Effects of Field Characteristics and Management on Technical, Allocative, and Economic Efficiency of Rice Production in Arkansas

Arkansas is the top domestic rice producer, representing nearly half of total U.S. rice production. Rice is a high-cost crop relative to other field crops in Arkansas, and production costs for rice have increased significantly since the mid 2000s due to rapidly increasing fuel and fertilizer prices. More efficient rice production management is pertinent to maintaining long term profitability. This study assesses the important factors leading to higher technical, allocative, and economic (cost) efficiency in rice production using a Tobit model. The data is obtained from the 2005-2011 Rice Research and Verification Program (RRVP). Using a Clearfield hybrid seed was found to have positive statistically significant effect, as well as relatively large marginal effect on all three efficiencies.