Theses and Dissertations

Author

Yichen Zhang

Issuing Body

Mississippi State University

Advisor

Coble, Keith H.

Committee Member

Anderson, John D.

Committee Member

Muhammad, Andrew

Date of Degree

12-11-2009

Document Type

Graduate Thesis - Open Access

Major

Agricultural Economics

Degree Name

Master of Science (M.S.)

College

College of Agriculture and Life Sciences

Department

Department of Agricultural Economics

Abstract

These recent events of H1N1 flu outbreak illustrate the potential ramifications of infectious diseases on modern society and how society responds to these threats. This thesis addresses the specific case of avian influenza in U.S. poultry production. By building an expected utility maximization model for integrators contracting with growers of varying bio-secure levels, one can investigate the relationship between the bio-secure choice of the poultry industry and their production performance. The model is empiricized using the Phoon, Quek, and Huang (PQH) simulation technique to conduct numerical analysis. The model selects the optimal percentage of bio-secure farms for the integrators to contract, output price reductions due to disease outbreak, and different probabilities of disease outbreak. Results allow the examination of whether alternative USDA/APHIS indemnification rules can sufficiently influence integrators willingness to improve their bio-security level.

URI

https://hdl.handle.net/11668/17069

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