Impact of changes in Title II of the 2018 Farm Bill on the acreage and environmental benefits of Conservation Reserve Program

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brian Cornish ◽  
Ruiqing Miao ◽  
Madhu Khanna
Keyword(s):  
Conservation Reserve Program ◽  
Environmental Benefits ◽  
Farm Bill

scholarly journals Risk-Adjusted Comparison of Conservation Reserve Program Payments Versus Production Payments for a Corn-Soybean Farmer

2004 ◽  
Vol 36 (2) ◽  
pp. 425-434 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gregory Ibendahl
Keyword(s):  
Crop Production ◽  
Simulation Analysis ◽  
Conservation Reserve Program ◽  
Farm Bill ◽  
Certainty Equivalents

Conservation reserve program (CRP) payments amount to several billion dollars annually. Payments are allocated to both remove land from production and to help farmers pay for conservation improvements. However, research examining whether farmers increase their utility with CRPs is limited. This paper uses simulation analysis and certainty equivalents to compare farming income to payments under the CRP. Farming income is a combination of crop production and government payments as specified in the 2002 Farm Bill. This analysis focuses on farms in three different counties in Kentucky. Results indicate that CRPs are good choices for many farmers.

scholarly journals Conservation Reserve Program: Environmental Benefits Update

2007 ◽  
Vol 36 (2) ◽  
pp. 267-280 ◽  
Author(s):  
LeRoy Hansen
Keyword(s):  
Crop Production ◽  
Conservation Reserve Program ◽  
Current Level ◽  
Wildlife Habitat ◽  
Environmental Benefits ◽  
Conservation Practices ◽  
Environmental Benefit ◽  
Farm Production ◽  
Forest Lands ◽  
National Environmental

This paper presents the methodology, assumptions, and data used to generate regional and national environmental benefit estimates of the USDA's Conservation Reserve Program (CRP). It's assumed that, without the program, production and conservation practices on CRP lands would be the same as those used on surrounding lands. When range and forest lands are (are not) included as land-use options, 54 (71) percent of the CRP land would be in crop production—which is consistent with past analyses. Soil erosion would be 222 to 248 million tons per year—about 11 percent—higher than the current level. Benefits are estimated by applying environmental benefit models, estimated in previous analyses, to the CRP's estimated effect on erosion and wildlife habitat. Nationally, the CRP is estimated to provide $1.3 billion in annual benefits, which represents 75 to 80 percent of the program's cost. In seven of the 10 USDA Farm Production Regions, the CRP's environmental benefits exceed costs. Thus, reallocating acreage to these regions could increase net program benefits. However, because many benefits could not be estimated, one cannot conclude that regional and national benefits do not exceed costs.

scholarly journals Valuation of Agriculture's Multi-site Environmental Impacts: An Application to Pheasant Hunting

1999 ◽  
Vol 28 (2) ◽  
pp. 199-207 ◽  
Author(s):  
LeRoy Hansen ◽  
Peter Feather ◽  
David Shank
Keyword(s):  
Information System ◽  
Geographic Information System ◽  
Environmental Impacts ◽  
National Survey ◽  
Conservation Reserve Program ◽  
Geographic Information ◽  
Environmental Data ◽  
Environmental Benefits ◽  
Demand Model ◽  
Equilibrium Models

Pheasant hunting benefits of the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) were approximately $80 million/year in 1991 in states where the CRP appears most critical to pheasant populations. To obtain this benefit measure, the demand for pheasant hunting was estimated using a recently developed multi-site demand model, a national survey on recreation, and environmental data processed through a geographic information system (GIS). Thus not only is the resulting evaluation of the CRP's environmental impacts more accurately assessed than through the use of the generalized, supply-demand equilibrium models of previous work, but, more importantly, the environmental benefits of program acreage can be compared across field locations allowing subtle changes in policy to be assessed and the design and operation of a program to be optimized.

scholarly journals Effect of the 1985 Farm Bill Provisions on Farmers' Soil Conservation Decisions

