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Aprovechamiento sostenible del lactosuero: oportunidades y desafíos para la economía circular
No full textThe milk processing in cheese production generates whey as the primary byproduct, which has a high nutrient content. However, it often goes to waste and is mostly discharged into the environment without pretreatment, leading to an environmental pollution problem. Because of its importance, the main objective of this study was to delve into fundamental aspects related to the valorization of whey and its importance in the agri-food and socio-economic fields. The methodology was founded on a systematic review of the scientific literature, including a thorough evaluation of scientific articles and statistical sources from the last six years (using databases such as Scielo, Redalyc, Scopus, FAO, and INEC, among others), based on the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA). Results and relevant discussions regarding whey production in Ecuador and available processing technologies were analyzed. Furthermore, the study emphasized the importance of finding sustainable applications for whey, such as using it in bioplastics, bio-products, biofuels, and other beneficial products for the food industry and the environment. In this context, some limitations and challenges associated with the industrial use of whey were identified and discussed, such as handling large volumes of this byproduct and the variability in its commercial value. Among the conclusions, it was determined that whey contains important nutrients derived from milk, which can be widely utilized by various industries, such as the food, chemical, cosmetic, and biomedical industries, according to the reviewed studies. Here, it is essential to adopt a comprehensive view regarding the constraints and challenges related to harnessing this valuable protein through extraction and purification methods, and its applications in different fields
La pedagogía ambiental como estrategia para el diseño de negocios sostenibles
No full textOne of the main causes of the global environmental crisis is the adoption of unsustainable production and consumption models that emphasize the irrational use of resources. This approach, with its negative impacts on biodiversity and social well-being, has had a significant impact on the environmental dimension of development. This approach has had a significant impact on the environmental dimensions of development, to the detriment of biodiversity and social well-being. In this sense, environmental pedagogy emerges as a strategy that, through education, can contribute to the training of entrepreneurs with a pro-environmental conscience and the skills to generate sustainable innovations. These are key factors in mitigating the unsustainability of production systems and in triggering the necessary transformation to incorporate sustainable business models as a management strategy that contributes to the well-being of present and future generations through its impact on the economic, social, and environmental dimensions of development. This article reflects on the contributions of environmental education to the conceptualization and development of sustainable business models. Methodologically, the research is based on the postulates of qualitative research, adopting the hermeneutic approach to discuss–from a deep and interdisciplinary perspective, the contributions of environmental pedagogy to the formation of entrepreneurial skills in students that promote the design and implementation of sustainable business approaches. The conclusions emphasized the need to include in the environmental education curricula topics related to sustainable enterprises, sustainable business, and sustainable entrepreneurship. All of them enrich the curriculum and strengthen the environmental culture while contributing to the formation of the entrepreneurial skills needed by students to promote innovation in the empirical field of enterprises and to develop new business models
Economic Consequences of the Restricted Use of Antibiotics at Subtherapeutic Levels in Broiler and Turkey Production
No full textThe purpose of this report is to investigate the economic implications of the FDA proposal on broiler and turkey production. The first section is a cursory examination of substitution possibilities and the effect of their use. The second section is a reexamination of the benefits of antibiotic feeding, disregarding all substitution possibilities, to complement a report on antibiotic feeding to livestock submitted earlier. The results of the two sections establish the minimum and maximum bounds about the potential economic impact
Food and Drug Administration Proposal to Restrict the Use of Selected Antibiotics at Subtherapeutic Levels in Animal Feeds (Briefing Paper)
No full textReport Introduction: The Food and Drug Administration announced on August 29, 1977, a proposal to prohibit the routine addition of the antibiotic penicillin to animal feeds. This briefing paper attempts to place in perspective the complex and extremely controversial issue of restricting the practice of using certain antibiotics at subtherapeutic levels in animal feeds. This paper covers the history and use of antibiotics in animal agriculture, the public health problems that might emerge from their continued use, antibiotic policy developments, current FDA proposals, economic research on restricting antibiotic use, other pending actions, and recommendations for future action. This paper was prepared by the Economic Research Service with assistance of the Agricultural Research Service, Cooperative State Research Service, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Food Safety and Quality Service, and the FDA Bureau of Veterinary Medicine
Comparative Advantages and Specialization Dynamics in Agri-food Trade of Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay
