Scale Economies and Inefficiency of U.S. Dairy Farms

This 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.     

Reallocating sugar beet contracts: can sugar production survive in Denmark?

The reform of the EU sugar regime involves significant pricereductions for sugar and sugar beet. We examine whether theDanish sugar industry can maintain production and profit levelsby reallocating production from less to more efficient farmers.The impact of alternative reallocation mechanisms is estimatedusing a DEA model of sugar beet production, together with informationabout processing capacity at the three Danish plants, beet transportationcosts and alternative crop options. The analysis shows thatthe present allocation is far from efficient. With the new reformfully implemented and the quota efficiently reallocated, actualproduction will fall by only 25 per cent, although profit willbe substantially lower.     

甘肃省家庭林场经营效率比较分析

基于2018年甘肃省集体林改监测课题组实地调查数据,运用DEA模型对4种类型家庭林场的经营效率进行比较分析。结果表明:甘肃省家庭林场经营效率整体偏低,不同类型间存在较大差异,经营效率相对较高的是林下养殖型和多功能型家庭林场;各类型家庭林场投入变量都存在不同程度的冗余;家庭林场的经营效率和经营规模关联度不高,更多受技术因素影响。相对而言,种养结合型家庭林场经营面积在0～6.67 hm~2和20～33.33 hm~2,多功能型经营面积在6.67～10.31 hm~2和24.45～25.80 hm~2,能发挥集约优势或规模优势。因此,提出加强对家庭林场主的技术培训;鼓励有实力的家庭林场进行规模化、集约化发展;鼓励种植型家庭林场等拓展经营内容;打造多种功能经营,打造品牌特色等建议。     

Heterogeneity of Long‐run Technical Efficiency of German Dairy Farms: A Bayesian Approach*

In parametric efficiency studies, two alternative approaches exist to provide an estimate of the long‐run efficiency of firms: the dynamic stochastic frontier model and the generalised true random‐effects model. We extend the former in order to allow for heterogeneity in the long‐run technical efficiency of firms. This model is based on potential differences in firm‐specific characteristics and in firms’ inefficiency persistence. The model is applied to an unbalanced micro‐panel of German dairy farms over the period 1999 to 2009. Estimation of long‐run technical efficiency and inefficiency persistence is based on an output distance function representation of the production technology and estimated in a Bayesian framework. The results suggest that heterogeneity in long‐run technical efficiency of farms is mostly attributed to discrepancies in farm‐specific factors rather than differences in farms’ inefficiency persistence. Farm size is positively related to long‐run technical efficiency while subsidies exert a negative effect on the long‐run technical efficiency of farms. Inefficiency persistence is found to be very high, but heterogeneity in this persistence is low.     

A Parametric Approach to Estimating Eco‐Efficiency

The concept of eco‐efficiency is becoming increasingly popular as a tool to capture economic and environmental aspects of agricultural production. The literature to date has exclusively used the Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) approach to measure producers’ eco‐efficiency. We show that it can also be estimated using a Stochastic Frontier Analysis (SFA) approach. Our approach not only allows controlling for random noise in the data but also permits an analysis of the potential substitutability between environmental pressures. We provide an empirical application of our model to data on a sample of Spanish dairy farms.     

基于数据包络分析的乳制品企业供应链绩效对比研究

2008年中国奶制品污染事件已过去十多年,乳制品业经过这十多年的重新洗牌,呈现出另一番景象。根据相关新闻报道,某些曾经受到波及的企业经过这些年的精益求精,目前已成为行业中的领跑者,然而某些未受到影响反而在当时获利的企业却由于近年来管理决策不当,地位早已不复从前。本文为了解自中国奶制品污染事件以来不同企业在乳制品供应链各环节的效率差异,构建由生产加工环节与储运销售环节组成的两阶段数据包络分析(Data Envelopment Analysis,DEA)的效率测度模型,并运用软件将相关企业各环节投入产出数据代入模型进行分析讨论。结果表明,不同企业在供应链的不同环节各有优势,在各环节处于劣势的企业应向优势企业学习借鉴,并通过减小资源投入或提高技术能力,不断改进完善自我;乳制品供应链各环节对其整体效率的影响也各不相同,在实际管理过程中,管理者应根据影响程度的大小,合理设置权重以便更好地进行分析。     

A Comment on Weak Disposability in Nonparametric Production Analysis

In his 2005 paper in this journal, Kuosmanen argues that Shephard's specification of weak disposability in activity analysis (DEA) models is not correct. We show that Shephard's specification does satisfy weak disposability and is the "smallest" technology to do so.     

