Clayton W. Ward
County Extension Agent, University of Georgia
Archie Flanders
Post-Doctoral Associate, Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics, University of Georgia
Olga Isengildina
Visiting Scholar, University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana
Fred C. White
D.W. Brooks Distinguished Professor, Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics, University of Georgia
Transgenic cotton varieties and conservation tillage practices are evaluated for technical and allocative efficiency, as well as net returns above variable costs. Data Envelopment Analysis is applied to a survey of Georgia cotton producers. Results sup- port production with transgenic cotton varieties having greater net returns and efficiency rankings than conventional cotton. Net returns and efficiency rankings are greatest with conservation tillage. Conservation tillage benefits are associated with cotton varieties having herbicide resistant technology.
Key words: Cotton production, transgenic, genetically modified, Data Envelopment Analysis, efficiency.