Articles
"Are You Eating More Fruit? U.S. Dietary Recommendations and Fruit Consumption Trends" by Hoy Carman
April 26, 2022
U.S. consumers have responded to calls for improved diets by increasing per capita fresh fruit consumption from 88 pounds in 1980 to 116 pounds in 2020. Even with some decreases …
"Could Fixing Leaky Pipes Help Solve California’s Water Problems?" by Amanda Rupiper, Joakim Weill, Ellen M. Bruno, Katrina Jessoe and Frank Loge
April 26, 2022
Water utilities in the United States lose approximately 17% of their delivered water to leaks each year. California’s Senate Bill 555 aims to reduce these water leaks through the imposition …
"Inflation Risks are on the Rise" by Jens Hilscher, Alon Raviv and Ricardo Reis
Feb. 24, 2022
U.S. inflation rose sharply in 2021. Perhaps this is temporary, due to soaring energy prices and a fast recovery, or perhaps there will be a sustained increase in prices. Forward-looking …
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"Why Soil Fumigation Changed the Strawberry Industry" by Ryan Olver and David Zilberman
Feb. 24, 2022
We assess the U.S. strawberry industry and its transition from land to capital intensity, with emphasis on the role of methyl bromide, a broad-spectrum soil fumigant, and its impact on …
"The Story of Rising Fertilizer Prices" by Aaron Smith
Feb. 24, 2022
High fertilizer prices in the past year have increased costs for farmers, but for some crops more than others. Multiple potential causes could explain these price increases, stemming from both …
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"California’s Organic Agriculture: Diverse and Growing" by Rachael Goodhue, Joji Muramoto, Daniel A. Sumner and Hanlin Wei
Dec. 20, 2021
California is the leading U.S. state in organic agriculture by value, as it is for conventional agriculture, and accounts for well over a third of national organic production. In 2016, …
"It’s Not Always Sunny in California: Strategies to Increase Our Reliance on Solar Generation" by Kevin Novan and Benjamin Dawson
Dec. 20, 2021
Meeting California’s goal of a 100% carbon-free electric grid will require an increased reliance on solar energy. To absorb the growth in solar, storage capacity must expand to shift output …
""Containergeddon" and California Agriculture" by Colin Carter, Sandro Steinbach and Xiting Zhuang
Dec. 20, 2021
We analyze the effects of the 2021 supply chain gridlock and resulting shipping container shortage on California agriculture. Due to exporters’ difficulty obtaining empty shipping containers, the value of California’s …
“Identifying Policies to Mitigate the Costs of Drought” by Ellen M. Bruno
Oct. 28, 2021
Adapting to future droughts will require policy changes that increase the flexibility in use of both surface water and groundwater, particularly from year to year.
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“Drought Impacts on California Farm Revenue and Prices” by Daniel A Sumner, Elizabeth A. Fraysse, Scott Somerville, and Josué Medellín-Azuara
Oct. 28, 2021
Droughts in California reduce the availability of irrigation water, raise costs, and have dire consequences for some farms.