Browsing by Author "Skurla, James A"
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Item 2001 Labor Force Assessment Northeast Minnesota(University of Minnesota Duluth, 2001) Lichty, Richard W; Porett, Matthew; Moore, Scott; O'Brien, Maureen; McTavish, Donald G; Skurla, James A; Jacobson, Jean; Almquist-Minko, Vickie; Smith, Eric; Simonson, JeremyItem Alternatives to Petroleum Based Fuel for Marine Vessels(University of Minnesota Duluth, 2006) Skurla, James A; Jacobson, Jean; Hochsprung, Paul; Malik, Nitya; Slegh, David; Martopullo, Ela; Linde, Nicholas; Almquist-Minko, VickieItem Analyzing Alternatives to the Harbor Maintenance Tax(University of Minnesota Duluth, 2009) McIntosh, Christopher; Skalberg, Randall K; Skurla, James AItem Asparagus, Broccoli and Cauliflower in Minnesota: A Survey of Farms, Acreage and Marketing(University of Minnesota Duluth, 1986-05) Skurla, James A; Edes, George NIn March 1986, a short survey of Minnesota County Extension Agents was conducted regarding commercial production and marketing of asparagus, broccoli, and cauliflower ( 11 ABC 11 ) in Minnesota. NRRI's primary purposes for the survey were: - to check on the quality of some federal Census of Agriculture data, - to obtain data on more recent production (since the 1982 census), and - to obtain data on the geographic extent of ABC farming in Minnesota. The Minnesota County Agents provided estimates of farms and acreage in ABC production in their respective counties in 1984 and 1985, and corresponding plans for 1986. This report is primarily a summary of the survey responses and some analyses thereof.Item Consumer Preference Survey of Health Food Store Customers(University of Minnesota Duluth, 1987-11) Skurla, James A; Powers, John WOrganizations and individuals in the Hubbard County area of west central Minnesota saw the growing and marketing of certified organic specialty crops as an ideal way of rejuvenating a lagging rural economy. The group gained funding from the Northwest Initiative Fund to investigate the market potential of selected products. The Natural Resources Research Institute Business Group of the University of Minnesota, Duluth was retained to assist in designing a survey of current health food store customers. The purpose of the survey was to gain practical insights into the shopping and food preferences of current customers. This information is to be used in deciding which products merit immediate attention for development. It will also be helpful in establishing an effective marketing process.Item Cook County Dairy Market Survey and Business Plan(University of Minnesota Duluth, 2007) Skurla, James A; Jacobson, Jean; Lovisolo, Joseph; Jafri, Syed; Linde, Nicholas; Malik, Nitya; Martopullo, Ela; Slegh, David; Cebula, Barbara; Almquist-Minko, VickieThe University of Minnesota Duluth Labovitz School’s Bureau of Business and Economic Research (BBER) was requested to assist Cook County to evaluate the idea of developing a small sustainable dairy. Two surveys were designed and implemented in Cook County: A survey of demand—Cook County Dairy Market Survey (Customers) featuring a cash-drawing incentive for participation, and a survey of potential distributors—Cook County Dairy Market Survey (Businesses). Data were collected during the fall of 2006 with analysis completed in early 2007. ... In summary there appears to be a viable business opportunity in Cook County for a dairy of this description, but major startup hurdles must be overcome. Once large enough sales and distribution are established, the cooperative can be a valuable contributor to the Cook County economy.Item Cook County Winter Trail Use Study: Technical Report(University of Minnesota Duluth, 2003) Kreag, Glenn M; Skurla, James A; Lichty, Richard W; Jacobson, Jean; McTavish, Donald G; Barkataki, Malita; Paukner, AmberThe following technical report on the Cook County resident survey was developed as a part of the larger research project “Tourism and Winter Trail-based Recreation: An economic and environmental comparison of motor and quiet sports.” The project was designed to document and compare the impacts of snowmobiling and cross country skiing in a destination county. It will measure the economic impacts and assess the perceived social and environmental impacts of these activities. This study employed questionnaires with snowmobilers and cross country skiers and survey local residents in Cook County, Minnesota. An understanding of the differences between motor sports (snowmobiling) and a quiet sport (cross country skiing) is useful in planning future development, minimizing negative impacts, and improving marketing decisions.Item Cook County/Grand Portage Alternative Energy(University of Minnesota Duluth, 2005) Skurla, James