Due to declining water levels in the Ogallala Aquifer, policy alternatives for extending the life of the aquifer for irrigation and other purposes are evaluated. The study concludes that blanket water conservation policies for the region are likely to be inefficient because of economic and...

Estimation of agricultural policy cost for a given level of groundwater conservation requires the establishment of an accurate baseline condition. This is especially critical when the benefits and cost of any conservation program are generally estimated relative to the status quo policy or...

Irrigated agriculture has played a vital role in the development and growth of the Great Plains Region of the United States. The primary source of water for irrigation in this region is the Ogallala Aquifer. The Southern portion of the Ogallala Aquifer is considered exhaustible due to the low...

Three alternative groundwater conservation policies were examined for their impact on the regional economy of the Southern High Plains of Texas using nonlinear optimization models and an input-output model. Restriction of drawdown of the aquifer was found to be more effective than proposed water...

A 19 county, 50-year dynamic economic optimization model of irrigated crop production is linked to a detailed hydrology model for purposes of improving policy estimates of economic cost and associated water saving of groundwater conservation management policies. Spatial and temporal...

A hedonic pricing model was used to determine parameters affecting ranch horse prices at two Texas auctions. Color, sex, age-sex interaction, sale order, and consigning ranch were all found to significantly affect price. Sire analysis found that progeny performance records did not significantly...

The Texas Panhandle relies largely on the Ogallala Aquifer for access to water for irrigated agricultural production. With current pumping rates and slow recharge rates, the aquifer will at some point in the future no longer be an economically viable source of water for agriculture. The...

A multi-disciplinary literature review was conducted in order to integrate multiple perspectives pertaining to family farm business transfer. Factors affecting perceptions of equality in family farm transfers were identified. Preliminary survey results analyze perceptions of equality within farm...