| This thesis evaluates the tradeoffs between farm return maximization and the minimization of nutrient losses under different manure management systems. Three manure nutrient residuals are evaluated: ammonia, emissions into the atmosphere, excess nitrogen applications to crop land into ground and surface water and excess phosphorus applications to crop land also into ground and surface water. The analysis evaluates the relative costs of abating nutrient losses in determining optimal manure management systems that reduce manure residuals at least cost. The analysis also looks at the cost effectiveness of using various environmental policies in addition to the manure systems along the frontier of the economic-environmental tradeoff curve.;One of the major findings is that only a limited number of manure management systems from the large set of all potential manure systems (3 feed rations, 3 collection methods, 3 storage options, 3 application alternatives) evaluated are on a tradeoff frontier. |
