Is irrigated farm more efficient than non-irrigated no-tillage farm and non-irrigated conventional farm for a sample of Kansas corn farmer?

Abstract

The corn farmer has benefited from high corn price. However, the corn price falls from its high price in 2012 to as low as $ 4.46 per bushel in 2013. The drop in corn price and intense competition from the global grain markets make farms that are non-efficient struggle economically. Pure technical, overall, allocative and scale efficiency were measured to analyze the competitiveness of a sample of Kansas corn farmers. Farmers increased their relative efficiency during drought in 2012. Government payment was found to be negatively correlated with efficiency for non-irrigated farms. Interest expenditure might have negative impact on input allocation for irrigated and non-irrigated conventional farms. Irrigated farms should focus on increasing acreage land to increase overall efficiency. On the other hand, non-irrigated conventional farm should focus their effort to enhance overall efficiency by increasing seed inputs.