Scale Economies and Inefficiency of U.S. Dairy Farms

American Journal of Agricultural Economics - Tập 91 Số 3 - Trang 777-794 - 2009
Roberto Mosheim1, C. A. Knox Lovell2,3
1Economic Research Service U.S. Department of Agriculture C.A.
2Department of Economics University of Georgia
3School of Economics, University of Queensland

Tóm tắt

AbstractThis study employs data drawn from the 2000 Agricultural Resource Management Survey, a U.S. Department of Agriculture‐sponsored farmers’ survey. The article estimates returns to scale relationships across dairy farms of different sizes and across different regions, incorporating variables hypothesized to influence farm performance. Results point to significant scale economies in U.S. dairy farms and underscore the importance of taking account of inefficiency when estimating scale economies. Contrary to previous research, the preferred cost function specification does not show a region of decreasing returns to scale. This finding helps explain why the average size of dairy farms has been increasing.

Từ khóa


Tài liệu tham khảo

10.2307/1924361

10.1111/1467-8276.00108

Atkinson S.E., 2006, Paper presented at AAEA annual meeting, 23

10.2307/1924275

10.2307/2526224

2001 Oxford University Press Washington DC D. Banker R. Green P. Korb ARMS 2000 Phase III: Documentation and Data Files Specifications Farm Business and Farm Operator Household Data (Confidential File)

1982 Oxford University Press New York W.J. Baumol J.C. Panzar R.D. Willig Contestable Markets and the Theory of Industry Structure

1991 Oxford University Press Reading MA E.R. Berndt The Practice of Econometrics: Classic and Contemporary

10.2307/3146322

2004 Oxford University Press Washington DC D.P. Blayney M.A. Normile Economic Effects of U.S. Dairy Policy and Alternative Approaches to Milk Pricing

Caves D.W., 1980, Global Properties of Flexible Functional Forms, American Economic Review, 70, 422

10.2307/2232257

Caves D.W., 1981, Productivity Growth, Scale Economies, and Capacity Utilization in U.S. Railroads, 1955–74, American Economic Review, 71, 994

10.2307/2555519

1988 Oxford University Press New York R.G. Chambers Applied Production Analysis: A Dual Approach

10.1111/j.1467-8276.2007.01118.x

10.1016/S1574-0072(01)10008-3

10.1086/260470

10.2307/1927992

10.1596/0-8213-5379-9

10.2307/1911156

Elliott J.W., 1973, Theories of Corporate Investment Behavior Revisited, American Economic Review, 63, 195

1996 Oxford University Press Washington DC H. El‐Osta M.C. Ahearn Estimating the Opportunity Cost of Unpaid Farm Labor for U.S. Farm Operators

10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195183528.003.0001

10.1023/A:1011142901799

10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195183528.003.0002

Grunfeld Y., 1960, The Demand for Durable Goods, 211

2005 Oxford University Press Chicago Ibbotson Associates Stocks Bonds Bills and Inflation 2005 Yearbook: Market Results for 1926–2004

1999 Oxford University Press Madison B.L. Jones Growth in Dairy Farms: The Consequences of Taking Big Steps or Small Ones When Expanding

Jorgenson D.W., 1968, A Comparison of Alternative Theories of Corporate Investment Behavior, American Economic Review, 58, 681

10.1093/0198285930.001.0001

10.2307/3666295

10.2307/2109441

10.1017/CBO9781139174411

10.1016/j.jeconom.2005.06.025

Lau L.J., 1971, A Test for Relative Efficiency and Application to Indian Agriculture, American Economic Review, 61, 94

10.2139/ssrn.1084458

10.1093/erae/27.4.473

10.1111/j.1744-7976.1988.tb03271.x

1999 Oxford University Press Boston C.J. Morrison Cost Structure and the Measurement of Economic Performance: Productivity Utilization Cost Economics and Related Performance Indicators

10.1023/A:1007783305190

10.1007/s11123-004-7573-1

10.2307/1242074

10.1016/j.foodpol.2005.12.005

1996 Oxford University Press Washington DC C.M. Tolbert M. Sizer U.S. Commuting Zones and Labor Market Areas: A 1990 Update

2000 U.S. Department of Agriculture Economic Research Service (USDA‐ERS) 2000 Agricultural Resource Management Survey (ARMS2000) Version 4 (dairy)

2008 U.S. Department of Agriculture National Agricultural Statistical Service (USDA‐NASS) U.S. … All States Data–Dairy

10.1016/S0749-0720(03)00028-8

Yotopoulos P.A., 1973, A Test for Relative Economic Efficiency: Some Further Results, American Economic Review, 63, 214