Soil, Nutrient, and Water Management Systems Used in U.S. Corn Production

by Lee Christensen

Corn production uses over 25 percent of the Nation's cropland and more than 40 percent of the commercial fertilizer applied to crops. Thus, corn farmers' choices of soil, nutrient, and water management systems can have a major impact not only on their own profitability, but also on the environment. If sound economic and environmental choices are to be encouraged, it may help to assess relationships between operator and farm characteristics and the adoption of management techniques by corn farmers. Data from the 1996 Agricultural Resource Management Study (ARMS) of U.S. corn farms and producers are analyzed for this purpose, supplemented by a literature survey on factors that influence corn farm management choices. Relationships were found between certain socioeconomic variables, including farmer age and education and size of the operation, and implementation of management practices. This is the first study to relate corn farm management choices, on a national scale, to so broad a set of characteristics.

Keywords: ARMS, soil management, nutrient management, irrigation systems, profitability, socioeconomic variables

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