Source: OKLAHOMA STATE UNIVERSITY submitted to
COSTS, BENEFITS, AND RISKS OF ALTERNATIVE INSECT MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES IN FOOD PROCESSING AND GRAIN STORAGE FACILITIES
Sponsoring Institution
National Institute of Food and Agriculture
Project Status
COMPLETE
Funding Source
HATCH
Reporting Frequency
Annual
Accession No.
1005069
Grant No.
(N/A)
Cumulative Award Amt.
(N/A)
Proposal No.
(N/A)
Multistate No.
(N/A)
Project Start Date
Nov 15, 2014
Project End Date
Sep 30, 2019
Grant Year
(N/A)
Program Code
[(N/A)]- (N/A)
Project Director
Adam, B.
Recipient Organization
OKLAHOMA STATE UNIVERSITY
(N/A)
STILLWATER,OK 74078
Performing Department
Ag Economics
Non Technical Summary
Consumers desire wholesome, insect-free foods. Meanwhile, because of consumer preferences and regulations insecticide options are increasingly limited. In order to improve the ability of food providers to respond to these conflicting challenges, costs benefits, and risks of alternative insect control methods, including integrated pest management approaches, will be estimated. The focus is on grain storage and food processing facilities.Especially in the food processing industry, limited economic analysis of insect control has been published, especially analysis that considers the risks of alternative strategies. Partial budgeting and economic engineering will be used to analyze costs. In addition, geographic information systems analysis will be used to model insect control and its costs and benefits in processing facilities. Real options analysis will be used to value risks of alternative strategies. A key to the analysis is its interdisciplinary integration with agricultural engineers and especially entomologists to comprehensively consider the biological, environmental, and economic aspects of the system.
Animal Health Component
100%
Research Effort Categories
Basic
(N/A)
Applied
100%
Developmental
(N/A)
Classification

Knowledge Area (KA)Subject of Investigation (SOI)Field of Science (FOS)Percent
2165220301050%
7111599301050%
Knowledge Area
711 - Ensure Food Products Free of Harmful Chemicals, Including Residues from Agricultural and Other Sources; 216 - Integrated Pest Management Systems;

Subject Of Investigation
1599 - Grain crops, general/other; 5220 - Pesticides;

Field Of Science
3010 - Economics;
Goals / Objectives
The general objective of the proposed research is to improve the ability of the grain marketing system to respond to increased pesticide regulations and to consumer demands for wholesome, insect-free foods. The specific objectives are:Estimate costs, benefits and risks of incorporating more IPM components in pest-control strategies in stored grain facilities, andEstimate costs, benefits and risks of incorporating more IPM components in pest-control strategies in food processing facilities.
Project Methods
In order to complete objective 1, the models developed and used in the previous HATCH project (explained in Adam et al. 2006b and Adam et al. 2010) to estimate costs of alternative insect control strategies will continue to be updated, adjusted, and recalibrated based on continuing data input from entomologists and agricultural engineers cooperating on this project and the grant-funded projects noted below.Second, economic risks associated with alternative insect control methods, including those intended to reduce the use of chemicals, will be measured. The sources of risk considered are sampling risk, risk of inadequate insect control, and risk of pesticide residue or insect detection leading to rejection by buyer. Sampling risk is the risk that sampling will fail to detect insects, and economic damage will result from failure to control them. It also includes the risk that sampling will lead to overestimates of insect numbers, resulting in costly, unnecessary treatments, and the risk that sampling at point of sale will overestimate the number of insects in the population, causing economic loss to the seller.In order to complete Objective 2, the principles and framework used for Objective 1 will be used, except that individual sources of cost within the broad categories outlined above are likely greater in number and type than for grain storage firms because of the greater complexity of food processing firms. Less research has been conducted in this area, so fewer tools (such as insect growth models and expert systems) are available to support these procedures. (An exception is a model developed by Flinn et al. 2010 that predicts insect population on each floor of a flour mill, depending on temperature and humidity as well as on cleanliness of the facility and several different treatments.) Also, field data will be more difficult to obtain because of the likely reluctance of food processing firms to allow detailed observation of their practices and facilities. However, collaborators on the grant-funded projects cited below have established contacts with key firms in their respective industries, which may provide representative observations and data.

