Production Economics Analysis Group

The Production Economics Analysis Group (PEAG) was established in 2000 in the Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics. PEAG seeks to evaluate alternative agricultural production and marketing systems that have the potential to enhance net farm income, economic development, and the environment in rural Tennessee. We employ collaborative relationships in our work by partnering with scientists in other disciplines, other universities, local agencies and organizations, and graduate student assistants.

PEAG conducts economic analysis research including:

  • Adoption of precision agriculture technologies in crop production
  • Alternative cropping systems including conservation tillage, winter cover crops, fertilizer practices, irrigation, and other practices on the profitability and riskiness of crop production.
  • Animal health
  • Bioenergy crop production and logistics
  • Crop marketing including futures, options, and marketing contracts
  • Environmentally sustainable technologies in fruit and vegetable production at the farm level
  • Decision aids to evaluate investment in agricultural technologies
  • Disease and producer efficiency and income
  • Farm financial analysis
  • Farm level biosecurity decision making
  • Impact of policy on agriculture
  • Marketing opportunities for beef cattle producers
  • Production and marketing decisions on the profitability and riskiness for small farms within local food systems
  • Value of horn fly resistant cattle
  • Valuation of performance tested bulls
  • Weed resistance to herbicides and weed resistance management in crop production

PEAG research publications include topics such as bioenergy, precision farming, crop production practices and more.

Below is a listing of all areas for which we currently have publications.

  • Bioenergy
  • Precision Farming
  • Crop Production Practices
    • Corn
    • Cotton
    • Soybean
    • Other Crops

Learn more by visiting our Publications page.

PEAG has developed decision-aid tools to assist producers, including:

Cotton Precision Agriculture Investment Decision Aid

The Cotton Precision Agriculture Investment Decision Aid (CPAIDA) is an interactive computerized decision aid that is designed to help you evaluate the yield gains and input savings required to pay for investment in precision farming equipment.

Cotton Yield Monitor Investment Decision Aid

The Cotton Yield Monitor Investment Decision Aid (CYMIDA) is an interactive computerized decision aid that is designed to help you evaluate the yield gains and input savings required to pay for investment in a cotton yield monitoring system.

Corn Nitrogen Rate Calculator

The Corn Nitrogen Rate Calculator is an interactive computerized decision aid designed to help growers obtain a profit-maximizing nitrogen rate recommendation.

Automatic Section Control for Planters Cost Calculator

The Automatic Section Control for Planters Cost Calculator (ASCCC) is an interactive computerized decision aid that is designed to help you evaluate potential benefits of this technology (i.e., lower seed, and improved yield potential) and estimate the number of years it would take an investment in automatic section control for planters to return its original cost through the annual net cash revenue it generates (i.e., savings).

Learn more about each of these by visiting our Decision-Aid Tools page.