This thesis examines how two grass seed industries
respond to changes in the production environment. Two sets
of factors are necessary to understand what adjustments
would be made. First, it is necessary to know the nature of
the markets and whether market power is being exerted.
Second we need to...
Oregon is one of several states to implement a new and innovative minimum wage policy. The Oregon policy defines three regions with each having a separate initial minimum wage and a different set of incremental increases over the next seven years. This paper explores how this policy change may impact...
Over the last two decades, farmers markets have gained prominence based on their contributions to local economies, support of small-scale farmers, and ability to reconnect consumers and producers of food. Farmers markets vary substantially both in the goals they set and the outcomes they achieve. This study examines whether and...
Food hubs are a key solution to advance local and regional food systems by providing aggregation, storage, and distribution services to small and mid-sized farmers and thereby help them to access local and regional markets. By performing these functions, food hubs produce valuable services to not only farmers but to...
Published May 1990. Facts and recommendations in this publication may no longer be valid. Please look for up-to-date information in the OSU Extension Catalog: http://extension.oregonstate.edu/catalog
This study investigates whether existing interventions in USDA-defined food deserts have been effective in improving access to healthy foods and improving dietary quality. A systematic literature review was conducted using articles from MEDLINE database using “food desert” and “intervention” as search terms. Exclusion and inclusion criteria resulted in selection of...
The Senior Farmers' Market Nutrition Program (SFMNP), piloted in Oregon in 2001, provided $100 worth of vouchers (aka coupons) to low-income seniors to buy fresh local produce from farmers at farmers' markets and roadside stands. Presented in a political ecology framework, this research integrated the perspectives of beneficiaries and their...
Working conditions in the international garment industry have long been a concern and a process to assess and certify fair trade practices was developed as a means by which to improve those conditions. Standards for fair trade apparel include safe working conditions, fair wages, compliance with laws, and reduced environmental...
Crop development models are commonly used in research.
However, their use as crop management tools for growers is
rare. Decision support systems (DSS), which combine crop
models with expert systems, are being developed to provide
management assistance to growers. Researchers at Oregon
State University are in the process of developing...
This research examines how marketing strategies of produce managers affect consumer expenditures for fresh apples and pears. The objective of this study is to determine how display size, point-of-purchase material, product origin, product information and display placement impact consumer expenditures for fresh apples and pears. These variables were incorporated into...
This research investigated the relationship of
predisposing attributes of preretirees to the perceived
importance of locational preferences during the first ten
years of retirement. Multiple regression analyses and a
Chi-square test were used to determine if seven predisposing
attributes were related to ten locational preferences. Data
were analyzed from a...
Published August 1989. Facts and recommendations in this publication may no longer be valid. Please look for up-to-date information in the OSU Extension Catalog: http://extension.oregonstate.edu/catalog
Most farmers’ markets lack information to make effective
changes and improvements. We have designed three
simple, low-cost methods to address the information gaps.
The first two—attendance counts and dot surveys—are
quantitative and can be used independently by markets.
The third method is the more complete Rapid Market
Assessment (RMA), which...
The Oregon Sea Grant Visitor Center at Hatfield Marine Science Center attracts 150,000 visitors a year and does not require an admission fee. Surveying visitors, 39% of all people indicated that half or more of their reason for coming to the Oregon coast was to visit the Visitor Center.
With Animal Welfare issues are becoming more prominent in the animal agriculture community, especially with the passing of California’s Proposition 2 during the November 2008 elections. This proposition, known as the Prevention of Farm Animal Cruelty Act, mandates that laying hens, pigs and veal calves have the ability to stand...
According to USDA research, Oregon in 2002 had the highest rate of hunger and one of the highest rates of food insecurity in the United States. Although the margin of error involved with these statistics indicates that the state may not actually be at the top of the list, a...
Agricultural production in the Sahelian region of Africa is
among the lowest in the world. Cyclical infestations of locusts and
grasshoppers have contributed to this low productivity. The infestations
appear to be triggered by heavy rainfall at the beginning of a crop season
after extended drought. Because locusts and grasshoppers...
The 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami raised concern among marine park managers and
hazard mitigation professionals about the significant impact of major coastal hazards
on marine park natural resources and ecosystems. The main reason for this concern is
the strong linkage of marine parks and their rich assortment of ecosystem services...
Although the concept of breeding crops for organic agricultural systems has been around for decades, few studies have been reported for vegetable crops to quantify and compare how conventional and organic systems differ in their selection pressures on genotypes advancing through the breeding cycle; especially research utilizing modern sequencing capabilities....
Organic agriculture is an important and growing sector of U.S. and world food production. Consumers are increasingly aware of and interested in the production practices and impacts associated with agriculture and as such, are showing a preference for sustainably produced, raised, and harvested foods. In order to continue to meet...