| Costs and returns of production for peanuts, sorghum, conventional till wheat, no-till wheat, and Conservation reserve program acres were generated. Using GIS programs landscape characteristics for the Fort Cobb Basin were compiled and inputted into the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT). The SWAT model then predicted annual crop, sediment, nitrogen, and phosphorus yields for each sub basin in the watershed. This SWAT output combined with the returns and costs of productions where then used in a linear programming model to compare three alternative policy programs to reduce the sediment, nitrogen, and phosphorus loading of the watershed by cropland. These policy programs included changing the current CRP to allow producers to receive their Direct and Counter cyclical payment and the CRP rental payment. As sub scenarios to the policy changes sediment, nitrogen and phosphorus runoff levels abated at increasing levels. Also tested was a policy were only the highest polluting acres were targeted for retirement. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)... |
