Koontz, Stephen R.

April, 2008

Differences in Prices and Price Risk Across Alternative Marketing Arrangements Used in the Fed Cattle Industry

By: Muth, Mary K.; Liu, Yanyan; Koontz, Stephen R.; Lawrence, John D.
Information on prices and price risk differences across marketing arrangements aids fed cattle producers in making choices about marketing methods. As part of the congressionally mandated Livestock and Meat Marketing Study, we investigated fed cattle price and price risk differences across marketing arrangements. The analysis uses data representing cattle purchased by 29 large beef packing plants from October 2002 through March 2005. Results indicate that marketing agreements offered the best tradeoff between price level and price risk. Forward contracts had the lowest average yet highly volatile prices. Auction barn prices were higher than other methods but also the most volatile.
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December, 1998

IMPACTS FROM CAPTIVE SUPPLIES ON FED CATTLE TRANSACTION PRICES

By: Ward, Clement E.; Koontz, Stephen R.; Schroeder, Ted C.
Increased use of noncash-price procurement methods has concerned cattlemen for the past several years. This research estimated impacts of captive supplies on transaction prices for fed cattle. Negative relationships were found between transaction prices and percentage deliveries from the inventory of forward contracted and marketing agreement cattle. However, impacts from the absolute size of the total captive supply inventory were not significant. Price differences were found among procurement methods with forward contract prices being much lower. On balance, captive supplies had small but often negative effects on fed cattle transaction prices.
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July, 1998

EXPERIMENTAL SIMULATION OF PUBLIC INFORMATION IMPACTS ON PRICE DISCOVERY AND MARKETING EFFICIENCY IN THE FED CATTLE MARKET

By: Anderson, John D.; Ward, Clement E.; Koontz, Stephen R.; Peel, Derrell S.; Trapp, James N.
Federal budgetary pressures raise questions regarding the importance of public market information. This study assesses the impact of price discovery and production efficiency of reducing public price and quantity information. The amount and type of information provided to Fed Cattle Market Simulator (FCMS) participants was varied by periodically withholding current and weekly summary information according to a predetermined experimental design. Results show that reducing information increased price variance and decreased marketing efficiency; that is, more cattle were delivered at weights deviating from 1,150 pounds- the least-cost marketing weight in the simulator. These factors, which increase costs, make the industry less competitive.
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July, 1997

MEAT-PACKER CONDUCT IN FED CATTLE PRICING: MULTIPLE-MARKET OLIGOPSONY POWER

By: Koontz, Stephen R.; Garcia, Philip
The exercise of market power across multiple geographic fed cattle markets is measured with an econometric model which links behavior of the margin between boxed beef and regional fed cattle prices to an oligopsony model of multiple-market conduct. The game theoretic economic model suggests that for market power to be exercised in a single market a discontinuous pricing strategy must be followed. Total market power is enhance if meat-packers coordinate this pricing strategy across geographic markets. Tests reject independence of pricing conduct across geographic markets which suggests multiple-market power is present. The extent of the market power also is consistent with the economic model. More market power is exercised across regions with the same meat-packing firms. However, the magnitude of the market power is small and decreased between the early and late 1980s.
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July, 1993

ELECTRONIC MARKET USE BY OKLAHOMA LAMB PRODUCERS

By: Koontz, Stephen R.; Ward, Clement E.
Socioeconomic and production system characteristics of a sample of Oklahoma sheep producers were employed to examine the decision to use or not use an electronic market for slaughter lambs. Producer attributes that influence electronic market use were identified with qualitative choice models. The results help identify characteristics of electronic markets which influence their success. The findings also have implications about educational opportunities for cooperative extension.
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