THIS PROJECT AIMSTO DEVELOP SEMI-NONPARAMETRIC ECONOMETRIC METHODS THAT WILL IMPROVE EMPIRICAL UNDERSTANDING OF THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN PLANTING DENSITY AND CORN PRODUCTION RISK IN THE US. THE NOVEL METHOD CAN HANDLE A LARGE VARIETY OF EMPIRICAL SITUATIONS. THE PERFORMANCE OF THE NEW METHOD IS SATISFACTORY AND SUPERIOR TO EXISTING METHODS. THE PROPOSED METHOD WILL BE APPLIED TO US CORN PRODUCTION DATA, WHICH WILL YIELD A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF THE RELATIONSHIPS AMONGPLANTING DENSITY, MEAN CORN YIELDS, PRODUCTION RISK, CLIMATE CHANGE, AND GENETIC MODIFICATION. THESE RESULTS WILL PROVIDE VALUABLE INFORMATION TO RESEARCHERS AND DECISION-MAKERS WORKING ON PLANTING DENSITY AND PRODUCTION RISK.