Biomass Rules operates at the intersection of production agricultural food production and opportunities to bring value-adding, agricultural byproducts back into the economy through reuse. The moving target for value-adding byproducts is the pool of undervalued wastes. The knowledge of agricultural … Continue reading →
Trade fundamentally seeks out the most efficient combination of resource use. In economic terms, it optimizes the lowest opportunity cost. The US, and more recently Brazil, produce soybeans so well they supply the world. When other nations import soybeans, it … Continue reading →
When the benefits of an activity are difficult to put a dollar value on, or monetize, the traditional cost curves don’t tell the whole story. Total costs are the sum of all the variable costs and fixed costs. Undervalued community … Continue reading →
What is the value of a local home high school football game? How about the value of a community service organization? When I began my teaching career in undergraduate economics, I also moved back to my ancestorial home, Greenville, Illinois, … Continue reading →
Agricultural byproducts are not produced on demand. The quantity of byproduct production is based on the demand for the higher valued commodity or product. This is not news. But it seems forgotten in the passionate discussions of waste cooking oils … Continue reading →
Is emerging cellular agriculture an extension of farming? Or is it a replacement for farming? An extension of farming – grain to beer – is an economic complement. A farm replacement – meat and dairy protein from tanks – is … Continue reading →
Raised by depression-era parents, I have lived through the 1980s farm crisis, and spent 2 years as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Nepal using my first degree (BS agronomy) to help Nepali farmers grow more food. In the 80s and … Continue reading →
Over the last few decades, financing the family farm has shifted. Farm policies and farm management begin with the idea of a farm as the central business unit of a farm household. This is an excellent place to begin. But … Continue reading →
The local high school Christmas Concert was this week. It was packed. Hours of practice by the students, hours of extracurricular energy from teachers and staff, mountains of volunteer hours from students and parents, and 90 minutes direct joy from … Continue reading →
I have benefitted from a rich tradition of military service. In 1979, I was part of an exchange work-study program on a potato and hog farm in southern Germany. Working outside of my home environment in the Midwest United States … Continue reading →