Progress 11/15/14 to 09/30/19

Outputs
Target Audience: Food processing and grain storage facilities, particularly those storing and/or processing wheat or rice, and other scientists conducting research on insect control in stored products and processing facilities. Food supply chain participants, government regulators, and others who want to increase efficiency of the food supply chain and the quality and safety of food. Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided? Three master's students and three Ph.D. students have been trained under this project. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? The results have been disseminated through journal articles, extension fact sheets, videos posted on youtube and through the University website, presentations to academic and industry audiences, and through training seminars for industry practitioners. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? Nothing Reported

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? Methyl bromide is a commonly used fumigant for controlling insects in food processing facilities. However, it has been designated as an ozone depleter and is becoming less available and more costly. Integrated pest management (IPM) is an alternative, and may additionally reduce insecticide resistance, improve worker safety, and reduce environmental concerns and consumer concerns about pesticide residuals. However, little is known about the costs and efficacy of IPM in food processing facilities. We continued to evaluate alternative insect control approaches, including IPM approaches, measuring both the treatment costs as well as the costs of failing to control insects for each approach. Food processing facilities face a high cost if they fail to control insects, but a relatively low probability of incurring those costs. In their operating context, a real options approach can provide a method for appropriately measuring the risks of insect infestation under alternative treatment approaches. We developed a real options model to use weather forecasts to better predict the optimal timing of fumigations, balancing the costs of too many fumigations with the costs of failing to control insects. The need for more fumigations increases in spring as temperatures trend upward and decreases in the fall as temperatures trend downward. One of the potential costs of failing to control insects is the cost of a product recall. The cost of a recall may be mitigated (both direct costs to the affected firms and costs to consumers from eating unsatisfactory food. Traceability and improved supply chain management may reduce the probability of needing a recall and the costs of a recall. Initial cost estimates suggest that the benefits of traceability technology are greater than the costs. We have continued to adapt the Proprietary Centralized Data Whole-Chain Traceability System (PCD-WCTS) developed for beef as part of an earlier NIFA-funded project to other food products. We have conducted food safety and traceability training for industry practitioners in collaboration with a Food Science colleague.

Publications

  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Su, Lianfan, Brian D. Adam, Frank Arthur, Jayson Lusk, and Jean Francois Muellenet. 2019. The Economic Effects of Rhyzopertha dominica on Rice Quality: Objective and Subjective Measures." J. of Stored Products Research 84:101505.


Progress 10/01/17 to 09/30/18

Outputs
Target Audience:Food processing and grain storage facilities, particularly those storing and/or processing wheat or rice, and other scientists conducting research on insect control in stored products and processing facilities. Food supply chain participants, government regulators, and others who want to increase the efficiency of the food supply chain and the quality and safety of food. Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Two graduate students (Ph.D.) havebeen working on this project. One has learned to develop optimization models, quantitatively analyze insect count data, and understand the economic impacts of insect population growth through the use of an insect growth model, and review of entomology and economics literature. The student also learned mathematical modeling techniques and application of real optiontheory to problems in insect control. The second student has learned supply chain concepts connected with whole-chain traceability and is adapting traceability technology to watermelon supply chains. The student has learned applications of optimization and math programming, as well as learning to provide oral presentations to industry personnel. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Presentations on traceability research have been made to industry groups in food safety training workshops, and to agricultural economics, ag engineering, and food safety professionals. Research results on integrated pest management have been presented at professional conferences. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?For whole-chain traceability, work will continue on applying technology developed through previous NIFA-supported projects to actual food supply chains (specifically watermelon) and evaluating the results. For insect control, real option models for optimal timing of insect control methods will continue to be refined. Also, weather forecast information will be incorporated to evaluate as a way to improve the timing of insect control. This may save costs, reduce insecticide use, and reduce insect infestations.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? The economic model cited is part of objective 1. A model and method for identifying optimal time for treatment of insects in a processing facility has been developed. This method quantifies in dollar terms the risk in treating too early (thus conducting too many treatments) and treating too late (incurring excessive damage from insects). The next step in the model's implementation is to provide a decision rule for managers based on the results of this model. The real options model indicates that the traditional economic threshold is typically not the best time to fumigate a processing facility. If temperatures are likely headed up (e.g., in the spring), treatment should occur before the "economic threshold," because the insect population is more likely to increase than decrease. If temperatures are likely headed lower (e.g., in the fall), treatment may be safely delayed. Change in knowledge: The traditional economic threshold model is inadequate when significant variability in conditions exists, but tools such as the real options approach can provide more accurate signals.

