Better supply elasticities improve commodity policy: The federal response to the Covid-19 pandemic

B-Tier
Journal: Food Policy
Year: 2025
Volume: 135
Issue: C

Score contribution per author:

0.670 = (α=2.01 / 3 authors) × 1.0x B-tier

α: calibrated so average coauthorship-adjusted count equals average raw count

Abstract

Accurate supply parameters are essential for policy analysis, especially since they often support taxpayer-funded relief programs costing billions of dollars. This study incorporates a broader dataset than traditional methods and applies modern, straightforward econometric techniques to estimate marketing and supply elasticities for the U.S.’s top crops: corn and soybeans. While rarely examined, marketing elasticities, at 3.27% for corn and 2.86% for soybeans, capture the rate at which producers market harvests based on expected cash-futures basis changes. A 3SLS approach estimates supply elasticities for corn and soybeans at 0.28 (95% CI: 0.09–0.47) and 0.12 (95% CI: 0.007–0.22), respectively; we use these elasticities to show that USDA’s COVID-19 compensation programs underestimated losses to the producers of both commodities.

Technical Details

RePEc Handle
repec:eee:jfpoli:v:135:y:2025:i:c:s0306919225001423
Journal Field
Development
Author Count
3
Added to Database
2026-01-24