Abstract
Cover cropping has been promoted for improving soil health and environmental quality in the southern High Plains (SHP) region of the United States. The SHP is one of the more productive areas of the country and covers a large landmass, including parts of Oklahoma, New Mexico, and Texas. This region faces challenges in sustainable crop production due to declining water levels in the Ogallala Aquifer, the primary source of water for irrigated crop production. This study examines the impact of integrating cover crops in the winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L)-based rotations on farm profitability and risk in the SHP. The study combines experimental yield data with other secondary information, including market prices, to conduct simulation analysis and evaluate the risk involved in introducing cover crops in a wheat-fallow cropping system. The results show that, due to the additional monetary costs involved, none of the cover crop options is economically viable. However, when secondary benefits (erosion control and green nitrogen) or government subsidies are included in the analysis, one of the cover crop options (peas) dominates the fallow alternative. Moreover, when the secondary benefits and a government subsidy are combined, two cover crop alternatives (peas and oats) emerge as more profitable options than leaving land fallow. These results highlight the importance of agricultural research and extension programs that are making a concerted effort to develop more productive farming techniques and increase public awareness about the long-term benefits of adopting soil health management systems such as cover cropping in the SHP region.
Highlights
Sustainable production is one of the significant challenges faced by farming communities throughout the world
Conversions to dryland farming are likely to be much higher for farms that are highly reliant on the Ogallala Aquifer (OA), one of the largest groundwater reservoirs in the world that underlies a 450,660 km2 area in eight Great Plains states from South Dakota to Texas and New Mexico, where more than 90% of the water pumped from the Aquifer is used for irrigated agriculture [6,7]
The economic impact of introducing different combinations of cover crops in the wheat-fallow cropping system, which is common in the southern High Plains (SHP) region, is evaluated in this study by using field experiment data
Summary
Sustainable production is one of the significant challenges faced by farming communities throughout the world. Recent studies show that excessive withdrawal from the OA has substantially reduced its water level (about 50 m in some areas), significantly increased pumping costs, and reduced irrigated areas by nearly 50 percent [8,9,10,11] If this trend continues, an additional 40 percent of the irrigated land in some areas of the southern High Plains (SHP) will likely be converted to dryland farming soon. In 2019, the State of New Mexico enacted the ‘Healthy Soil Act’ and is promoting conservation farming practices, including cover cropping In this light, this study examined the potential impact of introducing cover crops during the fallow period on crop yield, farming risk, and profitability, making use of experimental data from the New Mexico State University Agricultural Science Center at Clovis, NM. The study examines the potential effects of incorporating secondary benefits (e.g., the addition of green fertilizer and adoption of erosion controls), and the role of possible government subsidies on farming risk and profitability
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
