Nitrogen as a Capital Input and Stock Pollutant: A Dynamic Analysis of Corn Production and Nitrogen Leaching under Non-Uniform Irrigation

A spatially dynamic programming model of nonuniform irrigation is developed to investigate the nitrogen leaching problem associated with irrigated agriculture. We evaluate the importance of temporal and spatial elements in (i) appropriately modeling the interseasonal corn production problem with nitrogen carry-over and leaching under non-uniform irrigation, and (ii) in adequately evaluating alternative policy instruments for pollution control. Comparisons of the time profiles under spatially variable nitrogen levels arising from nonuniform irrigation are provided along with an evaluation of three different price-based policy instruments for reducing nitrogen leaching.Environmental Economics and Policy,

Abatement costs for agricultural nitrogen and phosphorus loads: a case study of South-Western Finland

Designing efficient agri-environmental policies for agricultural nutrient load reductions calls for information on the costs of emission reduction measures. This study develops an empirical framework for estimating abatement costs for nutrient loading from agricultural land. Nitrogen abatement costs and the phosphorus load reductions associated with nitrogen abatement are derived for crop farming in southern Finland. The model is used to evaluate the effect of the Common Agricultural Policy reform currently underway on nutrient abatement costs. Results indicate that an efficiency designed policy aimed at a 50 % reducton in agricultural nitrogen load would cost 25 to 28 million euro, or 1995 to 2197 euro per farm

The impact of concentrated pig production in Flanders : a spatial analysis

Historically concentrated livestock production and, consequently, manure production and management in Belgium have resulted in severe environmental impacts. One major impact, nitrate leaching from soil to surface water, is being tackled through the European Nitrates Directive by imposing strict fertilization standards. However, another significant impact of manure management is the emission of greenhouse gasses (GHG - CO2, CH4, NH3 and N2O) into the air, thereby contributing to global warming. Calls have been made to reduce the high manure pressure and related environmental effects in Belgium by relocating and more evenly spreading livestock production. This paper explores the spatial spreading of CO2-equivalent emissions from livestock production in Belgium and attempt to answer the following question: ‘Can spatial reallocation of livestock production in Belgium reduce the impact of GHG emissions?’. This question is translated into several research objectives: 1) conduct an economic (cost minimization) and environmental (GHG minimization) optimization for 3 manure management scenarios, 2) determine the main differences between both approaches, and 3) determine the marginal spatial impact on CO2 emissions of a decrease in manure pressure (i.e., increased spreading of pig production). To conduct the analysis, a model was developed that builds on the spatial mathematical programming multi-agent manure allocation model developed by Van der Straeten et al. (2010). Three options for manure management are inserted: transport of raw manure from nutrient excess to nutrient deficit areas, biological treatment of manure (manure processing) and manure separation. The model optimizes, at municipal level, either the cost-efficiency, either the environmental effect of the manure market in Belgium based on Belgian fertilization standards. While cost-efficiency is calculated based on transport distances and cost of manure separation and processing, GHG emissions, and hence, carbon footprint, are determined based on a life cycle analysis type calculation. The results of the model simulations show that, while the economic optimum is reached by maximizing the transport of raw manure until fertilization standards are fulfilled and subsequently separating and processing the excess manure, the environmental optimum, from a carbon footprint point of view, is reached by separating all manure as this option has the lowest CO2 emissions, mainly due to the limited manure storage time. Moreover, the analyses indicate that rearrangement of the spatial spreading of livestock production in Belgium will not substantially decrease CO2 emissions. As manure storage is the main contributor to the carbon footprint, solutions should rather lie in changing these storage systems

Too Litter, Too Late: Economic Logistics of Transporting Nutrient-Rich Poultry Litter Out of Nutrient-Saturated Regions

Export of excess litter from concentrated animal production regions has become a pressing issue. A break even price for poultry litter in nutrient-deficient areas was identified through a math programming model using willingness to pay data from crop producers. Results indicate that a $16 subsidy is needed to sustain a long-term poultry litter market.Environmental Economics and Policy,

Optimal Nitrogen Applications: A Stochastic Dynamic Model of Irrigated Corn in the Southern High Plains