Publications

  • Type: Book Chapters Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Kenkel, Phil, and Brian D. Adam. 2018. Economic Theory vs. Reality in Stored Product Management. Chapter 12 in Recent Advances in Stored Product Protection, editors C. G. Athanassiou and F. H. Arthur, published by Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-56125-6_12. pp. 261-273.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: Adam, Brian D., and Hannah Stolze. 2017. Whole-Chain Traceability  Information Sharing from Farm to Fork and Back Again. Seminar presented at Agricultural and Consumer Economics Dept, U of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, December 8, 2017.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Duan, Suling, and Brian D. Adam. 2018. Optimal Timing of Insect Control in Food Processing Facilities: A Real Options Approach. Poster presented at the 2018 Agricultural and Applied Economics Association annual meetings, Washington, D.C, August 5-7, 2018. Available at https://ageconsearch.umn.edu/record/274061.


Progress 10/01/16 to 09/30/17

Outputs
Target Audience:Food processing and grain storage facilities, particularly those storing and/or processing wheat or rice, and other scientists conducting research on insect control in stored products and processing facilities. Food supply chain participants, government regulators, and others who want to increase efficiency of the food supply chain and the quality and safety of food. Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Three Ph.D. students are continuing dissertations under this project. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Presentations were presentedat professional conferences. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Entomologists on the project are collecting data that will enable us to more precisely estimate costs of each treatment option. They are also modifying insect growth models (and insects' responsiveness to treatment methods). Together those will allow our models to give more precise estimates of insect control costs from alternative treatment methods, and thus to give better recommendations. Thus, during this next reporting period we will continue to update our models with the new data from the entomologists so that we can estimate costs more accurately and give more accurate recommendations. We are continuing to adapt the concept of real options to measure the economic and risk tradeoffs in insect control decisions in a food processing environment. For the traceability project, we have completed a major funded project, and we have been awarded another funded project to adapt the developed technology for use with other food products as well as to interface with other traceability systems and marketing systems to make the technology more versatile and more widely used. This will enhance the food safety and value-added capabilities of the system.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? Insect Control in Food Processing and Storage Facilities Methyl bromide is a commonly used fumigant for controlling insects in food processing facilities. However, it has been designated as an ozone depleter and is becoming less available and more costly. Integrated pest management (IPM) is an alternative, and may additionally reduce insecticide resistance, improve worker safety, and reduce environmental concerns and consumer concerns about pesticide residuals. However, little is known about the costs and efficacy of IPM in food processing facilities. We continued to evaluate alternative insect control approaches, including IPM approaches, measuring both the treatment costs as well as the costs of failing to control insects for each approach. Food processing facilities face a high cost if they fail to control insects, but a relatively low probability of incurring those costs. In their operating context, a real options approach can provide a method for appropriately measuring the risks of insect infestation under alternative treatment approaches. A Ph.D. student is building models to apply this methodology to the decisions made by food processing facilities regarding timing of applying insect control measures. Traceability in the Food Supply Chain We have continued to adapt the Proprietary Centralized Data Whole-Chain Traceability System (PCD-WCTS) developed as part of an earlier NIFA-funded to other food products. We have begun collaborating with Ravi Jadeja (Animal Science, OSU), on food safety and traceability training for industry practitioners. We have analyzed costs and benefits of implementing a whole-chain traceability system in the beef industry, including value-added opportunities through information sharing through the PCD-WCTS.

