Browsing by Subject "economics"
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Item Cost Analysis of Alternative Culvert Installation Practices in Minnesota(Minnesota Department of Transportation, 2009-06) Hansen, Brad; Nieber, John L.; Lenhart, ChristianVarious factors associated with conventional culvert design, including shallow water, perched inlets and high flow velocities, can cause difficulties for migrating fish and affect their genetic diversity and long-term survival. Conventional culvert design has traditionally been based on hydraulic conveyance, safety and cost. Recently, some alternative culvert designs have been developed to facilitate salmon migration on the west coat of the United States. These alternative designs focus on matching the natural dimensions and characteristics of the stream channel through the culvert. The intended purpose of these newer designs is to provide unimpeded passage of aquatic life, reduce maintenance costs and improve erosion control. Currently, some of these new designs are being implemented in Minnesota mostly when fish passage is a consideration. There are concerns about the additional costs associated with these alternative designs as well as whether they are really needed at some road crossings. The objectives of this research were to summarize state-wide fish passage concerns related to culvert road crossings on public waters and to perform a cost comparison between the conventional and the alternative culvert designs.Item Economic Transformation in Central Europe: The View from History(University of Minnesota, Center for Austrian Studies, 1992-01) Good, David F.Item Finding Food in Farm Country: The Economics of Food & Farming in Southeast Minnesota(Institute for Social, Economic & Ecological Sustainability, 2001) Meter, Ken; Rosales, JonOur key finding is that the existing economic structures through which food products are bought and sold extract about $800 million from the region's economy each year. All this money, currently earned by Southeast Minnesota residents, is spent in ways that weaken the capacity of the region to build wealth for its citizens. This is a significant loss, an amount equivalent to ten percent of all household income earned by the region's 303,000 residents.Item From Class Conflict to Class Cooperation: The Evolution of Austrian Cooperation(University of Minnesota, Center for Austrian Studies, 1992-02) Kindley, Randall W.Item Hail Netting for Apples: Study Results (2021-2022)(2024) Nelson, Sally, GA; DiGiacomo, Gigi; Klodd, Annie; Jacobson, John; Wimmer, Madeline; Hutchison, William, HApple is one of the most popular fruit crops grown in Minnesota and maintains high consumer demand for fresh fruit sales and agritourism at orchards around the state. Apple trees grown on a high-density trellis system have proven to be an economical production option for growers. In this system, growers typically rely on insecticides to minimize the risk of pest-related fruit losses. This article highlights the results of a study examining the impacts of drape-style hail netting on insect pests, beneficial insects, fruit quality, and yield. In addition, the economic benefits of hail netting for insect pest management are summarized.Item Interdisciplinary, Cross-Supply Chain Approaches to Food Systems Improvement(2020-10) Ringling, KeaganThe field of nutrition is rapidly evolving into a new paradigm characterized by the complex, adaptive, wicked challenges faced by food systems professionals. Systems approaches are required to manage the complex issues at the intersection of the food system, the environment, and human health. Despite these complex, interlinked challenges, nutrition research and training remain siloed. Given the current landscape of systems problems, new systems-based approaches to research and training are required. Similar to the nutrition ecology framework, these approaches are requisite to the successful management of the health, environmental, economic and societal implications based on complex food system actions. In that vein, this work provides a framework, along with examples of hands-on experiential learning opportunities within a nutrition graduate program focused on systems approaches in nutrition. This is demonstrated through interdisciplinary collaborations across the supply chain and food system. First, we seek to understand supply chain barriers to whole grain availability and access in restaurants. Then, we shift focus to the development of a new sustainable crop, pennycress. Here, we collaborate upstream in the supply chain with plant geneticists to identify genetic targets to improve the quality of raw materials. Then we collaborate with economists to model production economics. Overall, this approach mixes adapted socio-ecological, biological, and economic analyses to provide a more holistic perspective to food systems development. Then we discuss the role of