| Conservation buffers provide wildlife habitat, erosion control, and water quality enhancement. However, producer perceptions of buffer communities as sources of weeds, pest insects, and lost production may inhibit adoption. To address these concerns, I examined effects of field borders on opportunity costs, yield, and weed density on 3 farms in the Black Prairie region of Mississippi from 2000-2002.; Native herbaceous field borders are a buffer practice subsidized under a new Continuous Conservation Reserve Program practice, CP33-Habitat Buffers for Upland Birds. To characterize opportunity costs of CP33, I estimated average yields for corn and soybeans in relation to proximity to field margin and adjacent plant community (APC) types crop, herb, and wood relative to interior yields from 104 corn and 56 soybean fields during 2000-2003. Partial budgets were used to develop break-even analyses on profitability with and without CP33. Corn analyses showed an economic advantage at first combine swath (9.14 m wide) for all APC types, at swath 2 for herb and wood and for the whole field. Soybean analyses showed that for any APC and swath combination, enrolling in CP33 was not economically advantageous.; To evaluate effects of borders on yield I estimated yield in combine swaths 2-11 (14.64-80.52 m) on 2 farms. Average yields did not change beyond 80.52 m from field edge. Border effects occurred at swaths 2-4 (14.64-29.28 m). Overall, border yields were less than no border yields; however, if borders were established as CP33, profit lost through yield reductions would be offset by incentive payments.; Floristic and structural characteristics of field borders and APC were determined through measurements taken from 756 quadrats from 2000-2002 on 3 farms in Clay and Lowndes counties. APC species richness was twice that of the border. APC had 187 taxa and border communities had 102 taxa.; Density data were analyzed for 10 weed species. Significant row effects occurred within treatments (border and no border) for Brachiaria platyphylla, Cynodon dactylon, Digitaria ciliaris, Ipomoea hederacea, Ipomoea lacunosa, Senna obtusifolia, Sida spinosa, Solanum carolinense, Sorghum halepense. Overall, weed density was greatest at row 1 and no significant effects occurred past row 2. |
