scholarly journals Enhancing landowner adoption of the Natural Resource Conservation Service’s recommended beef cattle grazing management practices

2021 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 56-69
Author(s):  
Taylor Olsovsky ◽  
Robert Strong
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Beef Cattle ◽  
Natural Resource ◽  
Nonpoint Source Pollution ◽  
Water Conservation ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Resource Conservation ◽  
Nonpoint Source ◽  
Grazing Management ◽  
Natural Resource Conservation

Water has a significant role in society, whether through human consumption or agricultural use. The Lavaca Watershed is an agricultural community affected by nonpoint source pollution, and water quality protection is of high concern. Beef cattle operations are linked to nonpoint source pollution which contaminates surrounding water sources. If proper grazing management practices are not used, wastes from the operation impair water quality in the area. Landowners should use proper stocking rates and implement best management practices to benefit land and water quality in addition to overall operation profit. Females reported a higher intention to adopt, indicating these respondents are more open to practice changes on their own operation. Results indicated a need for the Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) and Texas Soil and Water Conservation Board to conduct further outreach to increase interaction with landowners. NRCS agencies could help increase the use of water conservation plans and inquiries by making this clear to current landowners participating in their program as well as potential clients by sending informational flyers or speaking at local organizational gatherings. The importance of adopting water management practices and barriers to adoption are ongoing global concerns.

scholarly journals Water-quality Education Program Affects Consumer Behavior and Attitudes

HortScience ◽  
1995 ◽  
Vol 30 (4) ◽  
pp. 903B-903
Author(s):  
Susan D. Day ◽  
Paula Diane Relf ◽  
Marc T. Aveni
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Nonpoint Source Pollution ◽  
Education Program ◽  
Water Conservation ◽  
Landscape Management ◽  
Nonpoint Source ◽  
Master Gardener ◽  
Chesapeake Bay Watershed ◽  
Prince William County ◽  
Sustainable Landscape Management

A multi-faceted extension education program to reduce consumer contributions to nonpoint source pollution by encouraging proper landscape management was initiated in Prince William County, Va., and funded through the USDA-extension service. The program now is being replicated in several counties in Virginia, primarily in the Chesapeake Bay watershed. The program recruits participants through educational field days, advertisement and other means. Educational techniques include one-on-one assistance from Master Gardener volunteers and the use of Extension publications developed for this program. Publications developed include The Virginia Gardener Easy Reference to Sustainable Landscape Management and Water Quality Protection—a concise reference of Virginia Cooperative Extension landscaping recommendations that includes a calendar for recording fertilizer and pesticide applications, IPM, and other maintenance activities. The Virginia Gardener Guide to Water-wise Landscaping, was recently added to supplement the program in the area of water conservation. In Prince William County, over 700 people have participated. Most of those who complete the program report being more satisfied with their lawn appearance and spending less money. Participation also resulted in consumers being more likely to seek soil test information before applying fertilizer. Other effects include greater participation in leaf composting and grass clipping recycling and greater awareness of nonpoint source pollution.

Comparison of organic and sustainable fed cattle production: A South Dakota case study

1996 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 30-38
Author(s):  
Donald C. Taylor ◽  
Dillon M. Feuz ◽  
Ming Guan
Keyword(s):  
Beef Cattle ◽  
South Dakota ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Resource Conservation ◽  
Cattle Production ◽  
Sustainability Index ◽  
Natural Resource Conservation ◽  
Current Production

AbstractOrganic and sustainable fed cattle production are compared through development and estimation of two production indexes: a Producer Organic Index (POI) and a Producer Sustainability Index (PSI). The POI reflects current production standards for organically certified beef The PSI reflects a broader range of concerns, including long-term natural resource conservation and economic staying-power of cattle producers.The study shows there may be only a loose connection between the two. The method used to develop the indexes can provide insights to beef cattle extension specialists and individual cattle producers on the strengths and weaknesses of current feedlot management practices.

scholarly journals Assessing the Impacts of Best Management Practices on Nonpoint Source Pollution Considering Cost-Effectiveness in the Source Area of the Liao River, China

Water ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (6) ◽  
pp. 1241 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yu Wang ◽  
Jianmin Bian ◽  
Wangmei Lao ◽  
Yongsheng Zhao ◽  
Zeyu Hou ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Cost Effectiveness ◽  
Nonpoint Source Pollution ◽  
Best Management Practices ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Source Area ◽  
Nonpoint Source ◽  
Forest Land ◽  
Best Management ◽  
The Cost

