Whole-Farm Evaluation of No-Till Profitability in Rice Production using Mixed Integer Programming

Abstract

Rice production in Arkansas usually involves intensive tillage. No-till rice has been studied, but the focus has been limited to impacts on yields and per acre returns. This study uses mixed integer programming to model optimal machinery selection and evaluate whole-farm profitability of no-till management for rice-soybean farms. Results indicate that lower machinery ownership expenses combined with lower fuel and labor expenses do enhance the profitability of no-till management, but the monetary gains appear to be modest, implying that other incentives may be necessary to entice producers to use the practice.