Score contribution per author:
α: calibrated so average coauthorship-adjusted count equals average raw count
Energy security and environmental concerns are critical issues for North America. The development of the bio-fuel industry has given grain farmers another crop option. Trends towards renewable fuels could also put fuel production at odds with traditional food agriculture, a situation referred to as the “food vs. fuel” debate. This research models profit maximizing farm crop choices as energy crops become a crop option. We develop a simulation to estimate the oil price level where farmers would switch from the production of grain for food over to bio-energy crops. We also investigate consequences associated with this process on the elevator industry.