Comparative Economics of US Catfish Production Strategies: Evidence from a Cross‐sectional Survey

Understanding the effects of specific management strategies on yields and economic outcomes on commercial catfish farms could provide useful guidance to catfish farmers on the most profitable sets of production practices. Data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture–National Animal Health Monitoring System ( USDA–NAHMS ) 2009 survey of production practices on catfish farms in Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, and Mississippi were used to identify five clusters of catfish farms that use various stocking densities, channel versus hybrid catfish, different aeration levels, and utilize automated oxygen sensors. The lowest production costs ($1.96/kg) were found in cluster 1 and were followed in order of increasing costs per kilogram of clusters 2 and 4 ($2.16/kg) and cluster 5 ($2.73/kg); the highest cost corresponded to cluster 3 ($2.84/kg). The lowest risk levels corresponded to the clusters with the lowest production costs per kilogram of fish and the highest risk levels to the highest production costs. This analysis demonstrated that different types of management models can achieve similar levels of production costs ($/kg), and it appears that there is not one single economically optimum way to raise catfish. The key to least‐cost production is to balance the use of inputs, their associated costs, and the yield produced to achieve economic efficiency within the farm's overall business and management model.