1990 ◽  
Vol 22 (2) ◽  
pp. 179-189 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeffrey M. Gillespie ◽  
L. Upton Hatch ◽  
Patricia A. Duffy
Keyword(s):  
Soil Conservation ◽  
Soil Loss ◽  
Programming Model ◽  
Conservation Reserve Program ◽  
Mixed Integer ◽  
Farm Bill ◽  
Bid Price ◽  
Land Retirement ◽  
Farmer Survey ◽  
Conservation Decisions

Abstract Conservation initiatives in the 1985 Farm Bill affected farmers' decisions regarding soil conservation. A farmer survey was conducted and a multi-period mixed-integer programming model was developed to determine an optimal farm plan with choices of crop-tillage combinations and land retirement Results indicate that farmers' incentives to reduce soil loss in the Sand Mountain region in Alabama are not substantially affected by provisions of the 1985 Farm Bill. The bid price for the Conservation Reserve Program will have to be considerably higher than 1988 levels to provide an incentive to remove land from production.

scholarly journals Past role and future outlook of the Conservation Reserve Program for supporting honey bees in the Great Plains

2018 ◽  
Vol 115 (29) ◽  
pp. 7629-7634 ◽  
Author(s):  
Clint R. V. Otto ◽  
Haochi Zheng ◽  
Alisa L. Gallant ◽  
Rich Iovanna ◽  
Benjamin L. Carlson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Honey Bee ◽  
Great Plains ◽  
Conservation Reserve Program ◽  
Northern Great Plains ◽  
Farm Bill ◽  
Row Crops ◽  
Conversion Rates ◽  
The Us ◽  
Alternative Scenarios ◽  
Bee Colonies

Human dependence on insect pollinators continues to grow even as pollinators face global declines. The Northern Great Plains (NGP), a region often referred to as America’s last honey bee (Apis mellifera) refuge, has undergone rapid land-cover change due to cropland expansion and weakened land conservation programs. We conducted a trend analysis and estimated conversion rates of Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) enrollments around bee apiaries from 2006 to 2016 and developed models to identify areas of habitat loss. Our analysis revealed that NGP apiaries lost over 53% of lands enrolled in the CRP, and the rate of loss was highest in areas of high apiary density. We estimated over 163,000 ha of CRP lands in 2006 within 1.6 km of apiaries was converted to row crops by 2012. We also evaluated how alternative scenarios of future CRP acreage caps may affect habitat suitability for supporting honey bee colonies. Our scenario revealed that a further reduction in CRP lands to 7.7 million ha nationally would reduce the number of apiaries in the NGP that meet defined forage criteria by 28% on average. Alternatively, increasing the national cap to 15 million ha would increase the number of NGP apiaries that meet defined forage criteria by 155%. Our scenarios also show that strategic placement of CRP lands near existing apiaries increased the number of apiaries that meet forage criteria by 182%. Our research will be useful for informing the potential consequences of future US farm bill policy and land management in the epicenter of the US beekeeping industry.

scholarly journals Private Decisions and Public Goods: Trade-Offs in the Conservation Programs in the New Farm Bill: Discussion

2004 ◽  
Vol 36 (2) ◽  
pp. 435-436 ◽  
Author(s):  
Todd D. Davis
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Environmental Benefits ◽  
Costs And Benefits ◽  
Conservation Programs ◽  
Farm Bill ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
Trade Offs ◽  
Production Agriculture ◽  
Soil And Water

The 2002 Farm Bill creates several opportunities for landowners to adopt management practices that protect and improve soil and water quality. Landowners considering enrollment in conservation programs must compare the monetary and nonmonetary costs and benefits from removing land from production agriculture. The overall purpose of this invited paper session was to improve the understanding of the factors affecting a landowner's decision to enroll in conservation programs. Papers addressed the environmental benefits of conservation programs and compared the returns to enrolling in conservation programs to the returns from production agriculture.