Agricultural nonpoint source pollution has been a major influential factor on the deterioration of water quality in the Liao River source area. Best management practices (BMPs), as a comprehensive pollution prevention system designed to reduce the impacts of agricultural activities and improve water quality, has been considered one of the most effective solutions for nonpoint source pollution control. However, economic cost has been an important element for screening the implementation of BMPs. Both pollution reduction and capital expenditure need to be resolved with the actual situation. A water quality model such as the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) and empirical cost algorithm are important tools to assess the cost-effectiveness of the effects of BMPs on nonpoint source pollution. In this study, BMP scenarios including buffer strips (BSs), fertilizer reduction (FR), forest land increase (FLI), grassland increase (GLI), and their combination were implemented using the SWAT model; furthermore, the efficiency of their pollutants reduction and costs benefit were estimated in the watershed. The results showed that combined BMPs have better control effects than a single BMP, with “BS20 (widths 20 m) + FR15 (fertilization reduction 15%) + FLI (forest land increase)” arriving at the greatest loads reduction in the critical periods. From environmental and economic perspectives, the cost-effectiveness of interception measures is higher than that of the source control measures. The results indicated that BS was the most environmentally friendly practice, and FR was the most economically efficient out of all the BMPs. Regarding land-use changes, FLI was more environmentally friendly, and GLI was more economically efficient. The most economical and effective BMPs can be designated as follows: BS1.5 (widths 1.5 m) and FR15 (fertilization reduction 15%). Therefore, due to possible differences in government policies, it is important to consider an integrated approach for all the relevant actors and seek sustainable environmental and economic development.

scholarly journals A SYSTEM DESIGN OPTIMIZATION MODEL FOR INTEGRATED NATURAL RESOURCE CONSERVATION AND DEVELOPMENT IN AN AGRICULTURAL COMMUNITY

2021 ◽  
Vol 1 ◽  
pp. 273-282
Author(s):  
Thomas Barlow ◽  
Mandappa Biddanda ◽  
Samarth Mendke ◽  
Emmanuel Miyingo ◽  
Anabel Sicko ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Natural Resource ◽  
Systems Approach ◽  
System Optimization ◽  
Resource Conservation ◽  
System Level ◽  
Conservation And Development ◽  
Natural Resource Conservation ◽  
Agricultural Community ◽  
System Design Optimization ◽  
System Configurations

AbstractIntegrated Natural Resource Conservation and Development (INRCD) Projects are efforts at worldwide locations to promote economic development of local communities consistent with conservation of natural resources. This umbrella term includes Integration Conservation and Development Projects (ICDPs) introduced by the World Wide Fund to combine social development and conservation s through the use of socio-economic investments, and the Integrated Natural Resource Management (INRM) research and development efforts that have employed a systems approach for quantitative modeling and optimization. In the spirit of the INRCD framework, we describe the development of a system-level agriculture and energy model comprising engineering and economic models for crop, irrigation, and energy subsystem designs for a community in Central Uganda. The model architecture is modular allowing modifications for different system configurations and project locations. We include some initial results and discuss next steps for system optimization, refining model assumptions, and modeling community social benefits as drivers of such projects.

Natural Resources, Sustainability, and Intergenerational Ethics

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chris Armstrong
Keyword(s):  
Natural Resources ◽  
Natural Resource ◽  
Global Justice ◽  
Resource Conservation ◽  
Natural Resource Conservation ◽  
The Future ◽  
Intergenerational Ethics

This chapter examines a variety of views about the nature of society’s putative duty to conserve natural resources for the future, with a focus on the contested idea of sustainability. This chapter examines competing conceptions of sustainability and their implications for natural resource conservation across generations. Sustainability is a very popular concept, but there are many different positions on what might be called the “sustainability of what?” question. The chapter examines a number of competing views and shows how controversy here has informed the debate between so-called weak and strong conceptions of sustainability. It concludes with an examination of the politics of sustainability, and in particular the connections and possible tensions between goals of natural resource conservation and of global justice.

The Regulation of Combination

2016 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. 105-124 ◽  
Author(s):  
JoyAnna S. Hopper
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Protection ◽  
Natural Resource ◽  
Resource Conservation ◽  
Economic Consequences ◽  
Natural Resource Conservation ◽  
Design Choice ◽  
Control Regulation ◽  
And Control ◽  
Agency Design ◽  
Environmental Agency

In 15 American states, environmental protection agencies perform both pollution-control and natural resource conservation functions. In this study, I examine how this combination of functions affects the regulatory style embraced by these agencies. I find, through interviews with environmental agency workers and empirical analyses using enforcement data from 2010 to 2014, that the cooperation and flexibility with industry inherent to natural resource conservation efforts is a fundamental part of the regulatory process within these combined agencies. Great efforts are made to garner voluntary or negotiated compliance without the possible economic consequences of punitive actions. Enforcements are less frequent and less severe. The effect of this agency design choice is powerful, maintaining its effect even when controlling for political, ideological, and economical pressures. In a time where environmental protection agencies are increasingly interested in incorporating management-based regulation and voluntary compliance to supplement command and control regulation, it is more important than ever to understand the regulation that emerges from this combination.

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