the land grant university in developing sustainable food systems, and we discuss learnings from our interdisciplinary, systems training approach. Finally, based on the work as a whole, we provide recommendations regarding a three-step process to catalyze future systems approaches in nutrition.Item Neighborhood Shopping Center in North Minneapolis: An Economic Analysis(Center for Urban and Regional Affairs, University of Minnesota, 1970) Hoel, Robert F.Item New technologies for the complete rendering and economic conversion of waste oils to biofuels(2017-12) Anderson, ErikA novel process was developed for the biorefining of floatable wastewater scum and other waste oils from water treatment facilities into biodiesel and other value-added bio-products. To test the scalability and commercial potential of the technology, a 7,000 liter/year pilot-scale system was designed and built. Scum from a waste water treatment facility, located in St. Paul, Mn, was collected and converted into methyl esters (biodiesel) according to the process chemistry. All the incoming and outgoing process streams were sampled, tested, weighed and recorded to calculate both the process efficiency and product quality. Data from the pilot-scale systems operation was compared to laboratory results and the theoretically expected values for each individual unit operation. The product quality was tested using a third-party laboratory and confirmed the biodiesel produced during a single batch process met all of EPA’s test requirements for commercial-grade biodiesel. As a substrate for biodiesel, scum derived oil requires more pretreatment consideration than standard waste oils like used vegetable oil or brown grease. Combining acid hydrolysis and solvent extraction, a free fatty acid and acyl-glycerol rich product was produced from a highly impure source. Free fatty acids (FFA) present were converted to acyl-glycols via a high temperature (238°C) glycerin esterification process known as glycerolysis. The inorganic catalysts zinc aluminum oxide and sodium sulfate was tested during glycerolysis to compare the reaction kinetics of converting FFA to acyl-glycerols. It was concluded that the zinc-based catalyst increased the reaction rate significantly, from a “k” value of 2.57 (uncatalyzed) to 5.63, completing the reaction in 60 minutes, half the time it took the uncatalyzed reaction (120 min). Sodium sulfate’s presence however slowed the reaction, resulting in a “k” value of 1.45, completing the reaction in 180 minutes. Use of the external catalyst Zn-Al2O3 showed the greatest catalytic potential, but also assumes additional costs. In the U.S., the total amount of municipal solid waste is continuously rising each year. Millions of tons of solid waste and scum are produced annually that require safe and environmentally sound disposal. The availability of a zero-cost energy source like municipal waste scum is ideal for several types of renewable energy technologies. However, the way the energy is produced, distributed and valued also contributes to the overall process sustainability. An economic screening method was developed to compare the potential energy and economic value of three waste-to-energy technologies; incineration, anaerobic digestion, and biodiesel. A St. Paul, MN wastewater treatment facility producing 3,175 “wet” kilograms of scum per day was used as a basis of the comparison. After applying all theoretically available subsidies, scum to biodiesel was shown to have the greatest economic potential, valued between $491,949-$610,624/year. The incineration of scum yielded the greatest reclaimed energy potential at 29 billion kilojoules/year. The use of vacuum distillation for biodiesel production has become a reliable post-treatment method for removing multiple impurities, to consistently produce commercial-grade biodiesel. The waste produced from biodiesel distillation, vacuum distillation bottoms (VDB), is a mixture of higher molecular weight methyl esters (84%) and derivatives. Microwave-assisted pyrolysis (MAP) has been researched as a methyl ester recovery process for VDBs leaving vacuum distillation. Two types of MAP processing, dMAP and fMAP, were developed and tested to determine the optimal reaction conditions for producing a biodiesel analogue. The results indicate that after dMAP, 85.9% wt/wt of the VDBs were recovered as a transparent bio-oil then blended back into B100 biodiesel and certified for sale using ASTM D6751. Blending dMAP bio-oil (10% wt/wt) with B100 biodiesel met all certification requirements and demonstrated that MAP processing could be a significant yield improvement technology for any commercial biodiesel producer utilizing vacuum distillation.Item Partial Budget Analysis of Exclusion Netting and Organic- certified Insecticides for Management of Spotted-wing Drosophila (Diptera: Drosophilidae) on Small Farms in the Upper Midwest(Journal of Economic Entomology, 