The decision to participate in a Government program can be viewed as a discrete choice problem, where a farmer will choose to sign up for the program if the expected utility of participating outweighs the expected utility of not participating. In this article, the probability of farmer...

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) accepted about 33.9 million acres of cropland into the Conservation Reserve Program (CPR) during 1986-89. This acreage was enrolled in nine separate sign ups under authority of the Food Security Act of 1985. CRP enrollment was extended through 1995 with...

This study analyzes the impact of implementing carbon permit trading considered under the Kyoto Protocol, and the subsequent expected increase in energy and resource prices on U.S. crop production. The focus is on input substitution, net farm income, regional crop acreage, and crop prices. The...

Nutrients from municipal and agricultural sources are probable causes of a zone of hypoxic waters in the Gulf of Mexico. Costs of control between the two sources vary widely. We examine cost saving that could be obtained by allowing point sources to purchase nitrogen loss reductions from...

A modeling framework addresses manure management policies within the Chesapeake Bay watershed. Policy focus is on manure-land application at agronomic rates, as proposed under the EPA/USDA Unified Strategy. Manure-nutrient flows are assessed subject to assimilative capacity of farmland. National...

In 2010, a Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) was established for the Chesapeake Bay, defining the limits on emissions of nitrogen, phosphorus, and sediment necessary to reverse declines in the Bay’s quality and associated biological resources. Agriculture is the largest single source of...

USDA has spent more than $4.2 billion on wetland restoration and protection over the last two decades. One challenge in allocating these funds is the lack of information on variations in wetland benefits and costs across the Nation. This report discusses the biophysical impacts of new wetlands...