Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-dzt6s Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-23T13:53:35.550Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Constraining Phosphorus in Surface Waters of the New York City Watershed: Dairy Farm Resource Use and Profitability

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  15 September 2016

John J. Hanchar
Affiliation:
NWNY Dairy, Livestock, and Field Crops Program/PRO-DAIRY, Cornell University, Mt. Morris, NY
Wayne A. Knoblauch
Affiliation:
Department of Applied Economics and Management, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY
Robert A. Milligan
Affiliation:
Department of Applied Economics and Management, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY

Abstract

The New York City Watershed Agricultural Program seeks to reduce the potential for phosphorus movement from farms to surface waters. A “phosphorus index for site evaluation” (P-index) provides planners in the New York City Watershed Agricultural Program with a tool for identifying individual farm business, phosphorus related problems, and evaluating solutions. A linear programming model is employed to examine dairy farm resource use and profitability, with the P-index used to impose phosphorus movement constraints. Results indicate dramatic differences in farm resource use and farm business profitability depending on the level of the P-index. Small changes in the target index level result in large shifts in optimal resource use and business profitability. These differences illustrate that restrictions on phosphorus movement from land to surface waters potentially have major impacts on resource use and farm profitability in the New York City Watershed.

Type
Articles
Copyright
Copyright © 2003 Northeastern Agricultural and Resource Economics Association 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Coale, F. J. (1999). The Maryland Phosphorus Site Index: A Technical User's Guide. College of Agriculture and Natural Sciences, University of Maryland, College Park.Google Scholar
Hanchar, J. J., Milligan, R. A., and Knoblauch, W. A. (1997, February). “Developing a Farm Plan to Address Water Quality and Farm Business Objectives: A Framework for Planning.” Research Bulletin No. 96-13, Department of Agricultural, Resource, and Managerial Economics, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY.Google Scholar
Jokela, W. (1999). “The Phosphorus Index: A Tool for Management of Agricultural Phosphorus in Vermont.” Vermont Cooperative Extension Service, Burlington. Google Scholar
Klausner, S. (1995, June). “Nutrient Management: Crop Production and Water Quality.” Publication No. 95CUWFP1, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY.Google Scholar
Klausner, S. (1997). “A Phosphorus Index for Site Evaluation.” Extension Series E 97-3, Department of Soil, Crop, and Atmospheric Sciences, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY.Google Scholar
Lemunyon, J. L., and Gilbert, R. G. (1993). “The Concept and Need for a Phosphorus Assessment Tool.” Journal of Production Agriculture 6(4), 483486.Google Scholar
Renard, K. G., Foster, G. R., Weesies, G. A., McCool, D. K., and Yoder, D. C. (1997). Predicting Soil Erosion by Water: A Guide to Conservation Planning with the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE). Agriculture Handbook No. 703, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Washington, DC.Google Scholar
Schmit, T. M., and Knoblauch, W. A. (1995). “The Impact of Nutrient Loading Restrictions on Dairy Farm Profitability.” Journal of Dairy Science 78, 12671281.Google Scholar
Sharpley, A. N. (1995). “Identifying Sites Vulnerable to Phosphorus Loss in Agricultural Runoff.” Journal of Environmental Quality 24, 947951.Google Scholar
Sharpley, A. N., Daniel, T. C., and Edwards, D. R. (1993). “Phosphorus Movement in the Landscape.” Journal of Production Agriculture 6(4), 492500.Google Scholar
U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Agricultural Statistics Service. (1999, March). 1997 Census of Agriculture. USDA/NASS, Washington, DC.Google Scholar
Watershed Agricultural Council. (1997). “Pollution Prevention Through Effective Agricultural Management, Progress Report: Watershed Agricultural Program for the New York City Watersheds.” Watershed Agricultural Council, Walton, NY.Google Scholar