Previous studies have identified regulatory preemption and differentiation as two main motives for participation in voluntary environmental programs (VEPs). This research examines the motivations of livestock farmers to participate in the Michigan Agricultural Environmental Assurance Program...

Pig farming is one of the strongest polluters of water resources due to its intensive production techniques and slurry rejection. Several European countries have already introduced environmental regulations aiming at reducing the pollution caused by nitrates from agricultural sources, but not...

Phytase represents a potential win/win management practice for non-ruminant producers since it can reduce the need for phosphorous supplementation and also result in lower phosphorous runoff. Cost of phytase has decreased and cost of phosphorous has increased. The reported adoption rate for...

The paper discusses an ex ante evaluation of the derogation on the Nitrates Directive for Flanders, Belgium, which is a case of intensive but highly productive livestock areas. The aim is to develop an accurate simulation model to detect small differences in manure surpluses caused by changes of...

This 2008 report provides an economic overview of the Canadian agriculture and agri-food system. It is meant to be a multi-purpose reference document to provide: an introduction to the agriculture and agri-food system; a snapshot of structural changes that are occurring throughout the system in...

This paper presents a proposal to utilize insurance as a market-based alternative to traditional command-and-control regulation of concentrated animal feeding operations in order to meet policy goals to curtail negative environmental externalities.

Confined animal production in the U.S. and its associated discharge of manure nutrients into area waters is considered a leading contributor to current water quality impairments. A common option to mitigate these impairments is to limit land application of manure. This paper evaluates the...

Smallholder farmers have long been denied access to formal credit, largely because of the high administrative fees associated with loans. A possible solution to this problem, which has become increasingly popular, is the use of microcredit financing, where innovative means of securing the loans,...

High rates of commercial fertilizer and animal manure application on cropland have been identified as an important cause of ground and surface water degradation in many areas of the country. Suggested remedies are often based on the idea that fertilization levels are economically irrational for...

This paper considers probabilistic models of hurricane-induced animal waste lagoon failures in North Carolina. A substantial number of waste lagoons exist in areas prone to hurricane damages. We evaluate expected losses which represent actuarially-fair insurance premium rates for a plan that...