Environmental Compliance in U.S. Agricultural Policy: Past Performance and Future Potential
by
Roger Claassen,
Vince Breneman, Shawn Bucholtz , Andrea Cattaneo, Robert Johansson, and
Mitch Morehart
Agricultural Economic Report No. (AER-832) 55 pp, May 2004
Cover image
Since 1985, U.S. agricultural producers have been required to practice soil conservation on highly erodible cropland and conserve wetlands as a condition of farm program eligibility. This report discusses the general characteristics of compliance incentives, evaluates their effectiveness in reducing erosion in the program’s current form, and explores the potential for expanding the compliance approach to address nutrient runoff from crop production. While soil erosion has, in fact, been reduced on land subject to Conservation Compliance, erosion is also down on land not subject to Conservation Compliance, indicating the influence of other factors. Analysis to isolate the influence of Conservation Compliance incentives from other factors suggests that about 25 percent of the decline in soil erosion between 1982 and 1997 can be attributed to Conservation Compliance. This report also finds that compliance incentives have likely deterred conversion of noncropped highly erodible land and wetland to cropland, and that a compliance approach could be used effectively to address nutrient runoff from crop production.
Keywords: conservation compliance, Sodbuster, Swampbuster, conservation policy, agri-environmental policy, nutrient management, buffer practices
In this publication...
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Research Brief, Pdf file 63 kb
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Abstract, Acknowledgment, and Contents, Pdf file 44 kb
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Summary, Pdf file 27 kb
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Introduction, Pdf file 32 kb
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Compliance Mechanisms: A Primer, Pdf file 31 kb
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Current Compliance Mechanisms, Pdf file 4,760 kb
- Potential for Extending Compliance: Nutrient Management in Crop Production, Pdf file NaN kb
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Conclusions, Pdf file 27 kb
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References, Pdf file 36 kb
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Appendices, Pdf file 49 kb
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Entire report, Pdf file 10,282 kb
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