An Econometric Analysis of the Environmental Benefits Provided by the Conservation Reserve Program

2004 ◽  
Vol 36 (2) ◽  
pp. 399-413 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ronald A. Fleming
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Variables ◽  
Econometric Model ◽  
Environmental Concern ◽  
Conservation Reserve Program ◽  
Environmental Benefits ◽  
Environmental Concerns ◽  
Positive Finding ◽  
Spatial Econometric ◽  
Future Improvement ◽  
Spatial Econometric Model

Over $1.7 billion has been spent on the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) since 1985. The purpose of this study is to show that these expenditures have aided the environment. Rather than quantify changes in environmental variables, a spatial econometric model is used to test if CRP enrollments are greater in counties with poorer environmental quality. In seven of nine regions, CRP enrollments are higher in counties with an environmental concern. This positive finding justifies past expenditures by the CRP and supports continued funding as an environmental program. The CRP is targeting current environmental concerns that will lead to future improvement.

Environmental Benefits of Precision Agriculture Adoption

2020 ◽  
pp. 637-656 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marco Medici ◽  
Søren Marcus Pedersen ◽  
Giacomo Carli ◽  
Maria Rita Tagliaventi
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Impacts ◽  
Precision Agriculture ◽  
New Technologies ◽  
Environmental Benefits ◽  
Herbicide Application ◽  
Pesticide Application ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Application Rates ◽  
Biodiversity Policy ◽  
Lime Application

The purpose of this study is to analyse the environmental benefits of precision agriculture technology adoption obtained from the mitigation of negative environmental impacts of agricultural inputs in modern farming. Our literature review of the environmental benefits related to the adoption of precision agriculture solutions is aimed at raising farmers' and other stakeholders' awareness of the actual environmental impacts from this set of new technologies. Existing studies were categorised according to the environmental impacts of different agricultural activities: nitrogen application, lime application, pesticide application, manure application and herbicide application. Our findings highlighted the effects of the reduction of input application rates and the consequent impacts on climate, soil, water and biodiversity. Policy makers can benefit from the outcomes of this study developing an understanding of the environmental impact of precision agriculture in order to promote and support initiatives aimed at fostering sustainable agriculture.

Environmental benefits of magnesium hydroxide-based peroxide bleaching of mechanical pulp – mill results

TAPPI Journal ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 12 (6) ◽  
pp. 9-15 ◽  
Author(s):  
TOMI HIETANEN ◽  
JUHA TAMPER ◽  
KAJ BACKFOLK
Keyword(s):  
Sodium Hydroxide ◽  
Magnesium Hydroxide ◽  
Oxygen Demand ◽  
Pulp Mill ◽  
Transition Metal Ions ◽  
Environmental Benefits ◽  
Raw Material ◽  
Paper Machine ◽  
High Brightness ◽  
Peroxide Bleaching

The use of a new, technical, high-purity magnesium hydroxide-based peroxide bleaching additive was evaluated in full mill-scale trial runs on two target brightness levels. Trial runs were conducted at a Finnish paper mill using Norwegian spruce (Picea abies) as the raw material in a conventional pressurized groundwood process, which includes a high-consistency peroxide bleaching stage. On high brightness grades, the use of sodium-based additives cause high environmental load from the peroxide bleaching stage. One proposed solution to this is to replace all or part of the sodium hydroxide with a weaker alkali, such as magnesium hydroxide. The replacement of traditional bleaching additives was carried out stepwise, ranging from 0% to 100%. Sodium silicate was dosed in proportion to sodium hydroxide, but with a minimum dose of 0.5% by weight on dry pulp. The environmental effluent load from bleaching of both low and high brightness pulps was significantly reduced. We observed a 35% to 48% reduction in total organic carbon (TOC), 37% to 40% reduction in chemical oxygen demand (COD), and 34% to 60% reduction in biological oxygen demand (BOD7) in the bleaching effluent. At the same time, the target brightness was attained with all replacement ratios. No interference from transition metal ions in the process was observed. The paper quality and paper machine runnability remained good during the trial. These benefits, in addition to the possibility of increasing production capacity, encourage the implementation of the magnesium hydroxide-based bleaching concept.

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