Theses and Dissertations

Issuing Body

Mississippi State University

Advisor

McConnell, Mark D.

Committee Member

Czarnecki, Joby M.

Committee Member

Li, Xiaofei

Committee Member

Smith, Brian K.

Committee Member

Evans, Kristine O.

Date of Degree

12-8-2023

Original embargo terms

Campus Access Only 2 Years

Document Type

Graduate Thesis - Campus Access Only

Major

Wildlife, Fisheries and Aquaculture

Degree Name

Master of Science (M.S.)

College

College of Forest Resources

Department

Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Aquaculture

Abstract

Agricultural producers are invested in managing the impacts of crop damage on their yields and profit. When damage occurs early enough in an agricultural growing season, farmers have the option to replant their corn stand in an effort to recoup some of the lost profits. In this thesis two different types of naturally occurring damage, wildlife depredation and persistent weed or insect patches, were simulated on two representative regions of Mississippi. These data were then used to assess the financial viability of a range of damage mitigation methods, including partial replanting, enrollment into a government conservation buffer, and no action. Replanting was demonstrated to be generally the most economically viable method of management across all simulation scenarios. This analysis showed a lower return on conservation enrollment than expected, indicating that an increase in financial benefits for some conservation programs may be warranted.

Sponsorship

Geosystems Research Institute, the Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station, and the National Institute of Food and Agriculture USDA Hatch Project

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