FINANCIAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL TRADEOFFS OF PHOSPHORUS MANAGEMENT PRACTICES ON VERMONT DAIRY FARMS

FLIPSim is combined with GISPLM to provide policymakers and dairy farmers estimated farm financial impacts on the implementation of 8 Best Management Practices (BMP) designed to reduce phosphorus loading in Lake Champlain. Financial performance indicators are derived for three Vermont dairy farms (60, 150, and 350 cows). Results indicate that feed reformulation and nutrient management are the least cost BMPs but that a combination of 4 BMPs cannot meet the 8% reduction goal. Additional, less effective but more costly BMPs will have to be implemented to meet the goal. None of the individual BMPs cause any of the farms to go out of business. However, the initial declining financial position of the small farm is hastened by the implementation of all BMP's except the row crop field buffer and feed reformulation. The medium farm is also threatened by several costly BMPs. Achieving the desired goal will have an adverse financial impact on watershed farms.Environmental Economics and Policy, Livestock Production/Industries,

FINANCIAL IMPACTS OF ALTERNATIVE PHOSPHORUS MANAGEMENT PRACTICES: THE CASE OF VERMONT DAIRY FARMS

The Farm Level Income and Policy Simulation Modeling System (FLIPSim) is used to provide policymakers and dairy farmers estimated farm financial impact on the implementation of five field related Best Management Practices (BMP) designed to reduce phosphorus loading in Lake Champlain. Financial performance indicators are derived from deterministic and stochastic FLIPSim analyses for three Vermont dairy farms (60, 150, and 350 cows). Results indicate that residual management and conservation cropping incur the greatest financial impacts. Nutrient management increases income for the large and medium farms. None of the BMP's caused the farms to go out of business. However, the initial declining financial position of the small farm was hastened by the implementation of all BMP's except the row crop field buffer.Livestock Production/Industries,

A NORTHEAST BORROWER TRAINING PROGRAM: EVOLUTION AND IMPACTS

A financial training program designed by Cooperative Extension specialists was provided to over 2,000 USDA/FSA borrowers from the Northeast during the period 1994-1999. Key to the success of the workshops was an in-depth, user-friendly curriculum that evolved over time, eventually replacing satellite-feed instruction with pre-taped videos. Cluster analysis classified nearly 70 percent of workshop participants as "Low Finance Priority" or "Low Finance Knowledge." Farmers in these clusters received a relatively greater educational benefit from the program than those not in these clusters.. Impact analysis indicated that perceived annual gain in farm net worth from application of workshop tools ranged from approximately $5,000 to$10,000. The training addressed the needs of producers typically isolated from Cooperative Extension because the workshop was the only extension program attended that year by nearly two-thirds of them.agricultural finance, workshop methods, borrower training, cluster analysis, impact analysis, Agricultural Finance, Teaching/Communication/Extension/Profession,

Agricultural and Small Business Retirement Plans and Needs for Information: Evidence from a Vermont Survey

A survey of Vermont agricultural and small business owners and managers was conducted to examine their retirement plans and needs for information. Results from 828 respondents indicate that 42% of them do not have any retirement plan and 45% of the surveyed businesses do not offer any retirement plan for their employees. Results also suggest that most small business owners and managers who do not have a retirement plan are not very interested in more information on retirement planning.Consumer/Household Economics,

Profitability of Northeast Organic Dairy Farms

Livestock Production/Industries,

A PROFITABILITY ANALYSIS OF DAIRY FEEDING SYSTEMS IN THE NORTHEAST

This study analyzes the use and profitability of three distinct feeding systems; confinement feeding, traditional grazing, and management-intensive grazing from a randomly selected sample of northeastern dairy farms. The confinement feeding farms were significantly larger and produced more milk per cow, while the farms using management-intensive grazing incurred the lowest production costs. Both confinement feeding and management-intensive grazing generated significantly higher rates of return to farm assets relative to farms using a mixed system. Multiple regression analysis confirms the critical importance of herd size, milk production per cow, debt level and veterinary expenses to farm profitability in all production systems.Livestock Production/Industries,

ECONOMIC AND ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS OF NUTRIENT LOSS REDUCTIONS ON DAIRY AND DAIRY/POULTRY FARMS

Livestock Production/Industries,

Expanding Extension\u27s Reach: Partnering With FSA to Meet Educational Goals

Extension specialists at Penn State and University of Vermont continued their successful expansion of extension clientele to partner with FSA to train new loan officers from 12 states on agricultural production practices, related equipment and marketing challenges. The 3-4 day workshops were designed around a series of visits to farms and ag businesses. A follow-up workshop focused specifically on entrepreneurial innovators. Participant evaluations indicated that visits to ag businesses were the most highly rated activity, followed closely by farm visits. Overall satisfaction was very high, and nearly all participants indicated the training would make them better loan officers

A FINANCIAL TRAINING PROGRAM FOR USDA/FSA BORROWERS: EVOLUTION AND IMPACTS

A financial training program designed by Cooperative Extension specialists was provided to over 2,000 USDA/FSA borrowers from the Northeast during the period 1994-1999. Key to the success of the workshops was an in-depth, user friendly curriculum that evolved over time, eventually replacing satellite-feed instruction with pre-taped videos. Cluster analysis classified nearly 70% of workshop participants as "Low Finance Priority" or "Low Finance Knowledge." Farmers in these clusters received a relatively greater educational benefit from the program than those not in these clusters. Impact analysis indicated that perceived annual gain in farm net worth from application of workshop tools ranged from approximately $5,000 to$10,000. The training addressed the needs of producers typically isolated from Cooperative Extension because the workshop was the only extension program attended that year by nearly two-thirds of them.Agricultural Finance,

Rapid Estimation of Fouled Railroad Ballast Mechanical Properties

Ballast fouling and ballast deterioration are significant maintenance concerns. Ballast fouling occurs because of the wearing of the ballast against the tie and other ballast, along with the intrusion of fines from the subgrade and deposition of coal dust or soil particles from the surface. In this study, the assessment of mechanical properties of fouled ballast using available geotechnical tests is discussed. These mechanical properties include subgrade reaction modulus from static plate loading tests, dynamic deformation modulus from light weight deflectometer (LWD) tests, and California bearing ratio (CBR) from dynamic cone penetrometer (DCP) tests. The test results show similar trends for these mechanical properties, which were determined by varying the fouling amount as well as the moisture content. The mechanical properties first increased with the moisture content up to a certain value and then decreased rapidly after a peak value. This article also discusses the correlations between these mechanical properties developed from the tests