Integrating biophysical and economic models for assessing economic impacts of brush control on range-based ranches /
Attempts to integrate biophysical and economic models to study inherent variation in grazingland productivity have been carried out mainly at the firm level using empirical models. This study integrates biophysical process (PHYGROW) and economic (FLIPSIM) models at the regional scale. The study area...
| Main Author: | |
|---|---|
| Format: | Thesis Book |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
[Place of publication not identified] :
[publisher not identified] ;
1999.
|
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://proxy.library.tamu.edu/login?url=http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?did=730340141&sid=1&Fmt=2&clientId=2945&RQT=309&VName=PQD |
| Summary: | Attempts to integrate biophysical and economic models to study inherent variation in grazingland productivity have been carried out mainly at the firm level using empirical models. This study integrates biophysical process (PHYGROW) and economic (FLIPSIM) models at the regional scale. The study area, the Edwards Plateau region of Texas, is divided into four zones based on ecological and economic characteristics. A methodology for constructing a representative ranch from each zone including financial status, plant communities and husbandry practices is developed to parameterize PHYGROW and FLIPSIM using the data from focus groups of ranchers in the study area and published sources. Necessary modifications and extensions are made to the existing versions of PHYGROW and FLPSIM. The concept of using forage value index as an indicator of forage quality is introduced. To integrate PHYGROW and FLIPSIM, local soil and plant characteristics along with climate data art used in PHYGROW to obtain forage production and stocking rate simulations. These results from PHYGROW, along with livestock and economic data are used as input in FLIPSIM which, in turn, produces economic performance indicators such as net cash farm income, real net worth, etc. as output for each year in the 10-year planning horizon. To obtain regional estimates, results from the representative ranches are extended to the ecological-economic zones using an appropriate aggregation procedure. The integrated model is used to assess impacts of a state supported brush control program to increase off-site water yield. Ranchers often cannot recover brush control costs in terms of increased livestock production. Sharing cost with the state government may induce rancher participation. Various cost-shares between a rancher and the state for initiating and maintaining brush canopy cover at 50% of pre-program levels for each of the representative ranches in the study area are analyzed. The results provide evidence that economic gains from brush control accrue at different rates for each zone. This fading is significant in its policy implications for the level of cost-share necessary from the state to insure rancher participation for the different zones. |
|---|---|
| Item Description: | Vita. "Major Subject: Agricultural Economics". |
| Physical Description: | xi, 149 leaves : illustrations, maps ; 28 cm. Issued also on microfiche from University Microfilm Inc. |
| Bibliography: | Includes bibliographical references (leaves 106-110). |