Perceived Barriers to Integrated Crop–Livestock Systems: Evidence from a Nebraska Producer Survey

Authors

• Omid Tarashtwal, University of Nebraska-LincolnFollow

First Advisor

Simanti Banerjee

Committee Members

Kelly Grogan, Elliott James Dennis, Jay Parsons

Date of this Version

4-2026

Document Type

Thesis

Citation

A thesis presented to the faculty of the Graduate College at the University of Nebraska in partial fulfillment of requirements for the degree of Master of Science

Major: Agricultural Economics

Under the supervision of Professor Simanti Banerjee

Lincoln, Nebraska, April 2026

Comments

Copyright 2026, Omid Tarashtwal. Used by permission

Abstract

Integrated crop-livestock systems offer agronomic, economic, and environmental benefits, yet reintegration has been slow across the Northern Great Plains despite sustained interest. Existing research has documented barriers to transition conceptually, but quantitative evidence on which barriers producers perceive as most important and which producer and operation characteristics are associated with stronger barrier perceptions remains limited. This thesis addresses that gap using data from the 2023 Nebraska Agriculture Operator Survey.

The analysis focuses on 241 Nebraska producers, including 179 crop-only and 62 livestock-only operations. Seven models are estimated, combining ordered logit estimation for single-item barriers with linear regression for averaged barrier indices, using a common set of operation characteristics, demographic variables, program participation indicators, and attitudinal and decision-making measures as predictors. Barriers are grouped into environmental, informational, economic, policy, and general categories.

The results show that barrier perceptions are heterogeneous, with different characteristics associated with different barriers. Satisfaction with the current operation is the most widely reported barrier, followed by concern about the upfront cost of transition. Attitudinal and decision-making variables are more consistently associated with barrier perceptions than structural characteristics, and producer type is not associated with any barrier.

These findings suggest that efforts to support transition are unlikely to succeed through a single, uniform approach. Crop-only and livestock-only producers perceive barriers similarly, so targeting by producer type offers little leverage. Extension and policy efforts are instead likely to be more effective when tailored to the specific barriers producers perceive most strongly.