This study investigates the agronomic and economic feasibility of utilizing stony lands for crop production in South-Western Quebec where stoniness is the major constraint. / Field experiments conducted on stony soils indicated significant differences in yields of grain corn and silage corn between stone treatments. With oats, however, there were no significant differences in yields. / Regression analysis of bare land values indicated an inverse relationship between size of stony land and unit price. A similar relationship also existed for land clearing and reclamation machinery costs for different farm sizes. / Linear programming optimization for farms within two agricultural sub-zones showed that variation in net income is due to economies of scale, differences in yields and subsidy arrangements. For small farms, additional subsidy is required to make them economically attractive. Post-optimal procedures indicated that the base solutions are more sensitive to crop yields and prices than reclamation costs. / The study concludes that crop production on stony lands is feasible within the parameters defined and that it might be more economical for an operator to develop under-utilized reserves of stony lands rather than purchase prime land at current market prices.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:LACETR/oai:collectionscanada.gc.ca:QMM.71868 |
| Date | January 1984 |
| Creators | Seecharan, Randolph. |
| Publisher | McGill University |
| Source Sets | Library and Archives Canada ETDs Repository / Centre d'archives des thèses électroniques de Bibliothèque et Archives Canada |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Coverage | Doctor of Philosophy (Department of Renewable Resources.) |
| Rights | All items in eScholarship@McGill are protected by copyright with all rights reserved unless otherwise indicated. |
| Relation | alephsysno: 000195383, proquestno: AAINK66597, Theses scanned by UMI/ProQuest. |
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