No full textThe article interrogates the shape, dynamic, and fragility of revealed comparative advantages of 46 agri-food products traded by Argentina, Paraguay, and Uruguay in the period 1995-2020 using normalized revealed comparative index and summary statistics, stochastic kernels, Galtonian regression, Markov chains, and Kaplan-Meier survival analysis. The analysis reveals the agri-food flagship products and the agri-food trade of these countries has formed mainly around these flagship products. The results support the argument that changes in distribution of comparative advantages in agri-food trade underwent an increase in specialization in these countries, especially in the period from the beginning of millennia until about period slightly after the Great Recession. The results also indicate slight convergence in the change in agri-food comparative advantages in these three countries, as well as the increased complexity of agri-food comparative advantages in Argentina and Paraguay at the end of the period under scrutiny. Despite these variations and differences among countries under scrutiny the distribution of comparative advantages remains stable and persistent. Given this evidence, we conclude that these countries will continue to develop their agriculture-led growth economic model and these flagship products will play an important role in the overall agri-food export structures of these countries in the future
Antibiotics for the Control of Vegetable Crop Diseases
No full textReport Summary: Research has clearly indicated that antibiotics will control certain major plant diseases and, in some cases, eradicate infection of treated plants. These complex organic chemicals, which inhibit or destroy the growth of disease-causing organisms, have made phenomenal contributions to the fields of human medicine and animal nutrition. Now pathologists have successfully directed the action of antibiotics against certain plant diseases. The success of antibiotics in this field is credited to their ability to enter into the plant where they protect against invasion of the disease-causing organism and stop the growth of organisms already in the plant, rather than serving simply as a surface protectant. Commercial formulations of some antibiotics are available to vegetable growers, but they have not come into wide use. This report discusses these antibiotics, recently developed ones which show promise, and the specific diseases which each has controlled
Statistical Supplement to Household Food Security in the United States in 2024
No full textReport Introduction: This supplement provides statistics on component items of the household food security measure, the frequency of occurrence of food-insecure conditions, and selected statistics on household food security, food spending, and the use of Federal and community food and nutrition assistance programs. It complements the Household Food Security in the United States in 2024 report (Rabbitt et al., 2025), which provides the primary national statistics on household food security, food spending, and the use of Federal food and nutrition assistance programs by food-insecure households. The statistics presented here are based on data collected in the Current Population Survey (CPS) Food Security Supplement (FSS) conducted in December 2024. Information about the survey, data, and methods is available in the Household Food Security in the United States in 2024 report (Report No. ERR-358). All statistics were calculated by applying the FSS weights to the responses of surveyed households to obtain nationally representative prevalence estimates. Unless otherwise noted, statistical differences described in the text are significant at the 90-percent confidence level
FALL 2025 FARM INCOME OUTLOOK FOR INDIANA
No full textIn September 2025, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)’s Economic Research Service (ERS) released state-level farm income estimates through calendar year 2024 and national farm income projections for calendar year 2025. The present report published by the Rural and Farm Finance Policy Analysis Center (RaFF) provides an updated outlook for Indiana farm income in calendar years 2025 and 2026. It intends to inform policymakers, industry analysts, and agricultural practitioners about the state agricultural sector’s expected profitability and its main drivers
FALL 2025 FARM INCOME OUTLOOK FOR TEXAS
No full textIn September 2025, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)’s Economic Research Service (ERS) released state-level farm income estimates through calendar year 2024 and national farm income projections for calendar year 2025. The present report published by the Rural and Farm Finance Policy Analysis Center (RaFF) provides an updated outlook for Texas farm income in calendar years 2025 and 2026. It intends to inform policymakers, industry analysts, and agricultural practitioners about the state agricultural sector’s expected profitability and its main drivers
A Real-Time Framework for Forecasting Metal Prices
No full textThis paper develops a real-time forecasting framework for monthly real prices of four key industrial metals – aluminum, copper, nickel, and zinc – whose demand is rising due to their widespread use in manufacturing and low-carbon technologies. To replicate the information set available to forecasters in real time, we construct a new dataset combining daily financial variables with first-release macroeconomic indicators and use nowcasting techniques to address publication lags. Within this real-time environment, we evaluate the predictive accuracy of a broad set of univariate, multivariate, and factor-augmented models, comparing their performance with two industry benchmarks: survey expectations and futures-spot spread models. Results show that although short-run metal price movements remain difficult to predict, medium-term horizons display substantial forecastability. Indicators of manufacturing activity tied to primary metals — such as new orders and capacity utilization — significantly improve forecasting accuracy for aluminum and copper, with more moderate gains for zinc and limited improvements for nickel. Futures and survey forecasts generally underperform the real-time econometric models. These findings highlight the value of incorporating timely macroeconomic information into forecasting frameworks for industrial metal markets