A; Lichty, Richard W; Doorn, David J; Jacobson, Jean; Almquist-Minko, Vickie; Malik, Nitya; Williams, Joshua; Hochsprung, Paul; Daly, JohnEnergy sustainability must consider social, ecological and economic factors. This contract is to model the economic impacts to the current economy of the Grand Portage MN Tribal Community when the energy supply changes in response to implementing hydrogen based technology. This project will analyze possible impacts generated when the source of energy changes. Most input-output impact analyses assume that, when one industry in a defined region increases its production, the necessary supply of intermediate products needed in production will be available. This assumption implies that local resources are currently underutilized, or that excess capacity exists in the supplying industries.Item Duluth Area Economic Development Enterprise Network System Analysis(University of Minnesota Duluth, 2005) Skurla, James A; Jacobson, Jean; Malik, Nitya; Williams, Joshua; Carpenter, Talia; Huehn, Jon; Fuchs, Brian; Almquist-Minko, Vickie; Zolnowsky, Wendy MItem Duluth Farmers' Market Survey and Business Plan(University of Minnesota Duluth, 2006) Skurla, James A; Jacobson, Jean; Hochsprung, Paul; Malik, Nitya; Martopullo, Ela; Daly, John; Almquist-Minko, VickieItem Duluth Seaway Port Authority: Impact of Business Development & Shipping Industry in 2005(University of Minnesota Duluth, 2006) Skurla, James A; Jacobson, Jean; Linde, NicholasItem East Central Minnesota: Social and Economic Trends and Implications, Forestry Analysis(University of Minnesota Duluth, 2004) Skurla, James A; Lichty, Richard W; Fleischman, William A; Jacobson, Jean; Barkataki, Malita; Williams, JoshuaItem Economic and Technologic Development for the Crayfish Industry in Minnesota: Final Report(University of Minnesota Duluth, 1992) McDonald, Michael E; DeVore, Philip; Richards, Carl; Skurla, James A; Gunderson, Jeffrey; Kutka, Frank; Merrick, GlennThe potential to develop a viable crayfish industry in Minnesota currently exists. Crayfish biomass in our inland lakes can greatly exceed that of fishes; existing harvest techniques appear to have very little impact on the year-to-year crayfish population. Thus, Minnesota's crayfish appear to be an abundant and resilient resource. There are markets for soft and hard shell crayfish for food, soft and hard shell crayfish for bait, and peeled tail meat. A Minnesota crayfish product could currently be inserted in any of these markets, but crayfish as a bait appears to be the most attractive market. There is a very high seasonal demand for bait crayfish and the wholesale prices can be in the range of $15 to $25 per lb for soft shells. In addition to bait markets, large hard shell crayfish for food have a strong international export market, but this market requires that sufficient quantities be shipped at the right times. Also, there is local interest in peeled tail meat for retail sale. We examined four widely distributed Orconectes species (O. virilis, O. propinquus, O. rusticus, O. immunis) to assess commercial soft shell production potential. Crayfish were held in production-sized shallow trays with 2 cm of water at constant temperature similar to that used for commercial soft shell production. Molting success was examined as a function of capture date, sex, and stage of maturity. The timing of life cycle events dictates to a large extent the availability and soft shell production potential of wild caught crayfish, particularly in northern latitudes where market-sized crayfish are often nonjuveniles. Adults typically molt two to three times per growing season, associated with reproductive cycles. Molting rate in the laboratory was highest when crayfish were captured just prior to the wild molt. The first molt of the season was much more synchronous than the second molt. Molt timing varied by sex. Premolt Orconectid crayfish did not change color like Procambarus sp. but could be identified by the decalcification of the cheliped merus. The harvest of several species may be required to optimize soft shell production since synchronous molts occur at different times for different species. Our economic assessment of the crayfish food market suggests that it is relatively flat. This is due to: continued high production costs (including the lack of a proven tail meat separator); regional consumption (primarily in the south-central and Pacific states); unsophisticated packaging and marketing; and seasonally available supply. Crayfish are used in much of the Midwest for fishing bait. Since it is illegal to sell live crayfish for bait in Minnesota, markets in other states will have to be targeted. Problems to overcome include reducing mortality of crayfish