Publications

A collection of all publications authored or co-authored by Center staff and/or partners. This collection is a work in progress—if you don’t find a publication you’re looking for, please search for it, or email us at nercrd@psu.edu.

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Insights and oversights: Behind the data on agritourism and direct sales in the United States

Abstract: Agritourism is growing worldwide as farmers and ranchers seek alternative sources of revenue, and consumer demand for agricultural experiences is on the rise. Understanding this sector is important for policymakers, researchers, agricultural service providers, and others seeking to support farm viability and rural entrepreneurship. However, in the U.S., this support is hampered by the lack of a clear definition and consistent, comprehensive means for measuring the agritourism sector. The best available data for the U.S. are from the quinquennial U.S. Department of Agriculture National Agricultural Statistics Service (USDA NASS)’s Census of Agriculture. However, the two questions used by the Census of Agriculture that relate to agritourism are worded in ways that limit a comprehensive understanding of the size and scope of the sector. To illustrate the limitations, we highlight cases from two U.S. states (Texas and Vermont), where different forms of agritourism are present. One such form, hunting, is included in the USDA’s economic assessments of agritourism; another, pick-your-own berries, is not. Along with tastings and purchases of locally grown products, this falls in the category of direct sales. The discrep­ancy can result in misrepresentation and misinter­pretation of the data in analyses and subsequent publications with distorted policy recommenda­tions related to agritourism. We discuss these cases alongside recommendations on how to more accurately measure, and support, agritourism development in the U.S.

Authors: Chadley R. Hollas, Claudia Schmidt, Zheng Tian, Stephan J. Goetz, and Lisa Chase

Publication: Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development Date Published: August 26, 2024

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Land-Grant University Capacity to Support Recreation Economies in National Forest Gateway Communities

This report was developed by Doug Arbogast, Rural Tourism Specialist, West Virginia University Extension Service, with support from the Extension Foundation, Regional Rural Development Centers (RRDCs), and the members of the National Extension Outdoor Recreation Working Group (NEORWG). It describes findings from an assessment conducted in 2024 of the capacity of Land Grant Universities to provide both Extension and research support for the development of recreation economies, and to determine the places in each RRDC region best positioned to deploy resources for program implementation.

Authors: Doug Arbogast, West Virginia University

Publication: Published by Extension Foundation and NERCRD Date Published: September 20, 2024

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2023 National Extension Tourism Conference Proceedings

With administrative support from the Northeast Regional Center for Rural Development, the National Extension Tourism Network (NET) has published proceedings from its 2023 national conference, which took place in Milwaukee, WI, September 24-27, 2023.

Authors: Edited by: Lisa Chase, Natalie Chin, Douglas Arbogast, Gwynn Stewart, Ann Savage, Mercedes Fraser

Publication: Published by the National Extension Tourism Network Date Published: September 18, 2024

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Did the U.S. Fracking Boom Shale-Shock Regional Patenting?

The shale boom of the early 21st century turned the U.S. into an energy powerhouse and significantly disrupted local economies with shale resources. This study examines the impacts of the U.S. shale boom on regional patenting at a commuting zone level. The shale boom may negatively affect patents if it crowds out labor and capital investments in other non-energy industries. Our findings show that a one standard deviation increase in non-vertical well density decreases patent intensity by 3.74% of the mean. Areas with higher drilling densities have lower levels of patented innovation compared to their counterfactuals. This paper contributes to the existing literature related to the “natural resource curse.” We provide new evidence based on regional patenting, which is an important indicator for regional innovation and long-term economic growth.

Authors: Luyi Han, John V. Winters

Publication: Growth and Change Date Published: September 17, 2024

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Determining the optimal food hub location in the fresh produce supply chain

Abstract

Purpose: Using recent US regional data associated with food system operations, this study aims at building optimization and econometric models to incorporate varying influential factors on food hub location decisions and generate effective facility location solutions.

Design/methodology/approach: Mathematical optimization and econometric models have been commonly used to identify hub location decisions, and each is associated with specific strengths to handle uncertainty. This paper develops an optimization model and a hurdle model of the US fresh produce sector to compare the hub location solutions between these two modeling approaches.

Findings: Econometric modeling and mathematical optimization are complementary approaches. While there is a divergence between the results of the optimization model and the econometric model, the optimization solution is largely confirmed by the econometric solution. A combination of the results of the two models might lead to improved decision-making.

