Skip to main content
ARS Home » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #208919
Title: Economic Analysis of Cotton Conservation Tillage Practices in the Mississippi Delta

Author
item Hanks, James
item MARTIN, S - MSU EXT.SER.-DREC

Submitted to: Journal of Cotton Science
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 4/20/2007
Publication Date: 6/29/2007
Citation: Hanks, J.E., Martin, S.W. 2007. Economic Analysis of Cotton Conservation Tillage Practices in the Mississippi Delta. Journal of Cotton Science, 11:75-78. Available: http//journal.cotton.org

Interpretive Summary: Field studies were conducted at Stoneville, MS for the period 2000-2004 to investigate conservation management practices for cotton production in the Mississippi Delta. Producers and conservationists are concerned about soil erosion and soil loss. Producers are also concerned about profits. Many studies have examined tillage methods as a means of conserving soil. Other studies have evaluated cover crops as a means to conserve soils. This evaluates a combination of these two methods of soil conservation based on the economic returns associated with each of the defined systems. Treatments consisted of conventional till, no-till, low-till sub-soiling, no-till with winter wheat cover crop, and low-till sub-soiling with winter wheat cover crop. Partial budgets were developed for each treatment over the five years of the study. Within the partial budgets, both direct and total specified expenses for the specified tillage and cover crop practices were calculated. Results indicated that the highest returns and lowest relative risk were obtained from a traditional no-till system. Yield increases from cover crops did not off-set the added expense. Sub-soiling also did not increase returns enough to offset the added expense and may have even reduced yields. The conventional tillage system had relatively high returns but was found to be among the riskiest (highest variance) of the treatments analyzed. Producers requiring a cover crop system might choose the no-till cover crop system since it had the highest mean net returns of the two cover crop systems.

Technical Abstract: Producers and conservationists are concerned about soil erosion and soil loss. Producers are also concerned about profits. Many studies have examined tillage methods as a means of conserving soil. Other studies have evaluated cover crops as a means to conserve soils. This evaluates a combination of these two methods of soil conservation based on the economic returns associated with each of the defined systems. Field studies were conducted at Stoneville, MS for the period 2000-2004. Treatments consisted of conventional till, no-till, low-till sub-soiling, no-till with winter wheat cover crop, and low-till sub-soiling with winter wheat cover crop. Partial budgets were developed for each treatment over the five years of the study. Within the partial budgets, both direct and total specified expenses for the specified tillage and cover crop practices were calculated. Results indicated that the highest returns and lowest relative risk were obtained from a traditional no-till system. Yield increases from cover crops did not off-set the added expense. Sub-soiling also did not increase returns enough to offset the added expense and may have even reduced yields. The conventional tillage system had relatively high returns but was found to be among the riskiest (highest variance) of the treatments analyzed. Producers requiring a cover crop system might choose the no-till cover crop system since it had the highest mean net returns of the two cover crop systems.