Economic Analysis of Tillage and Nutrient Best Management Practices in the Ouachita River Basin, Louisiana

The Ouachita River Basin (ORB) in northeastern Louisiana accounts for almost 50 percent of the state’s agricultural production. In the Cabin-Teele Sub-watershed, within the ORB, the alkaline soils are naturally low in organic matter and deficient in nitrogen so that producers occasionally over apply nitrogen fertilizer. Moreover, because the soils are poorly drained there are drainage ditches throughout the fields and along field borders. The abundance of ditches enhances the outflow of nutrients and sediments into adjacent waterbodies. This study evaluated and compared the cost effectiveness of tillage and nutrient management practices at addressing specific sediment and nutrient criteria reductions; nitrogen, phosphorus and sediment reductions individually, and concurrently (reducing all three simultaneously) in Cabin-Teele Sub-watershed. Simulated results showed that reduced tillage, nitrogen management, and somewhat conservation tillage, were cost-effective in helping reduce nutrient and sediment losses in Cabin-Teele subwatershed despite the prevalence of poorly drained soils