Team members: Marco Palma (Texas A&M Univ.) Luis Ribera (Texas A&M Univ.)
Obj. 3. Economic impact analyses, disease control information
3.1 Perform economic analysis, cost of production/disease control
3.1.1. Define, parameterize, simulate, and validate production variables based on cucurbit production crop budgets
Completed:
• Macro and micro economic variables were collected to develop the economic model, such as interest rates, input costs, production windows and existing crop budgets.
• Graduate students were selected to work on the project and were trained on how to collect data to develop representative farms.
• Faculty and graduate students have IRB clearance to collect information from producers.
• Developed 11 representative farms in California (3 watermelon and 3 cantaloupe), Florida (3 watermelon) and Texas (1 watermelon and 1 cantaloupe)
• Estimated the economic impact of diseases to cantaloupes, fresh cucumbers, pickles, squash and watermelons.
In progress:
• Identifying Extension budgets in the Northeast region
• Work with CucCap pathologists to estimate yield and quality changes due to CucCap work
• Validate economic impact of diseases
• Validate all representative farms
Publications
• Economic Impacts of Diseases on Cantaloupes. Center for North American Studies, Department of Agricultural Economics, Texas A&M University. Issue Brief 2018-04. September 2018.
• Economic Impacts of Diseases on Fresh Cucumbers. Center for North American Studies, Department of Agricultural Economics, Texas A&M University. Issue Brief 2018-01. September 2018.
• Economic Impacts of Diseases on Pickles. Center for North American Studies, Department of Agricultural Economics, Texas A&M University. Issue Brief 2018-02. September 2018.
• Economic Impacts of Diseases on Squash. Center for North American Studies, Department of Agricultural Economics, Texas A&M University. Issue Brief 2018-03. September 2018.
• Economic Impacts of Diseases on Watermelons. Center for North American Studies, Department of Agricultural Economics, Texas A&M University. Issue Brief 2018-05. September 2018.
