Browsing by Subject "Cultivated"
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Item The economic and environmental implications of feedlot manure utilization in the Texas High Plains(Texas Tech University, 1996-12) Johnson, Jason LaurenceEnvironmental regulations and rising fertilizer costs have made livestock waste management issues important to cattle feedlots, farmers and consumers. These problems are especially evident in the Texas High Plains (THP), an area where vast numbers of cattle are fed alongside a large farm base. The objective of this research was to determine efficient patterns of feedlot manure utilization in the THP that would protect the environment and benefit both feedlot operators and crop producers. Spatial optimization procedures were used to model the economic and environmental implications of utilizing feedlot manure in predominant cropping practices of the THP. The data for this research was constructed from the 5-year average predominant crop acreages and the locations and capacities of 93 individual feedlots in the 29 county THP region. Estimated costs and returns were estimated for each cropping activity, alternative fertilization rate, and soil types predominant in the THP. Expected crop yields, water requirements, and residual nitrogen and phosphorous levels were estimated with the Erosion-Productivity Impact Calculator (EPIC) biological crop/growth simulation model.Item The economics of plant stress reduction through biotechnology: an application to the northern plains region of Texas(Texas Tech University, 1996-12) Middleton, Marty R.Since the turn of the century, technological innovation in production agriculture has caused far-reaching changes in the techniques farmers use to produce agricultural commodities in the United States, The transition from horsepower to mechanical power, the widespread use of chemicals, and the development of new and improved seed varieties have resulted in substantial and continuing increases in agricultural productivity. Revolutions in agricultural production, such as these, have significantly increased the quantities of many agricultural commodities produced in the United States and around the world. These increased quantities have generally lead to significant shifts in total supplies of many commodities. Because of impacts on prices and availability of consumer products derived from agricultural output, shifting supplies have had meaningful social and economic impacts in society, and also in the agricultural community. Common in most American industries, widespread expectations are for technological progress to continue to play a fundamental role in the production of agricultural commodities.