Journal of Agricultural and Applied Economics, 32,3(December 2000):507–519 @ 2000 Southern Agricultural Economics Association Incorporation of Within-Season Yield Growth into a Mathematical Programming Sugarcane Harvest Scheduling Model

This study focuses on the development of a optimal harvest scheduling mathematical programming model which incorporates within-season changes in perennial crop yields. Daily crop yield prediction models are estimated econometrically for major commercially grown sugarcane cultivars. This information is incorporated into a farm-level harvest scheduling linear programming model. The harvest scheduling model solves for an optimal daily harvest schedule which maximizes whole farm net returns above harvesting costs. Model results are compared for a commercial sugarcane farm in Louisiana. Key Words: sugarcane, harvest scheduling, The sugarcane production sector in the United States is currently facing a significant chal-lenge to its competitiveness. Passage of the Federal Agriculture Improvement and Reform Act of 1996 eliminated supply control mea-sures for sugar as marketing allotments were suspended through the 2002 crop. As market prices for competing crops have declined since the passage of the new farm bill, sugar prices remained relatively stable into the 1999 crop year, resulting in significant increases in both sugarcane and sugarbeet acreage. Sugarcane acreage harvested for sugar increased from 829,500 acres in 1996 to a record 939,400 acres in 1999 (USDA, NASS, 1997 and 2000). The majority of this increase in sugarcane The authors are associate professor and former re