A Linear Programming Approach to the Optimum Farm Organizations for Selected Farm Sizes Under Dryland and Partially Irrigated Conditions in the Missouri Slope Region of the Oahe Unit

What will the optimum farm organizations yield in terms of net income to the farmer? The purpose of this study was to answer this question for the selected farm sizes. The question was answered through the use of linear programming. The selected farm sizes were 640, 1280, and 2560 acre dryland farms and 560, 1080, and 2240 acre partially irrigated farms. The supply of labor available was 240 man hours per month and 2500 total man hours per year from the farm operator and his family and also whatever more could be profitably hired. The farm was completely operator owned and had the necessary machinery, equipment, and buildings to carry out any specified farm program. The necessary capital to inaugurate an irrigation system could be raised. Only typical activities were considered in the model. The study indicated that partially irrigated farming was more profitable than dryland farming for each farm size group. The study indicates that the increase in net return to the large partially irrigated farm was substantially reduced as compared to the increase in net return of the medium partially irrigated farm over the small. The returns to land were greater for the partially irrigated farms which would seem to indicate a preference for the partially irrigated farming over a complete dryland farming system