest hardcopy of the US Census of Agriculture in the Biomass Rules collection is from 1982. We have been reading and analyzing … Continue reading →
Paying $3 for a drive-thru coffee is a rational choice when the alternative is no coffee at all. It is also reasonable to pay $4 for a box of corn cereal. If one, 12-ounce box of cereal provides 8 bowls … Continue reading →
Food is as old as dirt. However, in 2024 the word ‘food’ is poorly understood. Pandemics, supply-chain challenges, trade wars, real wars; have all contributed to growing concern about access to food. Clarifying and aligning definitions of food will take … Continue reading →
Last week, USDA, Economic Research Service (ERS) posted this chart on used oil as feedstocks in biodiesel production. This USDA chart indicated that we are pulling undervalued fats, oils, and greases into higher valued uses as transportation fuel. This promotes … Continue reading →
Ok. This is certainly overkill, but I can’t stop sharing. There was a lot of interest in the last post, Midwest Land Prices Only Increase in the LONG View. But it gets EVEN cooler. Two of the lines in this … Continue reading →
Ten years ago, while working for University of Missouri – Extension, I had the privilege of joining a curriculum development team on estate and farm transfers. We developed the idea of a case, or at least believable story, to go … Continue reading →
