Basis spread predictors

These data were collected for an analysis examining how natural disasters impact the collection and transportation of corn and soybeans from Midwestern collection points to the Port of New Orleans.

Description: Variables included in the dataset: 

ethanol intensity: Ethanol intensity is a kernel density function-based estimate that uses the nameplate capacity of ethanol plant located near the sample elevators

Disaster dummies: take the value of 1 if a county was affected by a natural disaster in a particular week, and 0 otherwise.

Cost per bushel: transportation costs that account for natural disasters

Production: county-specific annual observations that were calculated using acreage and yield data retrieved from USDA Farm Service Agency. Corn and soybean acreage was taken from annual acreage reporting reports and multiplied by the respective commodity yield for the county.

cost_routechange: If the hypothetical crop transportation route changes due to a natural disaster blocking the original route, this variable is assigned a value of 1; otherwise, it remains 0.