https://aurora.auburn.edu/handle/11200/44213 Mon, 06 Apr 2026 02:52:23 GMT 2026-04-06T02:52:23Z https://aurora.auburn.edu/handle/11200/50402 Designing Rainfall Insurance Contracts for Pasture, Rangeland, and Forage In the paper, preliminary results of the analysis of potential use of climate forecast information in designing rainfall index insurance in the southeastern region of the U.S. are reported. Joint distributions of bi-monthly rainfall and El Nino Southern Oscillation (ENSO) indexes are estimated using copula analysis of historical data. The risk reducing effectiveness of introducing premiums conditional on ENSO forecast is evaluated. The results indicate some dependence of the downward volatility of rainfall on the lagged ENSO (forecast) index, particularly in the coastal areas and in the late winter and spring. https://aurora.auburn.edu/handle/11200/50402 https://aurora.auburn.edu/handle/11200/50397 Explaining variations in the price of dairy quota: Flow returns, liquidity, quota characteristics, and policy risk An econometric model based on the net present value model is used to examine factors that drive the variation of California dairy quota values over a 29-year period. The results suggest the price of quota is based on expected returns, variations in quota owner liquidity, and the risk of policy default. The dominant influence on the variation of the quota price was the historical variation in monthly flow of net benefits from owning quota. This analysis confirms that the rate of return to quota rises in periods of policy uncertainty. https://aurora.auburn.edu/handle/11200/50397 https://aurora.auburn.edu/handle/11200/50396 Designing Rainfall Insurance Contracts for Pasture, Rangeland, and Forage In the paper, preliminary results of the analysis of potential use of climate forecast information in designing rainfall index insurance in the southeastern region of the U.S. are reported. Joint distributions of bi-monthly rainfall and El Nino Southern Oscillation (ENSO) indexes are estimated using copula analysis of historical data. The risk reducing effectiveness of introducing premiums conditional on ENSO forecast is evaluated. The results indicate some dependence of the downward volatility of rainfall on the lagged ENSO (forecast) index, particularly in the coastal areas and in the late winter and spring. https://aurora.auburn.edu/handle/11200/50396 https://aurora.auburn.edu/handle/11200/50390 Spatial Competition and Private Labels Private labels, also known as store brands, are an important component of competitive strategy among multi-product retailers, as they can increase retailers' power over suppliers in the vertical channel or facilitate horizontal differentiation among retailers. This paper seeks to identify the relative importance of each role, conditional on the location of both private labels and national brands of ice cream in attribute space. We find that retailers' share of the total margin (retail price less production cost) is higher for private labels than national brands when retailers choose to imitate national brands with their own offerings. https://aurora.auburn.edu/handle/11200/50390