Publications

  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: Su, Lianfan, Brian D. Adam, Jayson Lusk, and Frank Arthur. 2017. Anchoring, Information, and Fragility of Choice Experiments: An Application to Consumer Willingness to Pay for Rice with Improved Storage Management. J. Agricultural & Resource Economics. 42(2):255274.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: Wang, Yu, Jeffrey Vitale, Pilja Park, and Brian D. Adam. 2017. Vol.12(8), pp. 617-631, February. Socioeconomic Determinants of Hybrid Maize Adoption in Kenya. African Journal of Agricultural Research.
  • Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: Adam, Brian D. The Benefits of Whole-Chain Traceability: Implementation and Evaluation [NC-213]. 2017. Proceedings of the Educational Sessions at the Grain Elevator and Processing Society (GEAPS) Exchange 2017, Kansas City, MO. February 28. Available at https://www.geaps.com/knowledge-center/the-benefits-of-whole-chain-traceability-implementation-and-evaluation/ (members only).
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: Adam, Brian D. 2017. The Benefits of Whole-Chain Traceability: Implementation and Evaluation. Invited Presentation, Educational Track, Grain Elevators and Processors Society (GEAPS) Exchange 2017, Kansas City, MO, February 28.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: Ge, Candi, and Brian D. Adam. 2017. Value-added Traceability: Using a Whole-Chain Traceability System to Transfer Information about Multiple Attributes along a Multi-Stage Beef Supply Chain. Selected Paper presented by Candi Ge at the Agricultural and Applied Economics Association annual meetings, Chicago, IL, July 31-August 2.


Progress 10/01/15 to 09/30/16

Outputs
Target Audience:Food processing and grain storage facilities, particularly those storing and/or processing wheat or rice, and other scientists conducting research on insect control in stored products and processing facilities. Food supply chain participants, government regulators, and others who want to increase efficiency of the food supply chain and the quality and safety of food. Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?One M.S. student has completed a M.S. thesis and is beginning a Ph.D. dissertation under this project, another student is beginning a Ph.D. dissertation, and two Ph.D. students are continuing dissertations under this project, for a total of four Ph.D. dissertations. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Presentations at professional conferences What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Entomologists on the project are collecting data that will enable us to more precisely estimate costs of each treatment option. They are also modifying insect growth models (and insects' responsiveness to treatment methods). Together those will allow our models to give more precise estimates of insect control costs from alternative treatment methods, and thus to give better recommendations. Thus, during this next reporting period we will continue to update our models with the new data from the entomologists so that we can estimate costs more accurately and give more accurate recommendations. Also, the current results and recommendations apply to whole floors of processing facilities. Work in progress is modifying and refining those results using GIS techniques to apply to multiple individual locations on a particular floor of the facility. We are continuing to adapt the concept of real options to measure the economic and risk tradeoffs in insect control decisions in a food processing environment. For the traceability project, we have completed a major funded project, and we have been awarded another funded project to adapt the developed technology for use with other food products as well as to interface with other traceability systems and marketing systems to make the technology more versatile and more widely used. This will enhance the food safety and value-added capabilities of the system.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? Under the funded projects, "Alternatives to Methyl Bromide for Effective Integrated Pest Management in Rice Mills," USDA-NIFA Methyl Bromide Transition, 9/1/2014-8/31/2017, PIs McKay, Arthur, Campbell, Adam, Wilson, Yang, and Reagan, and "Evaluation of New Strategies and Tactics to Manage Insect Pests in Mills," USDA-NIFA-ICGP, 9/1/2013-8/31/2016, PIs Kun Yan Zhu, Bhadriraju Subramanyam, Frank Arthur, James Campbell, Brian Adam, and Ducatte. Methyl bromide is a commonly used fumigant for controlling insects in food processing facilities. However, it has been designated as an ozone depleter and is becoming less available and more costly. Integrated pest management (IPM) is an alternative, and may additionally reduce insecticide resistance, improve worker safety, and reduce environmental concerns and consumer concerns about pesticide residuals. However, little is known about the costs and efficacy of IPM in food processing facilities. We considered several IPM approaches and measured both the treatment costs as well as the costs of failing to control insects for each approach. Food processing facilities face a high cost if they fail to control insects, but a relatively low probability of incurring those costs. In their operating context, a real options approach can provide a method for appropriately measuring the risks of insect infestation under alternative treatment approaches. A Ph.D. student (Suling Duan) is investigating alternative ways to apply this methodology to food processing facilities and their insect control decisions. We worked with entomologists on the project to gather and analyze data from the project for this purpose. We also, with the help of the entomologists, began gathering and analyzing location data to be used in GIS models that will help improve the understanding of insect issues in processing facilities and thus aid in controlling insects. Traceability in the Food Supply Chain Research by B.D. Adam and Candi Ge (graduate student), along with Michael Buser (Biosystems & Ag Engineering), Blayne Mayfield and Johnson Thomas (Computer Science), and Steve Ricke and Phil Crandall (Food Science, U. of Arkansas) on the topic "Advancement of a whole-chain, stakeholder driven traceability system for agricultural commodities: beef cattle pilot demonstration." - We have developed a "proof-of-concept" interface between the Proprietary Centralized Data Whole-Chain Traceability System (PCD-WCTS) developed as part of this project and a local farmer-to-consumer traceability system developed by a private traceability company.

