Publications

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

Tags: agritourism, data brief

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Agritourism and Recreational Services on 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 national agritourism landscape 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: May 7, 2024

Tags: agritourism, data brief

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How export performance is mediated by innovation, owner characteristics, and location

Abstract: We investigate how innovation affects rural nonfarm exports, and thus the U.S. trade deficit. Previous European studies indicate a positive link between R&D expenditures, patented innovation, and exports, but no comparable U.S. firm-level research exists. Using data from the Longitudinal Firm Trade Transactions Database and Annual Business Survey, we examine the relationship between innovation and exports for the United States. Employing a two-stage selection model to address endogeneity concerns, our findings suggest a significant connection between innovation and export. The study contributes to understanding the pivotal role of rural nonfarm exports and highlights policy implications for both trade and rural innovation.

Authors: Luyi Han, Timothy R. Wojan, Zheng Tian, Stephan J. Goetz

Publication: Economics Letters Date Published: March 28, 2024

Tags: rural innovation

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2023 Annual Report

This report summarizes annual accomplishments and activities at the Northeast Regional Center for Rural Development.

Authors: Northeast Regional Center for Rural Development

Date Published: February 2, 2024

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Testing biasedness of self-reported microbusiness innovation in the annual business survey

This study tests for potential bias in self-reported innovation due to the inclusion of a research and development (R&D) module that only microbusinesses (less than 10 employees) receive in the Annual Business Survey (ABS). Previous research found that respondents to combined innovation/R&D surveys reported innovation at lower rates than respondents to innovation-only surveys. A regression discontinuity design is used to test whether microbusinesses, which constitute a significant portion of U.S. firms with employees, are less likely to report innovation compared to other small businesses. In the vicinity of the 10-employee threshold, the study does not detect statistically significant biases for new-to-market and new-to-business product innovation. Statistical power analysis confirms the nonexistence of biases with a high power. Comparing the survey design of ABS to earlier combined innovation/R&D surveys provides valuable insights for the proposed integration of multiple Federal surveys into a single enterprise platform survey. The findings also have important implications for the accuracy and reliability of innovation data used as an input to policymaking and business development strategies in the United States.

Authors: Luyi Han, Zheng Tian, Timothy R. Wojan, and Stephan J. Goetz

Publication: Plos ONE Date Published: January 12, 2024

Tags: rural innovation

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Experimenting in the Cloud: The Digital Divide’s Impact on Innovation

This paper builds on a National Science Foundation working paper that identified a strong association between cloud use and various types of innovation but did not consider whether 1) cloud adoption is a reliable indicator of the innovation orientation of a firm, or 2) cloud adoption enables various types of innovation. The researchers estimate propensity score matching and endogenous treatment effect models to control for innovation orientation, producing evidence to test the second explanation. Findings support an enabling effect of the cloud on innovation providing concrete evidence of the adverse impact of the digital divide.

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

Publication: Telecommunications Policy Date Published: August 1, 2023

Tags: rural innovation

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Household Hardship and Stimulus Payments during the Pandemic: Differences Across Ethnic Minorities in the United States

This study examines the impact of the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) Economic Impact Payments (EIP) on alleviating household hardship, primarily food insufficiency and expense difficulty, among ethnic groups in the United States during the COVID-19 pandemic. Using data from the Census Bureau’s Household Pulse Survey (HPS) from 2020-2022, the study investigates who received the payments and how they used them. The study employs quasi-difference-in-difference models to address the issue of non-repetitive samples in the HPS dataset. The findings suggest that Black, Hispanic, and Other Races individuals reported consistently higher probabilities of food insufficiency and expense difficulty compared to Whites and Asians. The study further reveals that individuals across all ethnic groups reported less food insufficiency or expense difficulty after the distribution of the ARPA EIP in March 2021. In addition, individuals of all ethnic minority groups who used EIP for saving had a larger decrease in the probability of food insufficiency compared with the corresponding change for Whites. The study highlights the importance of targeted stimulus policies to address distinct problems faced by different ethnic minority groups.

Authors: Zheng Tian, Claudia Schmidt, Stephan J. Goetz

Publication: Presented at 2023 Agricultural and Applied Economics Association Meeting Date Published: July 23, 2023

Tags: COVID-19

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Impact of Broadband Access on Agritourism Operations in the United States

Agritourism is a growing sector that can provide opportunities for rural entrepreneurs and boost rural development in the US. Online presence is crucial for agritourism operators because they cater to consumers. In this study, we employ count data regression models to investigate the relationship between broadband adoption and the number of agritourism operations. Our analysis shows that access to fast broadband internet in 2012 significantly increased the number of agritourism operations in 2017, underscoring the pivotal role of broadband connectivity in facilitating farmer-consumer interactions.

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

Publication: Presented at 2023 Agricultural and Applied Economics Association Meeting Date Published: July 22, 2023

Tags: agritourism, broadband

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The Impact of COVID-19 on Racial Inequality in Diet Quality

Although a large and growing literature has investigated the diet and nutrition disparities (see Kozlova, 2016; Allcott et al., 2019 for earlier work), little research has analyzed the impact of COVID-19 on racial/ethnic disparities in diet quality. We complement the existing literature by providing causal estimates of how COVID-19 impacted the racial gaps in diet quality and by examining the causes of racial gaps.

Authors: Yuxuan Pan, Linlin Fan, Stephan J. Goetz, Alexander Stevens

Publication: Presented at 2023 Agricultural and Applied Economics Association Meeting Date Published: July 23, 2023

Tags: COVID-19

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