Project Number: 6420-12610-003-09
Project Type: Specific Cooperative Agreement

Start Date: Jun 01, 2008
End Date: Sep 30, 2009

Objective:
The purpose of the project is to develop guidelines and strategies that increase the adoption, technology transfer and economic efficiency of conservation production systems in the Southeast. The specific objectives of the project are to: (1) evaluate farmers¿ willingness to grow cover crops (a) for soil conservation and (b) as a cellulosic biofuel feedstock source to develop guidelines for technology transfer and crop production management; (2) develop a whole-farm optimization framework for examining the economic impact of alternative biofuel feedstock production alternatives on-farm in order to develop economically optimal crop production management strategies that incorporate biofuel feedstock production; and (3) examine the profitability of alternative conservation management strategies for corn, cotton and peanut production systems in the Southeast to develop management strategies that promote conservation adoption.

Approach:
The objectives will be achieved through a number of different methods. Objective 1 will be completed through survey methods that provide farmer specific data about cover crop management and use, willingness to grow and farmer demographics. Data will be merged with secondary sources and analyzed using appropriate econometric models to provide information about how different agronomic and socio-economic factors will impact the adoption and management of cover crops for alternative uses. Strategies will then be developed to provide guidance about how to more effectively promote the use of cover crops in conservation production decisions and then delivered to customers and stakeholders. Objective 2 will be completed by developing a nonlinear whole-farm optimization model in EXCEL that will accompany the Whole Farm package already utilized by USDA-ARS. Agronomic data at the field-level (provided by USDA-ARS) and farm data from secondary sources will be used to generate representative farms for the Southeast the whole-farm model will be used to analyze on-farm environmental and economic impact of alternative bio-fuel feedstock alternatives. These results will then be used to develop economically optimal production strategies for farmers in the region. Objective 3 will be completed through the examination of specific management considerations in conservation systems for cotton, corn and peanut, including timing of cotton planting and defoliation, production of cover crop biomass, use of roller/crimpers and winter annual grazing. Using field-level experimental data provided USDA-ARS the Crop Profitability Calculator (a budgeting tool) along with appropriate experimental statistical tools will be used to analyze the profitability of these alternative management considerations. Economic information and strategies will be developed concerning these practices.