The opportunity cost of regulating phosphorus from broiler production in the Illinois River Basin

Abstract

The Illinois River Basin in eastern Oklahoma and northwest Arkansas is an example of a region where significant growth in poultry production has been accompanied by water quality problems. The primary concern in the basin is the problem of phosphorus in runoff that is associated with application of litter to crops. Existing data suggest that there has been a continuing decline in the quality of water in the Illinois River, and discussions have focused on developing and implementing a phosphorus standard. The specific objectives of this study are to estimate the reduction in poultry production necessary to achieve the reduction in phosphorus runoff under a set of phosphorus constraints, including soil test phosphorus, and to estimate the opportunity costs of reducing poultry production in the basin under each phosphorus constraint on the economic activity in the watershed. A mathematical programming model that incorporates poultry production and cropping decisions is developed. The parameters for the model are identified and then it is solved to provide a base solution. Model solutions are then developed for the different policy target levels of phosphorus. The model structure is modified to account for the presence of soil test phosphorus levels and the corresponding limits on soil test phosphorus throughout the basin. This formulation includes current soil test phosphorus throughout the basin. All of the applications assume that the only disposal option for poultry litter is land application within the basin. An economic impact assessment of the effects of phosphorus limitations in the basin is also conducted for Arkansas counties only, Oklahoma counties only, and all five affected counties combined.

Eutrophication of Tenkiller Reservoir, Oklahoma, from nonpoint agricultural runoff

“…There is also direct evidence. About 5 % of P experimentally applied to land as litter runs off each year (Sauer et al 2000, Schroeder et al 2004, Willett et al 2006, accounting for about 71 % of Tenkiller's annual loading. Most of the P in the IR comes from litter disposal and subsequent runoff.…”

“…Phosphorus losses from poultry litter-amended pastures range from 2-11 % of applied, and about 80-90 % is dissolved reactive P (Edwards and Daniel 1993, Sauer et al 1999, Schroeder et al 2004, Willett et al 2006. A conservative value of 5 % for P loss to surface water from litter-amended soils was chosen to estimate P lost to water in the IRW.…”

Phosphorus Mass Balance of the Illinois River Watershed in Arkansas and Oklahoma

“…Weidhaas et al [48,49] used a quantitative PCR assay approach to confirm that poultry waste applied in the IRW was running off and reaching streams and rivers. Willett et al [50] modeled the IRW and assumed that 5% of poultry waste that was land applied was lost to the IRW waters. Sharpley et al [30] indicated that 5% of P in poultry waste that is land applied to fields runs off, and thus may eventually reach the lake.…”

Assessing the Market for Poultry Litter in Georgia: Are Subsidies Needed to Protect Water Quality?

“…The model developed here is static and could be improved by incorporating dynamic soil nutrient effects and the value of important micronutrients such as calcium. More sophisticated means of estimating the amount of litter produced based on bird weight derived from a biological response function could also be incorporated (Willet et al, 2006). Another limitation of the study is the treatment of poultry litter as a perfect substitute for commercial fertilizers.…”