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Full-Text Articles in Business

Effects Of Housing System On Dairy Heifer Replacement Cost From Birth To Calving: Evaluating Costs Of Confinement, Dry-Lot, And Pasture-Based Systems And Their Impact On Total Rearing Investment, Anna Catherine Hawkins, Kenneth H. Burdine, Donna M. Amaral-Phillips, Joao H. C. Costa Oct 2020

Effects Of Housing System On Dairy Heifer Replacement Cost From Birth To Calving: Evaluating Costs Of Confinement, Dry-Lot, And Pasture-Based Systems And Their Impact On Total Rearing Investment, Anna Catherine Hawkins, Kenneth H. Burdine, Donna M. Amaral-Phillips, Joao H. C. Costa

Animal and Food Sciences Faculty Publications

Replacement heifer rearing is critical for the future of dairy operations, to improve genetic merit and maintain herd size. A myriad of options exist on how to manage, feed, and ultimately raise replacement heifers. Pasture is perceived to offer optimal welfare and an economical housing system for replacement animals, but confinement systems are gaining popularity. This study investigates the costs associated with replacement heifer management decisions from birth to calving, considering the factors of housing systems, labor, feed, and health. The objective of this study was to develop an economic model to determine the cost of raising a replacement heifer …


Evaluating The Economic Costs And Land Value Implications Of Implementing Cover Crops In Kentucky, Robert C. Ellis Jan 2020

Evaluating The Economic Costs And Land Value Implications Of Implementing Cover Crops In Kentucky, Robert C. Ellis

Theses and Dissertations--Agricultural Economics

This thesis is comprised of two essays regarding the costs and impact of land values due to cover crops. This first essay uses a linear-programming resource allocation model combined with sequencing and machinery selection to optimize the practices and machinery utilization of a hypothetical western Kentucky grain farm. This was accomplished through maximizing returns over selected costs at various acreage adoption levels. Additionally, a decision tool was developed to assess the costs related to cover crop adoption. The results show a $30 per acre cost to adopt 1000 acres of cover crops when no benefits were considered. The second essay …