2021-05) DiGiacomo, Gigi; Gullickson, M.G.; Rogers, M.; Peterson, H.H.; Hutchison, W.D.Drosophila suzukii Matsumura (Diptera: Drosophilidae), or spotted-wing drosophila, is an invasive pest first detected in the United States in 2008. Although D. suzukii can use many cultivated fruit as hosts, raspberries are considered ‘most at risk’ for infestation. Conventional broad-spectrum insecticides are proven effective D. suzukii controls and can be economically profitable when combined with integrated pest management (IPM) on large-scale commercial raspberry farms. It remains unclear, however, whether organic controls are cost-effective strategies, particularly for farms operating on a small-scale seasonal basis, as is common in the Upper Midwest. The purpose of this paper is to explore the efficacy of two organic D. suzukii controls— exclusion netting for high tunnels and organic insecticides for open plots using data available from different field trials—and to ascertain whether any economic benefits of the organic controls outweigh treatment costs for small-scale raspberry operations under different risk scenarios. The field trials suggest that the organic treatments are effective controls for D. suzukii infestation and economically profitable. The exclusion net- ting treatment produced positive net returns compared to the alternative of no treatment and economically outperformed the organic-certified insecticide treatment for several yield, price and infestation scenarios. As D. suzukii infestation rates increased, net returns improved for both organic treatments. The economic results were robust across a range of yields and prices, suggesting that in almost all scenarios small scale organic raspberry growers benefit economically from the application of exclusion netting on high tunnels and insecticides for open plots.Item Surface Water Quality in Minnesota: The Translation of Goals and Policies into Results(Water Resources Research Center, University of Minnesota, 1975-02) Waelti, John J.The study focuses on problems of translating public policy goals relating to surface water quality into reality. Surface water pollution is seen as a result of economic incentives. Broad policy alternatives for addressing surface water pollution are examined. Judicial measures for dealing with water pollution problems are discussed, along with their limitations and the necessity for specific legislation. Water quality legislation at the Federal and State (Minnesota) level is reviewed. The mechanics of water quality administration is discussed, with emphasis on the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency. Problems and progress under the Water Pollution Control Act Amendments of 1972 is discussed. Changes in enforcement tools are emphasized. Other problems relating to surface water pollution control are discussed including the funding gap and the zero-discharge controversy.Item Unlocking Opportunities: Analysis of Factors Enhancing Accessibility to School-Based Public Preschool Programs for Minnesota Students(2025-01-27) Herrera, MaxwellThis paper utilizes several multivariate regression analysis methods –including cross-sectional, pooled, and panel data incorporating school fixed effects to conduct an exploratory analysis of the growth in the number of preschool programs being offered in Minnesota public schools from 2010-2018. Using publicly available national data provided by the U.S. Department of Education via Common Core, I analyzed the estimated relationships between student and school characteristics and the probability of preschool adoption. Some of the covariates included represent the socio-economic characteristics of students, such as low-income status, race, ethnicity, and school characteristics, including urbanity and school size. Results show that during this time, the total number of public preschool opportunities slightly increased across the state by nearly 10%. This study focuses on 7,060 elementary schools in Minnesota, where 3,103 were deemed to be, or at least assumed, to be offering PreK and 3,957 were not. Descriptive statistics comparing schools with and without preschool programs indicated that public schools that offered preschool were more likely to enroll a greater percentage of nonwhite students and students with higher rates of poverty. Rural schools were more likely to enroll preschool-aged students. However, when the analysis focused on changes within schools over time, increasing poverty rates were not associated with preschool adoption. These findings suggest that schools enrolling a greater proportion of low-income students had already adopted preschool programming as of 2010. Race consistently predicted preschool adoption in that schools with a greater percentage of non-white students were more likely to offer preschool in both cross-sectional models and in specifications that focused on changes within schools over time.