Estimation of the continuity of tillage choices with aggregated and incomplete data: An application of the entropy approach

The environmental benefits of conservation tillage (CT) are fully realized when the practice is used continuously. Little is known about farmer's tillage choice dynamics due to the scarcity of panel tillage data. Using publicly available data, we estimate rotational and continuous CT (CCT) prob...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published inJournal of the Agricultural and Applied Economics Association Vol. 4; no. 3; pp. 350 - 362
Main Authors Tran, Dat Q., Kurkalova, Lyubov A.
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published 01.09.2025
Subjects
continuous conservation tillage
corn‐based ethanol
entropy
Markov chains
Online AccessGet full text
ISSN2769-2485
2769-2485
DOI10.1002/jaa2.70022

Cover

More Information
Summary:The environmental benefits of conservation tillage (CT) are fully realized when the practice is used continuously. Little is known about farmer's tillage choice dynamics due to the scarcity of panel tillage data. Using publicly available data, we estimate rotational and continuous CT (CCT) probabilities for 1992–2008 for Iowa, U.S. The results show that approximately one million acres of corn and soybeans moved away from CCT to greater tillage intensity practices in 2001–2008 when corn prices increased sharply. Spatially, more acreage in lower soil productivity and more likely classified as highly erodible land were taken out of CCT during 2001–2008.
ISSN:2769-2485
2769-2485
DOI:10.1002/jaa2.70022