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The Profitability of Sustainable Agriculture on a Representative Grain Farm in the Mid-Atlantic Region, 1981–89

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 May 2017

James C. Hanson ,
Dale M. Johnson ,
Steven E. Peters  and
Rhonda R. Janke
James C. Hanson
Affiliation:
Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics, University of Maryland at College Park
Dale M. Johnson
Affiliation:
Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics, University of Maryland at College Park
Steven E. Peters
Affiliation:
Rodale Research Center
Rhonda R. Janke
Affiliation:
Rodale Research Center
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Abstract

A long-term whole-farm analysis compared conventional and low-input farming systems. Data from a nine-year agronomic study at the Rodale Research Farm, Kutztown, Pennsylvania, were used to analyze profitability, liquidity, solvency, and risk on a representative commercial grain farm. Conventional and low-input farms participating in government programs are the most profitable scenarios, followed by conventional and low-input farms not participating in government programs. All farms increased their net worth. The low-input approach is advantageous for risk-averse farmers using a safety-first criterion.

Type
Articles
Information
Northeastern Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics , Volume 19 , Issue 2 , October 1990 , pp. 90 - 98
Copyright
Copyright © 1990 Northeastern Agricultural and Resource Economics Association 

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Footnotes

Working Paper No. 90-12, July 1990, Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics, University of Maryland at College Park.

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