Publications

  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Adam, Brian D., Rodney Holcomb, Michael D. Buser, Blayne Mayfield, Johnson Thomas, Philip Crandall, Corliss A. OBryan, Steven C. Ricke, Dar Knipe, and Richard Knipe. 2016. Enhancing Food Safety, Product Quality, and Value-Added in Food Supply Chains Using Whole-Chain Traceability. International Food and Agribusiness Management Review. Special Issue - Volume 19 Issue A:191-214. (Available at http://www.ifama.org/resources/Documents/Volume%2019%20Issue%20A/1020150140.pdf)
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Ge, Candi, and Brian D. Adam. 2016. Value of Information in a Whole-Chain Traceability System for Beef Cattle: Application to Meat Tenderness. Selected Paper presented at the Western Agricultural Economics Association annual meetings, Victoria, BC, Canada, June 21-23.
  • Type: Theses/Dissertations Status: Other Year Published: 2015 Citation: Li, Niu. 2016. Alternatives to Methyl Bromide Fumigation for Insect Control in Rice and Wheat Processing Facilities: An Economic Optimization. M.S. Thesis, Oklahoma State University.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Ge, Candi, and Brian D. Adam. 2016. Value of Information in a Whole-Chain Traceability System for Beef Cattle: Application to Meat Tenderness. Selected Poster presented at the Agricultural and Applied Economics Association annual meetings, Boston, MA, July 31-August 2.
  • Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Adam, B. D., C. C. Craige, and M. D. Buser. 2016. Risk Reallocation in a Whole Chain Traceability System. Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service Fact Sheet NWCTI-17, June.
  • Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Buser, M. D, C. C. Craige, and B. D. Adam. 2016. What Access will Government Agencies Have? Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service Fact Sheet NWCTI-16, June.
  • Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Thomas, J.P., C. C. Craige, M. D. Buser, and B. D. Adam. 2016. How Secure Is Your Data in the National Whole Chain Traceability System? Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service Fact Sheet NWCTI-15, June.
  • Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: C. C. Craige, T. K. Kumar, M. D. Buser, and B. D. Adam. 2016. How to Use the NWCTI System. Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service Fact Sheet NWCTI-10, June.
  • Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: C. C. Craige, M. D. Buser, and B. D. Adam. 2016. How Consumers Would Use the National Whole Chain Traceability System. Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service Fact Sheet NWCTI-09, June.
  • Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Stehle, A.M., C. C. Craige, M. D. Buser, and B. D. Adam. 2016. Using RFID and Traceability Systems in Stocker Operations. Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service Fact Sheet NWCTI-05, June.
  • Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Adam, B.D., C.C. Craige, and M.D. Buser. 2016. What makes the National Whole Chain Traceability System Different? Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service Fact Sheet NWCTI-02, June 2016.


