Daniel A. Lass
Professor and
Department Chair
Recent Publications |
Recent Activities | Curriculum Vitae
My research and teaching interests can be broadly classified as micro-econometrics. Much of my research focuses on farm decisions, from production to off-farm employment. Previous research focused on the farm family labor decisions, productive and allocative efficiency for dairy and cranberries in Massachusetts and for Bulgarian dairy production and CSA costs, returns and marketing. More recently I analyzed the impacts of the Northeast Dairy Compact on retail milk prices and the costs of production for fluid milk in the northeast and asymmetries in farm to retail price transmission. In addition, my tenure as graduate program director prompted an investigation into the value of graduate education in the field of resource economics and the effects of technology on introductory statistics education.
I am currently analyzing the costs and returns of three different production methods for nursery crops in New England. With support from the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture, we have established 3 field trials in Massachusetts and New Hampshire to determine whether alternative soil saving technologies can compete with the traditional balled and burlapped production method. The grant continues through 2012.
I am also interested in water quality in New England streams and rivers, as well as other selected states, and the implications for specific forms of outdoor recreation. I am developing this research in my spare time focusing more specifically on aquatic entomology, salmonid populations, their interdependence and the effects on an individual's utility (namely, mine).
Recent Publications
Stevens, T.H., M. Tabatabaei and D. Lass. “Contracts, Oaths and Hypothetical Bias.” (Under Review: Economic Letters).
Mammen, S., Bauer, J., and D. Lass. “Life satisfaction among rural low-income mothers: The influence of health, human, personal, and social capital.” Applied Research in Quality of Life.4(2009): 365-86.
Lass, D. A., B. Morzuch and Richard Rogers. “Teaching with Technology to Engage Students and Enhance Learning” (Under review: Journal of Economic Education.)
Mammen, S., Lass, D., and Seiling, S. “Labor force supply decisions of rural low-income mothers.” Journal of Family and Economic Issues. 30(2009): 67-79.
Timmons, Dave, Q. Wang and D. Lass. “Local Foods: Estimating Capacity?” Journal of Extension, 46 (2008).
Anderson, Lisa R., Freeborn, Beth A., Holmes, Jessica, Jeffreys, Mark, Lass, Daniel and Soper, John C, "Location, Location, Location! A Classroom Demonstration of the Hotelling Model" (December 2006). Available at SSRN: http://ssrn.com/abstract=961889
Lass, D. A. “Asymmetric Response of Retail Milk Prices in the Northeast Revisited.” Agribusiness: An International Journal, 21(2005): 493-508.
Cushman, Colin, Barry Field, Daniel Lass and Thomas Stevens. “External Costs from Increased Island Visitation: Results from the Southern Thai Islands.” Tourism Economics 10(2004): 207-219.
Sanneh, Njundu, L. Joe Moffitt, and Daniel Lass. “Stochastic Efficiency Analysis of Community Supported Agriculture Core Management Options.” J. of Ag. and Res. Economics, December 2001: 417-430.
Daniel A. Lass, Mawunyo Adanu and P. Geoffrey Allen. “The Impacts of the Northeast Dairy Compact on Retail Prices.” Agri. and Res. Econ. Review, April 2001: 83-92.
Cooley, Jack P. and D. Lass. “Consumer Benefits from Community Supported Agriculture Membership.” Review of Agricultural Economics. Vol. 20(1998):227-237.
Lass, Daniel, Pete St. Marie and Sven Anders. Assessing Potential Demand and Supply for Farm-to-School Programs in Massachusetts. Amherst: Department of Resource Economics, University of Massachusetts. August 2006.
Daniel Lass, Ashely Bevis, Steven Stevenson, John Hendrickson and Kathy Ruhf. 2001 National CSA Farm Survey Results. Department of Resource Economics, University of Massachusetts, Amherst. November 2003.
Daniel Lass, G. W. Stevenson, John Hendrickson, and Kathy Ruhf. CSA Across the Nation: Findings from the 1999 CSA Survey. Madison: Center for Integrated Agricultural Systems, University of Wisconsin-Madison. October 2003.
Richard Rogers and Daniel Lass. Agricultural Marketing in Massachusetts: Agricultural Marketing Performance Initiative Survey Results. Department of Food and Agriculture, Commonwealth of Massachusetts. July 2001.
David Holm, Daniel Lass, Richard Rogers, and David Damery. The Changing Landscape of Massachusetts Agriculture. Department of Food and Agriculture, Commonwealth of Massachusetts. September 2001.
David Damery, David Holm, Dan Lass, and Richard Rogers. Food Marketing and Lumber Processing in Massachusetts: 1958 to 1997. Department of Food and Agriculture, Commonwealth of Massachusetts. September 2001.
David Holm, Dan Lass, Richard Rogers and David Damery. Case Studies of Farm and Forestry Community-Based Programs. Department of Food and Agriculture, Commonwealth of Massachusetts. September 2001.
David Holm, Richard Rogers, and Daniel Lass. Food Self-Sufficiency in the New England States, 1975-1997. Department of Food and Agriculture, Commonwealth of Massachusetts. 2001.
David Holm, Daniel Lass, Richard Rogers and David Damery. Agricultures Hold on the Commonwealth. Amherst, Massachusetts: Univ. of Massachusetts Donahue Institute. 2000.
Recent Activities
My teaching coincides with my research interests. I teach the first course in econometric theory in our graduate program. The course includes theory of estimation of the single equation model. We then consider the effects on our estimators when classical assumptions are lost. We finish with a quick look at limited dependent variable models. At the undergraduate level, I teach introductory statistics and introductory econometrics. In econometrics, the application of econometric methods for decision-making and policy analysis is emphasized with primary emphasis on microeconomic models of the firm and consumer.
I have been active in the Northeast Agricultural and Resource Economics Association serving as President, a member of the Board of Directors and several other committees. I have provided research that has been used to determine agricultural land values in Massachusetts for taxation purposes and am currently a designee to the Farmland Valuation Advisory Commission.
