Costs and benefits of no‐tillage (NT) were analyzed and compared with conventional tillage (CT) for irrigated corn (Zea mays L.) in the northern Texas High Plains. Research results, from a 4‐yr wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)/corn/fallow rotation, were used to validate the Erosion Productivity Impact Calculator (EPIC), a widely used daily time‐step hydrologic and crop growth simulator. The yields generated by EPIC were used in the Farm Level Income and Policy Simulation Model (FLIPSIM), to analyze the long‐term (10 yr) economics of NT and CT corn production on a whole farm basis under various irrigation strategies. The results indicated that NT increased the probability of survival for the low water irrigation strategy while increasing net cash farm income by 8,5% on the more frequent irrigations strategy. NT resulted in higher present values of ending net worth for all irrigation strategies. NT's ability to reduce water needs, decrease yield variability, and reduce machinery use (fuel, replacement, and repair costs) more than offset the increase in chemical costs associated with NT compared with CT. Research Question Economic impacts of residue management on Great Plains farmers producing irrigated crops were largely unknown when the Food Security Act of 1985 mandated that participants in farm programs who farm highly erodible cropland must implement SCS approved soil conservation farm plans by January 1995. The mandate was intended to reduce soil erosion, both by wind and water. While dryland crop production in the Great Plains often results in inadequate residue for erosion control, irrigation generally produces adequate residue for soil protection if properly managed. The threat of losing farm program benefits is a concern to both dryland and irrigated producers. The purpose of this research is to quantify the economic benefits (costs) of producing no‐tillage (NT) corn for a representative feed grain farm in the northern Texas High Plains. Literature Summary Conservation tillage research in the Great Plains dates back to the 1930s. Early research investigated dryland benefits of residue management during nonuse periods, or fallow, primarily for enhancing soil water storage and reducing crop yield variability. Past research has found that NT practices increase yields proportionally more under dryland conditions than under irrigated conditions. Previous studies have also shown that furrow erosion can be reduced with NT practices, which may reduce seed bed preparation time and costs in subsequent years. Economic impacts of residue management are both short term and long term, depending largely on the immediate increase in herbicide expenses, which substitute for short‐run costs of tillage, and the reduction in long‐term equipment depreciation costs. Study Description Field research data is used to validate the Erosion Productivity Impact Calculator (EPIC), a widely used daily time‐step hydrologic and crop growth simulator. EPIC is then used to develop long‐term and stochastic corn yields for NT and conventional til...

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A whole farm simulation model, Technology Impact Evaluation System (TIES), was used to assess ex-ante financial and economic impacts of immunization of dairy cattle against East Coast Fever (ECF) by the infection and treatment method (ITM) on smallholder farms from two sites in Kenya. Four alternative strategies of immunization in combination with different levels of acaricide usc were compared with the current acaricide-based method of control. The economic impacts were estimated using simulated net present values, present values of ending net worth, internal rates of return, benefit-cost ratios, annual cash farm incomes, cash expenses, and net farm incomes. The results from the analysis indicate that ECF immunization strategies are financially and economically viable on smallholder farms. Based on the risk preference for risk averse producers, the most preferred strategy was to adopt ITM in combination with a 75% reduction in acaricide use. The results obtained provide a good indication of the relative orders of magnitude of the farm level financial and economic effects of ECF immunization by ITM. The whole farm simulation model used for the analysis has the advantage of incorporating the risks involved in farm production. Whole farm simulation offers a flexible method for assessing the financial and economic impacts of alternative disease control methods on smallholder farms. , Corresponding author. and social uses for feasts and ceremonies. The main types of cattle in Kenya are the indigenous Zebu cattle (Bos indicus), the purebred breeds (Bas taurus), and crosses between the two. Purebred and cross-bred cattle are referred to as grade cattle. Grade cattle are highly productive but more susceptible to tropical diseases such as East Coast Fever (ECF) than the lower producing Zebu cattle.ECF is a disease of cattle caused by the parasite Theileria parva which is transmitted by ticks. 0169-5150/96/$15.00 © 1996 Elsevier Science B.Y. All rights reserved SSDl 0169-5150(95)01169-2

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A whole farm simulation model, Technology Impact Evaluation System (TIES), was used to assess ex‐ante financial and economic impacts of immunization of dairy cattle against East Coast Fever (ECF) by the infection and treatment method (ITM) on smallholder farms from two sites in Kenya. Four alternative strategics of immunization in combination with different levels of acaricide use were compared with the current acaricide‐based method of control. The economic impacts were estimated using simulated net present values, present values of ending net worth, internal rates of return, benefit‐cost ratios, annual cash farm incomes, cash expenses, and net farm incomes. The results from the analysis indicate that ECF immunization strategics are financially and economically viable on smallholder farms. Based on the risk preference for risk averse producers, the most preferred strategy was to adopt ITM in combination with a 75% reduction in acaricidc use. The results obtained provide a good indication of the relative orders of magnitude of the farm level financial and economic effects of ECF immunization by ITM. The whole farm simulation model used for the analysis has the advantage of incorporating the risks involved in farm production. Whole farm simulation offers a flexible method for assessing the financial and economic impacts of alternative disease control methods on smallholder farms.