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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Fayetteville, Arkansas » Poultry Production and Product Safety Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #373511
Research Project: Quantifying Air and Water Quality Benefits of Improved Poultry Manure Management Practices

Location: Poultry Production and Product Safety Research

Title: Economic and environmental assessment of tractor guidance technologies

Author
item POPP, MICHAEL - University Of Arkansas
item Ashworth, Amanda
item LINDSAY, KAREN - University Of Arkansas
item Owens, Phillip
item MCCARVER, MELISSA - Beaver Watershed Alliance

Submitted to: Meeting Abstract
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 1/16/2020
Publication Date: 1/16/2020
Citation: Popp, M., Ashworth, A.J., Lindsay, K.A., Owens, P.R., Mccarver, M. 2020. Economic and environmental assessment of tractor guidance technologies. Abstract. Southern Agruclutural Economics Association, Louisville, Kentucky, February 1-4, 2020.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Alternative pasture management strategies to enhance water infiltration and thereby reduce nutrient runoff can improve the efficacy of fertilizer applications. For example, abundantly available poultry litter or commercial fertilizer as sources of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) are often surface applied and may benefit from pasture aeration, a process where holes are punched into the soil to allow water to infiltrate. Field trials have been conducted over the course of the last two years to determine the economic efficiency of aeration on pastures at different times of the year. Preliminary results suggest that there are yield, cost, and environmental tradeoffs that affect optimal timing of this practice. As such, a spreadsheet tool was developed that evaluates under what farm production circumstances pasture aeration makes economic sense by calculating breakevens for: i) nutrient runoff reduction requirements holding yield changes and nutrient cost constant; ii) yield increases necessary to offset cost of fertilizer application; and iii) nutrient runoff savings needed to offset costs holding yield change and fertilizer cost constant. The spreadsheet tool offers further flexibility by allowing users to specify equipment ownership charges. Hence, the tool is intended to inform producers about time-sensitive profitability changes associated with pasture aeration.