Federal programs may encourage farmers to convert native grasslands—land that has never been cultivated — to production of corn, soybeans, and other crops, leading to potential losses of Northern Plains' native grasslands. Federally subsidized crop insurance reduces risk associated...

This paper uses a lottery-choice mechanism to measure farmer preferences over money-denominated risks. We look at the ability of these choice data to predict farming decisions for an in-person sample of 68 farmers. A coarse version of our risk preference measure has substantial explanatory power...

Conservation programs faced with limited budgets often use a competitive enrollment mechanism. Goals of enrollment might include minimizing program expenditures, encouraging broad participation, and inducing adoption of enhanced environmental practices. We use experimental methods to evaluate an...

Knowledge of the benefits and costs to water users is required for a complete assessment of policies to create incentives for water-quality improving changes in agricultural production. A number of benefit estimation methods are required to handle the varying nature of water quality effects....