Sustainable Agriculture Practices and Economic Outcomes: Selected IPM in Tomato and Cover Crop Inter-Seeding in Organic Corn in South Carolina

This two-chapter thesis focuses on the economic evaluation of integrating a combination of sustainable agricultural practices aimed at improving environmental resilience and farm profitability across both conventional and organic farming systems in South Carolina. The research study lays emphasis on two key areas: the use of Integrated Pest Management practices, specifically grafting and Anaerobic Soil Disinfestation (ASD) in tomato production and the inter- seeding of cover crops under different tillage systems in organic corn production. The first chapter assesses the economic feasibility of two IPM practices: grafting and anaerobic soil disinfestation (ASD) in tomato production. Following the phase-out of methyl bromide, there is increasing pressure on the growers to adopt sustainable alternative approaches for managing soil-borne pests and diseases. This study offers insights into the economics of these IPM techniques by analyzing both the costs and benefits of grafting and ASD across various tomato cultivars using partial budget analysis. The findings show that although both methods increase yields, the financial benefits differ based on production factors including cultivar selection and the carbon source utilized in ASD. The study also conducts a sensitivity analysis to understand the effects of fluctuating market prices and yields on profitability. The second chapter examines the economic impact of inter-seeding cover crops (white clover, buckwheat, pigeon pea, and mixture) in conventional and reduced tillage systems in organic corn production in South Carolina. This study, which was carried out in 2022 and 2023 at selected research farms of Clemson University, compares the economic benefits and added costs of various cover crop species, seeding rates and tillage practices using a partial budget analysis. The study also conducts Ordinary Least Squares regressions to understand the factors affecting the net returns of corn. The results indicate that although cover crops and reduced tillage offer long-term advantages such as better soil health and decreased erosion, farmers who are concerned with short-term financial gains may find them difficult to achieve. Policy measures like subsidies could help encourage long-term thinking and ease the transition. This thesis emphasizes the potential of selected sustainable practices to improve economic and environmental outcomes for South Carolina agriculture, as well as the importance of thorough cost and market evaluations to balance profitability with long-term resilience.