Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
Table 13.2. Alternative cropping systems offered to six farmer focus groups,
Michigan, 2007.
Cropping System
A
B
C
D
E
Tillage
Fertilizer timing
Nitrate test on corn
a
Mixed
At planting
No
Reduced
Split
Ye s
Reduced
Split
Ye s
Reduced
Split
Ye s
Reduced
Split
Ye s
Winter cover crop
No
No
Ye s
Ye s
Ye s
Rotation
Corn-soybean
Corn-soybean Corn-soybean
Corn-soybean-
wheat
Corn-soybean-
wheat
Mineral fertilizer rate
Full
Full
Full
Full
2/3
recommended
Pesticide rate
Label
Label
Label
Label
2/3 label
b
a
Pre-sidedress nitrate test, which requires split nitrogen fertilizer application after corn is growing.
b
Full rate added within rows, mechanical cultivation between rows.
Table 13.3. Farmer willingness to implement low-input cropping practices in
exchange for payment.
a
Cropping System
B
C
D
E
Rotation/Management
Corn-
soybean
Corn-soybean,
winter cover
Corn-soybean-
wheat, winter
cover
Corn-soybean-wheat, winter
cover agrochemicals at 2/3
rates
Participated (%)
90
85
72
59
Average payment offered if
participated ($US)
37
57
44
71
Average acres offered
1315
1203
947
877
Average acres offered if
participated
1470
1436
1274
1353
a
Results are compared to Cropping System A in Table 13.2 and are based on an experimental auction involving 39
Michigan farmers in six 2007 focus groups.
payments to grow wheat and a winter cover crop. Beyond that, they would
require yet a higher payment to reduce agrochemical rates from university exten-
sion recommendations (F. Lupi, unpublished data). Admittedly, the small sample
size calls for caution in drawing quantitative inferences. However, the subse-
quent 2008 Crop Management and Environmental Stewardship Survey of 1688
corn-soybean farmers found a similar pattern: although farmers' willingness to
consider enrolling in a payment-for environmental-services program was deter-
mined by their environmental attitudes, experience, education and equipment
owned, the amount of land they would enroll depended more on the payment
level and other income-related factors that would compensate the costs of par-
ticipation (Ma et al. 2012).
