Theses and Dissertations

Advisor

Mills, Brian

Committee Member

Baker, Beth

Committee Member

Yun, Seong

Committee Member

Maples, Will

Date of Degree

8-7-2025

Original embargo terms

Immediate Worldwide Access

Document Type

Graduate Thesis - Open Access

Major

Agricultural Economics

Degree Name

Master of Science (M.S.)

College

College of Agriculture and Life Sciences

Department

Department of Agricultural Economics

Abstract

Adverse weather is a significant source of risk for agricultural producers that could potentially be mitigated by no-till and cover cropping practices. This study examined the viability of conventional tillage, cover cropping, and no-till agriculture in the Mississippi Delta by simulating a corn-soybean rotation over a 40-year time period under observed and drought weather conditions, and two prominent soil types in the region using the ALMANAC Crop Modeling Software. On average, a no-till, no cover crop system resulted in the highest profits under both soil types and weather conditions examined. Cover cropping led to higher yields in observed weather conditions but lower yields under drought conditions. The higher costs associated with cover cropping led to lower average profits compared to systems that did not implement cover crops.

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