Crop Production/Industries,

MANURE VALUE, PRICING SYSTEMS, AND SWINE PRODUCTION DECISIONS

Based on a swine producer's profit maximization model in which manure value and packers' live market weight pricing systems are considered, the optimal farm inventory and optimal hog market weight are simultaneously solved for scenarios generated from the combination of two crop rotations, two forms of manure storage, two levels of manure incorporation, and two nutrient application standards. First, our results suggest that manure value has a significant impact on the optimal farm inventory as well as on the profitability of an operation. The optimal size of operation identified is quite large and varies considerably among the scenarios. Our results indicate that shallow pit buildings with lagoons can support a larger operation scale and require less acreage for manure dispersion than systems with slurry basins. For slurry basin systems, manure applications with immediate incorporation are more profitable than applications with no incorporation. Second, our results show that the optimal hog market weight is insensitive to benefits and costs of manure handling and application, reflecting a dominant influence of the pricing system on a producer's hog marketing decision. Finally, our results show that though more acres are needed for manure application when a P standard is applied in a corn-soybean rotation, still a P standard is economically advantageous to swine farmers and this standard also makes better use of manure nutrients.Livestock Production/Industries,

Economics of Management Zone Delineation in Cotton Precision Agriculture

This paper develops a management zone delineation procedure based on a spatial statistics approach and evaluates its economic impact for the case of Texas cotton production. With the use of an optimization model that utilizes a yield response function estimated through spatial econometric methods, we found that applying variable N rates based on the management zones delineated would result in higher cotton yields and higher net returns, above Nitrogen cost, relative to uniformly applying a single N rate for the whole field. In addition, a variable rate N application using the delineated management zones produced higher net returns, above Nitrogen cost, relative to a variable N rate system where the zones are based solely on landscape position. This is indicative of the potential economic value of using a spatial statistics approach to management zone delineation.Management Zones, Exploratory Spatial Data Analysis, Site-Specific Nitrogen Management, Cotton Precision Agriculture., Crop Production/Industries, Q1, Q16,

Evaluation of agricultural ecosystem services in fallowing land based on farmers' participation and model simulation

Fallowing with green fertilizer can benefit agricultural ecosystem services (AES). Farmers in Taiwan do not implement fallow practices and plant green fertilizer because the current subsidy level (46,000 NT$per ha) is too low to manage fallowing. This paper defines the objective of government agriculture policy or the farmer’s objective as maximization of farm productivity, approximated to the value of social welfare and AES. Farms, which do not follow proper fallowing practices, often have poorly maintained fallow land or left farmland abandoned. This results in negative environmental consequences such as cutworm infestations in abandoned land, which in turn can affect crops in adjacent farmlands. The objectives of this study are twofold. First, it determines the proper fallowing subsidy based on the concept of payment for ecosystem services to entice more farmers to participate in fallowing. Second, it simulates the benefit of planting green manure in fallow land to the supply of AES based on the rate of farmers who are willing to participate in fallow land practices and essential parameters that can affect soil fertility change. The approach involves a series of interviews and a developed empirical model. The value of AES when the rate of farmer participation is 100$perha)istoolowtomanagefallowingThispaperdefinestheobjectiveofgovernmentagriculturepolicyorthefarmer’sobjectiveasmaximizationoffarmproductivityapproximatedtothevalueofsocialwelfareandAESFarmswhichdonotfollowproperfallowingpracticesoftenhavepoorlymaintainedfallowlandorleftfarmlandabandonedThisresultsinnegativeenvironmentalconsequencessuchascutworminfestationsinabandonedlandwhichinturncanaffectcropsinadjacentfarmlandsTheobjectivesofthisstudyaretwofoldFirstitdeterminestheproperfallowingsubsidybasedontheconceptofpaymentforecosystemservicestoenticemorefarmerstoparticipateinfallowingSeconditsimulatesthebenefitofplantinggreenmanureinfallowlandtothesupplyofAESbasedontherateoffarmerswhoarewillingtoparticipateinfallowlandpracticesandessentialparametersthatcanaffectsoilfertilitychangeTheapproachinvolvesaseriesofinterviewsandadevelopedempiricalmodelThevalueofAESwhentherateoffarmerparticipationis100 ) over the value at the current participation rate of 14%. This study further concludes that the appropriate fallowing subsidy has a large positive impact on AES and social welfare (e.g., benefit from food and biofuel supplies) and is seen as a basis of ecological governance for sustainable agro-ecosystems