Progress Report to the TNRC for Analysis of the Economics of Atrazine Remediation for Representative Grain Farms in the Aquilla Watershed, Hill County, Texas: Subtasks 4.0-4.4

Four alternative BMPs for atrazine remediation were reported by Harmon and Wang for the study area. The BMPs involved alternative incorporation practices, tillage operations, and sediment ponds. Harmon and Wang reported no statistical difference in corn yields under the alternative BMPs. An economic analysis of four alternative best management practices (BMPs) for atrazine remediation in Hill County, Texas, was performed by the Agricultural and Food Policy Center (AFPC) at Texas A&M University. Using the farm-level economic simulation model FLIPSIM, AFPC scientists analyzed the financial effects of the alternative BMPs on the Texas Blackland Prairie representative farm. This farm consists of 2,000 dryland acres, divided among corn (600 acres), sorghum (750 acres), wheat (250 acres), and native pasture (150 acres). This farm also maintains a small beef cowherd. Regularly updated, the AFPC maintains more than 80 farms across the nation that form the basis for probabilistic-based agricultural policy evaluation.Agricultural and Food Policy, Resource /Energy Economics and Policy,

ANALYZING PEST CONTROL STRATEGIES FOR COTTON WITH AN ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT MATRIX

Environmental Economics and Policy,

Financial Impacts of Regional Differences in Beef Cattle Operations

The sensitivity of net cash farm income to changes in selected production variables, output prices, and input costs varies significantly across representative U.S. beef cattle operations. Larger changes in profitability result from changes in productivity and output prices than from changes in input costs.Livestock Production/Industries,

An Analysis of Whole Farm Revenue Safety Net Options in Agriculture

Despite many years of experience, the federal government continues to seek a farm program that holds the potential for providing a politically acceptable safety net for farmers. This study demonstrates that, with the 2002 Farm Bill, AMTA, and marketing loan provisions continuing, a whole farm revenue safety net has the potential for simplifying existing farm programs, while enhancing the financial position of US farmers. There remains the need for further analysis of the impacts of the options analyzed on supply response by farmers.Agricultural and Food Policy,

DISTRIBUTION CHOICE UNDER NULL PRIORS AND SMALL SAMPLE SIZE

Defining appropriate probability distributions for the variables in an economic model is an important and often arduous task. This paper evaluates the performance of several common probability distributions under different distributional assumptions when sample sizes are small and there is limited information about the data.Research Methods/ Statistical Methods,

American Agriculture: What We Can Expect - National Symposium on the Future of American Agriculture, University of Georgia: August 1999

The Agricultural and Food Policy Center (AFPC) of the Texas A&M University System is pleased to be invited to address this symposium addressing the future of U.S. agriculture. As a participant in the FAPRI consortium, AFPC monitors the economic conditions of U.S. agriculture at the farm and ranch level. To accomplish this, AFPC maintains approximately 80 crop, dairy, beef and pork representative farms throughout the nation. In the interest of time, this paper will focus only on the economic condition of the 41 feed grain/oilseeds, wheat, cotton and rice farms through the year 2002. Anyone interested in the livestock operations, or more detail on the crop farms, are directed to the AFPC web site at http://afpc1.tamu.edu. The publications included at this site provide greater detail about the process AFPC employs to develop the representative farms, their structure and their financial characteristics.Agribusiness, Agricultural and Food Policy,

SOIL CONSERVATION OR COMMODITY PROGRAMS: TRADE OFFS DURING THE TRANSITION TO DRYLAND CROP PRODUCTION

Predicted crop yields and wind erosion rates from a multi-year/multi-crop growth simulation model provided input into a multi-period recursive QP model to evaluate erosion implications during the transition to dryland crop production on the Texas Southern High Plains. Three farm-program participation options were considered in this study. Participation in an extension of the current farm program resulted in an increase in net returns and wind erosion rates above nonparticipation. Imposition of a soil loss limit without consideration of a flexible base option can significantly reduce discounted present values. Increasing risk aversion across producers affects crop mix selection which can result in lower per acre wind erosion rates for this particular region.Crop Production/Industries,

National Agricultural, Research, Extension, Education and Economics Advisory Board Southern Regional Listening Session - Small and Family Farms: Challenges and Needs Alcorn State University, Alcorn, Mississippi

The Agricultural and Food Policy Center’s (AFPC) primary purpose is to analyze the economic and financial impacts of alternative government policies on U.S. farming and ranching operations. This is accomplished through the maintenance of data necessary to simulate the economic and financial activities of more than 80 representative crop and livestock farms chosen from major production areas across the United States. Twenty of the 41 crop farms are located in the Southern region. A brief description of these crop farms and their location is summarized in Appendix A. The economic and financial observations reported in this paper are based on AFPC’s experience with the crop farms in the Southern region. The paper is organized into four sections. The first section summarizes the process used to develop the representative farms. The second section presents the crop farms in terms of total crop cash receipts and economic efficiency as measured by the ratio of total cash costs to receipts. The third section reports the economic and financial conclusions inferred by AFPC’s experience with these crop farms. The final section addresses research, education and policy implications drawn from the analysis.Agricultural and Food Policy,

IMPACT OF ALTERNATIVE FARM PROGRAMS ON DIFFERENT SIZE COTTON FARMS IN THE TEXAS SOUTHERN HIGH PLAINS: A SIMULATION APPROACH

Eight Texas High Plains cotton farms, ranging in size from 189 acres to 5,570 acres, were simulated under six alternative farm program provisions to determine the likely structural impacts of these programs. The results indicate mid-size farms benefit more from farm programs than either small or large farms since the programs allow them to remain in business. Denying mid-size commercial farms access to the farm program would likely accelerate the trend towards a bimodal distribution of farm sizes on the High Plains.Agribusiness, Crop Production/Industries,