Relationships between Technical Efficiency and Financial Management for Czech Republic Farms

This paper provides the first analysis of the relationship between farm financial structure and technical efficiency in Central and Eastern European farming during the transition to a market economy. First, technical efficiency scores for a sample of Czech farms are computed with data envelopment analysis, accounting for sampling variability by using the Simar and Wilson bootstrapping procedure. The confidence intervals show that corporate livestock farms are the most homogenous in terms of technical efficiency. Second, a Tobit model is applied for the investigation of factors, including financial considerations, which influence the variation in technical efficiency. The potential endogeneity of the financial variables in the explanation of efficiency is examined, following Smith and Blundell. The Amemiya estimator is used for those cases which are revealed as endogenous. The analysis indicates substantial differences in the way in which the different management structures are treated by lenders. De novo, individual farms are subject to stringent evaluation of their loan applications, which is not the case for the successors of the former collective and state farms.     

To Mix or Specialise? A Coordination Productivity Indicator for English and Welsh farms

This paper introduces a nonparametric measure of coordination productivity growth where the subprocesses are explicitly modelled in the production technology. The coordination productivity indicator is decomposed into a coordination technical inefficiency change component and a coordination technical change component. This decomposition allows assessment of reallocation impacts on the different sources of productivity growth. The empirical application focuses on a large panel of English and Welsh farms over the period 2007–2013. The results show that coordination inefficiency significantly increases with the proportion of resources allocated to livestock production in economic and statistical terms. Coordination inefficient farms should generally allocate more land to crop production. Depending on the region, the average coordination productivity growth ranges from ?9.7% to 15.9% per year. It is driven by coordination technical change rather than coordination inefficiency change.     

基于DEA的区域农地生产效率差异研究

研究目的：对中国“七五”到“十五”期间区域农地的生产效率差异进行比较研究。研究方法：数据包络分析DEA的C2R模型和BC2模型。研究结果：（1）传统农业大省和经济发达地区的农地综合生产效率和技术效率较高,农业生产具有优势。（2）规模收益值的计算结果显示,东中部地区农业生产的投入结构存在着问题,西部地区投入不足。（3）从时间序列的比较分析中发现,在“十五”期间各地区的农地生产效率都出现了下降趋势,表明工业化和城市化对中国农业生产存在较大影响。     

基于DEA模型的我国渔业生产效率的研究

文章运用非参数的DEA（数据包络分析）模型,对我国31个地区的渔业生产效率进行实证研究,结果表明：我国部分地区渔业生产效率走在全国前列,大部分地区表现为粗放型的技术进步特征,生产效率始终在较低水平徘徊,综合效率有待进一步提高。各省在渔业生产要素投入上应当根据实际情况合理搭配避免投入过多造成资源浪费、不可持续发展。     

Excess Capacity and Asymmetric Information in Developing Country Fisheries: The Malaysian Purse Seine Fishery

Excess capacity poses a problem in many developing country fisheries. These countries often pursue a development strategy aimed at expanding capacity under open access. Sustainable development, however, requires management. Principal-agent issues from asymmetric information between the regulator and fishers, which potentially form serious obstacles to fisheries management, arise in the likely forms of management. This article discusses principal-agent issues and examines the principal-agent moral hazard issue, which is due to divorce of ownership and vessel operations. The article also illustrates a method for estimating capacity when information is limited. The Peninsular Malaysian purse seine fishery forms a case study.