Farm System Modeling to Evaluate Environmental Losses, Profitability, and BMP Cost-Effectiveness
Channel: Livestock & Poultry Environ. Learning Community
Date: 2013-05-29

http://www.extension.org/67629 To meet Chesapeake Bay Total Maximum Daily Load requirements for agricultural pollution, conservation districts and farmers are tasked with implementing best management practices (BMPs) that reduce farm losses of nutrients and sediment. The importance of the agricultural industry to the regional economy highlights the need for determining cost-effective BMP solutions given the geographical and operational characteristics of these farms. This study evaluated both the environmental risk and farm profitability of common farm-level management practices for three major farm types in the region: crop, tractor-based ("English") dairy, and horse-drawn ("Amish") dairy.