Progress 11/15/14 to 09/30/15

Outputs
Target Audience:Food processing and grain storage facilities, particularly those storing and/or processing wheat or rice, and other scientists conducting research on insect control in stored products and processing facilities. Food supply chain participants, government regulators, and others who want to increase efficiency of the food supply chain and the quality and safety of food. Changes/Problems:Change in knowledge Results of the research on optimal insect control in warm climates indicates that under normal rates of insect immigration into storage bins, one treatment is always necessary in OKC, representing the Southern Plains. The cost of the optimal strategy is the cost of one fumigation. One fumigation controls insect growth sufficiently that no insect-damaged kernels (idk) discounts or live insect discounts result. This result holds over the 29-year period as long as the one fumigation occurs within a 130-day window ranging from August to January. The robustness of the results across application dates for calendar-based fumigation may partly explain why many elevator managers have followed this approach. A second result is that in Wichita, representing the Central Plains, if insect immigration rate can be reduced to a low level, fumigation is almost never necessary. These two results are obtained using only one year of weather data. A third result, different from previous results because of the more complete consideration of weather variability, is that in OKC, representing the Southern Plains, under low immigration rates, there are many years in which fumigation is not necessary, even when grain is stored for the full 10 months and even though temperatures and humidity are higher. Change in actions Results suggest that a sampling-based IPM approach, such as that recommended by entomologists at USDA-ARS in which current weather information is combined with insect sampling and an expert system for predicting insect growth, can be an economically attractive alternative to calendar-based fumigation if an elevator manager can reduce insect immigration rates, perhaps by careful sanitation and sealing of storage structures. Summary Impact Statement Sampling-based IPM can be economically effective in certain conditions in partially replacing fumigation in controlling insects in stored grain facilities IPM Methods in in Processing Facilities Change in knowledge Models are being developed to predict insect growth in different locations within a processing facility. This will facilitate analysis to determine economic effectiveness of alternatives to whole-plant fumigation in order to control insects. Change in actions None to report at this stage. An extension component of this project is currently being arranged for early 2015 to present key results to industry practitioners. Traceability in the Food Supply Chain Change in knowledge A traceability system has been developed that permits supply chain participants who put data into the system to selectively share information with others in the supply chain. Change in actions None to report at this stage. Summary Impact Statement The traceability system developed can be used by farmers to manage production and marketing data. Farmers can use this data in the system to provide value-based and safety information to other participants in the supply chain, including consumers. This will facilitate communication of important food attributes through the supply chain, adding value to consumers and to other participants in the supply chain, and enhance food safety and animal disease traceability. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?One M.S. student has nearly completed a M.S. thesis, and one Ph.D. student is beginning a dissertation under this project. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Presentations at training and certification workshops Adam, Brian D. Li Niu, Frank Arthur, James Campbell, Tanja McKay. 2015. "Economics of Insect Control in Rice Storage and Processing." Presentations of Results of Grant-Funded Project for Rice Millers and Growers at Workshop in Richvale, CA East Bernard, TX, Jonesboro, AR, February 23-27. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Entomologists on the project are collecting data that will enable us to more precisely estimate costs of each treatment option. They are also modifying insect growth models (and insects' responsiveness to treatment methods). Together those will allow our models to give more precise estimates of insect control costs from alternative treatment methods, and thus to give better recommendations. Thus, during this next reporting period we will continue to update our models with the new data from the entomologists so that we can estimate costs more accurately and give more accurate recommendations. Also, the current results and recommendations apply to whole floors of processing facilities. Work in progress is modifying and refining those results using GIS techniques to apply to multiple individual locations on a particular floor of the facility. We will also be adapting the concept of real options to measure the economic and risk tradeoffs in insect control decisions in a food processing environment. For the traceability project, we have completed a major funded project, and we will be seeking funding to adapt the developed technology for use with other food products as well as to interface with other traceability systems and marketing systems to make the technology more versatile and more widely used. This will enhance the food safety and value-added capabilities of the system.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? The general objective of the research under this project is to improve the ability of the grain marketing system to respond to increased pesticide regulations and to consumer demands for wholesome, insect-free foods. The specific objectives are: Estimate costs and risks associated with chemical-based and IPM pest-control strategies in stored grain facilities, and Estimate costs and risks associated with chemical-based and IPM pest-control strategies in food processing facilities Under the funded projects, "Alternatives to Methyl Bromide for Effective Integrated Pest Management in Rice Mills," USDA-NIFA Methyl Bromide Transition, 9/1/2014-8/31/2017, PIs McKay, Arthur, Campbell, Adam, Wilson, Yang, and Reagan, and "Evaluation of New Strategies and Tactics to Manage Insect Pests in Mills," USDA-NIFA-ICGP, 9/1/2013-8/31/2016, PIs Kun Yan Zhu, Bhadriraju Subramanyam, Frank Arthur, James Campbell, Brian Adam, and Ducatte. Methyl bromide is a commonly used fumigant for controlling insects in food processing facilities. However, it has been designated as an ozone depleter and is becoming less available and more costly. Integrated pest management (IPM) is an alternative, and may additionally reduce insecticide resistance, improve worker safety, and reduce environmental concerns and consumer concerns about pesticide residuals. However, little is known about the costs and efficacy of IPM in food processing facilities. We considered several IPM approaches and measured both the treatment costs as well as the costs of failing to control insects for each approach. Food processing facilities face a high cost if they fail to control insects, but a relatively low probability of incurring those costs. In their operating context, a real options approach can provide a method for appropriately measuring the risks of insect infestation under alternative treatment approaches. A Ph.D. student (Suling Duan) is investigating alternative ways to apply this methodology to food processing facilities and their insect control decisions. We worked with entomologists on the project to gather and analyze data from the project for this purpose. We also, with the help of the entomologists, began gathering and analyzing location data to be used in GIS models that will help improve the understanding of insect issues in processing facilities and thus aid in controlling insects. Traceability in the Food Supply Chain Research by B.D. Adam and Candi Ge (graduate student), along with Michael Buser (Biosystems & Ag Engineering), Blayne Mayfield and Johnson Thomas (Computer Science), and Steve Ricke and Phil Crandall (Food Science, U. of Arkansas) on the topic "Advancement of a whole-chain, stakeholder driven traceability system for agricultural commodities: beef cattle pilot demonstration." We have developed a "proof-of-concept" interface between the Proprietary Centralized Data Whole-Chain Traceability System (PCD-WCTS) developed as part of this project and a local farmer-to-consumer traceability system developed by a private traceability company.

