Ongoing farmland loss has led county planners to ask "is there a critical mass of farmland needed?" to retain a viable agricultural sector. This study examines whether counties lost farmland at a faster rate if the number of agricultural acres fell below a critical threshold. Results from six...

Spatial regulations can restrict chemical use more efficiently by linking benefits to the costs. California has instituted such a spatially based regulation of an agricultural fumigant to meet air quality standards. We examine the implications of alternative allocation mechanisms: use allocated...

We examine if the farm sector has a critical mass. If a critical mass of farmland acres is needed to sustain a viable agricultural sector, agriculture profits may decline once a region has dropped below this threshold, causing the rate of farmland loss to accelerate. Agricultural census and...