shipped to out-of-state markets and drops in sales when crayfish are available closer to the markets. We have analyzed the economic feasibility of food and bait soft shell crayfish production facilities using flow-through and recirculating systems for the first two years of operation. Bait crayfish production in a recirculating system appeared to be the most profitable operation and food crayfish production in a flow-through system appeared to be the least profitable operation. The processing of large quantities of crayfish for a commercial tail meat operation in Minnesota requires that an inexpensive, automated system be developed in order to maintain the product's economic viability. We have evaluated the necessary engineering design components for developing a relatively inexpensive automated crayfish processing system, which could be linked to extant tail meat extruders. We feel that such a system is feasible, and could cost less than $15,000 retail.Item The Economic Empact of U.S. Steel's Keetac Mine Expansion on the State of Minnesota And on the Arrowhead Region(University of Minnesota Duluth, 2009) Skurla, James A; Jacobson, Jean; Kasim, Taha; Solem, Lyle; Almquist-Minko, VickieItem Economic Impact of a Mixed-Use Development Project In Bloomington, Minnesota(University of Minnesota Duluth, 2008) Skurla, James A; Jacobson, Jean; Kasim, Taha; Almquist-Minko, VickieItem Economic Impact of a Mixed-Use Development Project In Bloomington, Minnesota(University of Minnesota Duluth, 2008) Skurla, James A; Jacobson, Jean; Kasim, Taha; Almquist-Minko, VickieA new project of mixed-use development of condos, hotel, restaurants, coffee shop, and retail is proposed for Bloomington, Minnesota. The impacts for the following area or regions were modeled: the State of Minnesota; a 13-county Twin Cities metro area (Hennepin, Ramsey, Dakota, Anoka, Washington, Wright, Carver, Chisago, Goodhue, Rice, Scott, Sherburne, and Isanti Counties); a 3-county sub-set of Hennepin, Ramsey and Dakota Counties; and targeted zip codes including 13 zip codes in Hennepin County. Landmark Research, Inc. provided the UMD Labovitz School's research bureau (BBER) estimated employment and sales for construction and operations phases of the project. The mixed-use development project proposed includes new activity in the following IMPLAN sectors: 481 Restaurant; 479 Hotel; 481 Hotel Restaurant; 445 Retail food; 448 Retail Clothing; 453 Retail Misc.; 487 Health and Personal Care; and 418 Movie Theatres.Item Economic Impact of a Mixed-Use Development Project In St. Paul, Minnesota(University of Minnesota Duluth, 2006) Skurla, James A; Jacobson, Jean; Hochsprung, Paul; Almquist-Minko, VickieItem The Economic Impact of Adding Wind Energy In Communities on Minnesota’s North Shore of Lake Superior, 2007(University of Minnesota Duluth, 2008) Skurla, James A; Jacobson, Jean; Jafri, Syed; Kasim, Taha; Almquist-Minko, VickieThese summary tables present the total economic impact from wind-generated energy as ten percent and twenty percent of total energy supply in the combined three-county region, as well as Cook, Lake and St. Louis Counties. Impacts are projected for 2010, 2015, and 2020, using population and energy consumption to estimate inputs for these projections. Sources for all tables are IMPLAN and the UMD Labovitz School’s Bureau of Business and Economic Research. The calculations in these models use 2008 dollars for reports, without adjustments for inflation. Readers should also be mindful of the diminishing reliability of modeling an economy as projections proceed into the future; therefore the values projected for 2010 will warrant most scrutiny.Item The Economic Impact of APEX Members on the Arrowhead Region, MN and Douglas County, WI 2006(University of Minnesota Duluth, 2007) Skurla, James A; Jacobson, Jean; Faridi, Salman; Almquist-Minko, VickieItem Economic Impact of Commercial Fishing Harvested in the Minnesota Waters of Lake Superior REVISED(University of Minnesota Duluth, 2011) Skurla, James AThis is a pro bono response from the BBER to a question from the commercial fishing sector asking that BBER provide some background on the economics and possible impact of commercial fishing activity in the Minnesota waters of the North Shore of Lake Superior. Without doing a full impact study and without the survey data needed to provide the optimal adjustments to the IMPLAN model, the BBER offers the following observations. Note: The original inputs to our model have been revised, subsequent to a discussion of modeling assumptions with stakeholders. The following revised economic impact summary presented here includes a short explanation of how assumptions for this model were derived, as well as the impact tables that follow.