Hayenga, Marvin L.; Buhr, Brian L.

Review of Agricultural Economics Vol. 16 no. 2 (May 1994): 159-174.

Introduction of animal growth-enhancing technologies will have significant economic impacts on the U.S. livestock sector. Products analyzed include somatotropins and b-agonists in both beef and pork. Economic impacts on the beef, pork, and poultry sectors are estimated using a quarterly econometric simulation model of the U.S. livestock sector. The model allows for: (1) dynamic interaction of the competing meat animal industries as growth-enhancing products become available in each industry; and (2) comprehensive accounting of the cross-commodity effects of the technology changes. Results show that initial adopters are likely to obtain some benefits, but industry profits return to "normal" in the longer run.