A NONPARAMETRIC EFFICIENCY ANALYSIS FOR A SAMPLE OF KANSAS SWINE OPERATIONS

This study evaluates the economic competitiveness of a sample of Kansas farrow-to-finish operations by estimating relative firm efficiency using nonparametric mathematical programming techniques. Measures of technical, allocative, scale, economic, and overall efficiency are then related to farm char...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inJournal of Agricultural and Applied Economics Vol. 30; no. 1
Main Authors Langemeier, Michael, Rowland, William W, Featherstone, Allen Merril, Schurle, Bryan W
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Southern Agricultural Economics Association 1998
SeriesJournal of Agricultural and Applied Economics
Subjects
Cost frontier
Farrow-to-finish
Industries
Livestock Production
Minimum efficient scale
Overall efficiency
Productivity Analysis
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Summary:This study evaluates the economic competitiveness of a sample of Kansas farrow-to-finish operations by estimating relative firm efficiency using nonparametric mathematical programming techniques. Measures of technical, allocative, scale, economic, and overall efficiency are then related to farm characteristics to identify sources of efficiency. Results indicate that overall efficient farms produce a high quantity of pork per litter, produce a portion of their own feed grains, generate a large portion of their income from swine and other livestock enterprises, and have a lower debt-to-asset ratio.