Publications

  • Type: Book Chapters Status: Published Year Published: 2015 Citation: Adam, Brian D., Michael Buser, Blayne Mayfield, Johnson Thomas, Corliss A. OBryan, and Philip Crandall. 2015. Computer systems for whole-chain traceability in beef production systems. Chapter 2 in Food Safety: Emerging Issues, Technologies and Systems, edited by Steven C. Ricke, Janet R. Donaldson, and Carol A. Phillips. Elsevier, Inc.
  • Type: Other Status: Other Year Published: 2015 Citation: Duan, Suling, and Brian D. Adam. 2015. Economically Optimal Timing of Insect Control in Food Processing Facilities: An Option Approach. Poster presented at the Agricultural and Applied Economics Association/Western Agricultural Economics Association annual meetings, San Francisco, CA, July 26-28.
  • Type: Other Status: Other Year Published: 2015 Citation: Duan, Suling, and Brian D. Adam. 2015. Balancing Insect Control and Insect Damage Costs. Poster presented at the Robert M. Kerr Food & Agricultural Products Center Research Symposium (in conjunction with OSU Research Week), Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK, February 17.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Submitted Year Published: 2015 Citation: Niu, Li, Brian D. Adam, Frank Arthur, James Campbell, and Paul Flinn. 2015. In Search of the Holy Grail: Finding the Best Insect Control Strategy in a Food Processing Facility. Presented at NC-213 Annual Meeting. Kansas City, Missouri. February 25.
  • Type: Theses/Dissertations Status: Submitted Year Published: 2015 Citation: Li, Niu. 2015. Alternatives to Methyl Bromide Fumigation for Insect Control in Rice and Wheat Processing Facilities: An Economic Optimization. M.S. Thesis, Oklahoma State University.