Ronald A. Fleming

Resource or Waste? The Economics of Swine Manure Storage and Management

What to do about livestock odor and manure nutrients is one of the most contentious policy issues facing agriculture today. The impact of policies designed to address these issues depends, in part, on the on-farm cost of alternative manure handling facilities. This investigation considers the cost of delivering manure nutrients from Iowa swine production for two forms of manure storage, two target nutrients, two crop rotations, and two levels of field incorporation. Many studies have found that manure applications based on phosphate, rather than nitrogen, increases delivery costs. While we agree costs may initially increase, this investigation shows that deliveries based on phosphate can better match crop nutrient need, hence lead to higher profits from manure operations.

An Econometric Analysis of the Environmental Benefits Provided by the Conservation Reserve Program

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Measuring the Impact of Externalities on College of Agriculture Teaching Evaluations

1.7 billion has been spent on the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) since 1985. The purpose of this study is to show that these expenditures have aided the environment. Rather than quantify changes in environmental variables, a spatial econometric model is used to test if CRP enrollments are greater in counties with poorer environmental quality. In seven of nine regions, CRP enrollments are higher in counties with an environmental concern. This positive finding justifies past expenditures by the CRP and supports continued funding as an environmental program. The CRP is targeting current environmental concerns that will lead to future improvement.

FEASIBILITY STUDY OF SWINE MANURE MANAGEMENT ON RECLAIMED SURFACE MINE LANDS

Student evaluation of teaching (SET) is employed as an aid in improving instruction and determining faculty teaching effectiveness. However, economic theory indicates the existence of externalities in SET scores that directly influence their interpretation. As a test of this existence, a multinomial-choice, ordered data estimation procedure is employed to identify course externalities influencing SET. These externalities include student class standing, required courses, class size, days a class meets, class meeting time, classroom location, and classroom design. Results indicate that externalities have a significant impact on teaching evaluations. Thus, failure to internalize these externalities will lead to biases in SET and questionable use of SET as an aid in instruction improvement and determining faculty effectiveness.

Measuring the Cost of Restricting Access to Cropland for Manure Nutrient Management

Initial results are presented of a decision model that addresses issues associated with the siting of swine production facilities on Kentuckys reclaimed surface mine lands. Issues relating to swine manure management have received much attention from state governmental and environmental regulatory authorities. Specifically, the state is concerned about nutrient and fecal contamination of surface and ground water while the public is concerned primarily with odor control. Mine reclaimed lands represent remote areas where swine production facilities can be located without the concern about odor nuisance. Furthermore, reclaimed soils can substantially benefit from manure nutrients. The purpose of this research is to evaluate swine manure management strategies to determine what strategy or set of strategies jointly minimize groundwater contamination and production cost. To achieve the objectives of this research, the computer simulation model (OPUS) was used to estimate the rate of soil water flow as well as the eventual fate and concentration of nitrate-nitrogen and other nutrients in soil water. These nutrient concentrations will be used to assess the environmental impact of alternative swine manure systems. Environmental, economic, and social impacts associated with various waste management options are described that help to achieve a better waste management strategy. A quick demonstration of the OPUS model is presented. Initial results suggests that nitrate-nitrogen uptake and sediment flow rates can be closely estimated on reclaimed surface mine land soils that are characterized by a single soil profile. Additional