EVALUATION OF MODERN COTTON HARVEST SYSTEMS ON IRRIGATED COTTON: ECONOMIC RETURNS
Academic Article
Overview
Research
Additional Document Info
View All
Overview
abstract
Picker and stripper harvest systems were evaluated on production-scale irrigated cotton on the High Plains of Texas over three harvest seasons. Observations on harvester performance and fiber quality were used to conduct a net present value (NPV) analysis to compare economic returns for conventional six-row picker- and stripper-based harvest systems. For most yield scenarios on the High Plains, there is a greater potential for profit by stripping fields when one six-row picker and accompanying support equipment is compared to one eight-row stripper and accompanying support equipment. However, when comparing one six-row picker to two eight-row strippers, picker harvesting offered more potential for profit in all scenarios analyzed. The NPV models were most sensitive to changes in the price difference and harvest efficiency between harvesters.