Practical implications: This study suggests a future direction in which model development can move forward, for example, to explore and expose how to make the existing modeling techniques easier to use and more accessible to decision-makers.

Social implications: The models and results provide information that is currently limited and is useful to help inform sustainable decisions of various stakeholders interested in the development of regional food systems, regional infrastructure investment and operational strategies for food hubs.

Originality/value: This study sheds light on how the application of complementary modeling approaches improves the effectiveness of facility location solutions. This study offers new perspectives on elaborating key features to encompass facility location issues by applying interdisciplinary approaches.

Authors: Houtian Ge, Jing Yi, Stephan J. Goetz, Rebecca Cleary, Miguel I. Gómez

Publication: Journal of Modelling in Management Date Published: August 13, 2024

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Insights from the 2023 Northeast Digital Equity Summit: A Report on the Role of Extension Programs

This report provides an overview of key sessions, definitions, takeaways, initiatives, and best practices discussed during the 2023 Northeast Digital Equity Summit. The summit was held virtually on September 19, 2023, and convened educators and researchers from land-grant universities across the Northeast to learn from one another and expand capacity for digital equity programming in the region.

Authors: Julie Slivka, Communications Manager of the Marylanders Online Program of University of Maryland Extension

Publication: Published by NERCRD Date Published: August 22, 2024

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Cloud computing and rural globalization: Evidence for the U.S. nonfarm economy

Abstract: We use confidential firm-level data to examine the association between export intensity and subscription to cloud computer services – a technology that often requires very high-speed broadband. Our focus on rural nonfarm exports is motivated by the increasing concentration of manufacturing—the dominant export sector—in nonmetropolitan counties and the large public investment in extending high-speed broadband to underserved parts of the U.S. We find that cloud computing is associated with higher export intensity that is consistent with exporting activity placing new demands on IT-enabled functions such as order fulfillment and tracking, marketing, or document control.

Read a news release about this research here.

Authors: Luyi Han, Timothy Wojan, Stephan J. Goetz

Publication: Telecommunications Policy Date Published: June 15, 2024

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The economic and social well-being of caregivers in the Northeast Region 

This “Research Snapshot” shares preliminary findings on the social and economic impacts of caregiving and reveal some of the unique data points available in the “NER-Stat: Caregiving Survey” — a regional household survey that the North Central Regional Center for Rural Development (NCRCRD) conducted in collaboration with Northeast Regional Center for Rural Development (NERCRD), The Ohio State University and the National Farm Medicine Center. The survey was conducted in 2023 with 4,480 responses from the 13 states of the Northeast Region through a Qualtrics online panel. This publication provides insights into caregiver demographics, who is receiving care, the financial and personal impacts of caregiving, and the types of supports that caregivers seek. The dataset that this brief draws upon is also available online here: https://purr.purdue.edu/publications/4491/1

Authors: Florence Becot, Shoshanah Inwood, Emily Southard

Publication: NERCRD Research Brief Date Published: July 10, 2024

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Broadband access and agritourism operations in the United States

Abstract: An online presence is crucial for agritourism operators to connect with consumers. In this study, we use count data regression models to examine the correlation between average broadband speed adopted and the number of agritourism operations. We found that adoption of fast broadband in 2012 was associated with a significantly higher number of agritourism operations nationally in 2017, underscoring the role of broadband connectivity in facilitating interactions between farmers and consumers, as well as in promoting agritourism. However, only a weak association exists in rural counties, indicating that the broadband–agritourism relationship does not extend to less populated areas.

Authors: Claudia Schmidt, Luyi Han, Arian Moghadam, Stephan J. Goetz

Publication: Journal of the Agricultural and Applied Economics Association Date Published: June 17, 2024

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Direct-to-Consumer Sales of Agrifood Products by US Farms: Data from the 2022 Census of Agriculture

A new data brief by Jason S. Entsminger (University of Maine) and Claudia Schmidt (Penn State and NERCRD) provides a snapshot of the direct-to-consumer sales of agrifood products, and documents recent changes across the industry. The data brief, which was published by the Northeast Regional Center for Rural Development (NERCRD), is available below:

Authors: Jason S. Entsminger and Claudia Schmidt

Publication: NERCRD Data Brief Series Date Published: June 3, 2024

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