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Daniel Hellerstein - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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improving the cost effectiveness of the Conservation Reserve Program a laboratory study
Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, 2021Co-Authors: Peter Cramton, Daniel Hellerstein, Nathaniel Higgins, Richard Iovanna, Kristian Lopezvargas, Steven WallanderAbstract:Abstract The Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) is arguably the world's largest payments-for-ecosystem services Program, with $1.8 billion paid to farmers in 2017 for practices on 23.4 million acres. The CRP uses a pay-as-bid, reverse auction with field-specific price caps to enroll most of the land in the Program. Economic theory and empirical studies from other domains suggest that the restrictive price-cap auction format used in the current design of the CRP exhibits issues in terms of efficiency and cost-effectiveness. Using a laboratory experiment, we study the impact of varying the tightness of the price-cap auctions. We also examine two alternative auction formats based on reference prices. We find that excessively tight bid caps reduce efficiency and cost effectiveness by discouraging participation. Conversely, bid caps set too high also reduce cost-effectiveness by allowing higher rents. An exogenous reference price ranking format, which makes medium-cost sellers more competitive against low-cost sellers, reduces both efficiency and cost-effectiveness. An endogenous reference price format increases cost-effectiveness by increasing participation and reducing rents.
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the us Conservation Reserve Program the evolution of an enrollment mechanism
Land Use Policy, 2017Co-Authors: Daniel HellersteinAbstract:The United States Department of Agriculture’s Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) has evolved from near open enrollment, to competitive enrollment, and now to a mixture of competitive and targeted enrollment. This paper reviews the history of the CRP and the evolution of its enrollment mechanism. I discuss the use of bid caps and the Environmental Benefits Index bid ranking mechanism in the “general” CRP; and the use of highly targeted, but non-competitive, “continuous” CRP. Possible challenges of these designs are discussed, and alternative auction mechanisms are considered that could be more cost effective.
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the influence of rising commodity prices on the Conservation Reserve Program
2012Co-Authors: Daniel Hellerstein, Scott MalcolmAbstract:This report considers how increased commodity prices might influence enrollment in and benefits from the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) using two complementary models: a likely-to-bid model that uses National Resources Inventory data to simulate offers to the general signup portion of the CRP and an opt-out model that simulates retention of current CRP contracts. Under several higher crop price scenarios, including one that incorporates 15 billion gallons of crop-based biofuels production, maintaining the CRP as currently configured will lead to significant expenditure increases. If constraints are placed on increasing rental rates, it might be possible to meet enrollment goals with moderate increases in CRP rental rates-but this will mean accepting lower average Environmental Benefits Index scores as landowners with profitable but environmentally sensitive lands choose not to enroll.
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challenges facing usda s Conservation Reserve Program
Amber Waves, 2010Co-Authors: Daniel HellersteinAbstract:Reductions in maximum Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) acres mandated by the 2008 Farm Act, along with relatively high agricultural commodity prices, could lead to reduced overall environmental benefits and higher CRP costs. ERS is analyzing alternative enrollment policies and practices that could increase environmental benefits per enrolled acre and lower Program costs. The effectiveness of changes will depend on improved data and models to more accurately estimate the environmental benefits provided by competing offers to enroll land in the CRP.
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the Conservation Reserve Program
2004Co-Authors: Patrick Sullivan, Michael J. Roberts, Ruben N Lubowski, Daniel Hellerstein, Leroy Hansen, Robert C Johansson, Steven R Koenig, William D Mcbride, David A Mcgranahan, Stephen J VogelAbstract:This report estimates the impact that high levels of enrollment in the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) have had on economic trends in rural counties since the Program’s inception in 1985 until today. The results of a growth model and quasi-experimental control group analysis indicate no discernible impact by the CRP on aggregate county population trends. Aggregate employment growth may have slowed in some high-CRP counties, but only temporarily. High levels of CRP enrollment appear to have affected farm-related businesses over the long run, but growth in the number of other nonfarm businesses moderated CRP’s impact on total employment. If CRP contracts had ended in 2001, simulation models suggest that roughly 51 percent of CRP land would have returned to crop production, and that spending on outdoor recreation would decrease by as much as $300 million per year in rural areas. The resulting impacts on employment and income vary widely among regions having similar CRP enrollments, depending upon local economic conditions.
Douglas H Johnson - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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estimating the response of ring necked pheasants phasianus colchicus to the Conservation Reserve Program
The Auk, 2008Co-Authors: Ryan M Nielson, Lyman L Mcdonald, Joseph P Sullivan, Colleen Burgess, Devin S Johnson, Douglas H Johnson, Shawn Bucholtz, Skip Hyberg, Shay HowlinAbstract:Abstract We evaluated associations between the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) and Ring-necked Pheasant (Phasianus colchicus) populations by modeling Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) counts of Ring-necked Pheasants during 1987–2005 along 388 routes in nine states. Ring-necked Pheasant counts were analyzed as overdispersed Poisson counts in a Bayesian hierarchical model estimated with Markov-chain Monte Carlo methods. This approach allowed for simultaneous estimation of the relationships between BBS counts and various habitat types, including CRP habitat types, for multiple regions and across the entire study area. The predictor variables included a time trend and percentages of major National Land Cover Dataset 1992 and CRP habitat types within a 1,000-m buffer around each route, along with other patch metrics. The deviance information criterion was used as a guide to help identify the most parsimonious model. We estimated that, on average, there was a positive association of Ring-necked Pheasant counts with...
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contributions of the Conservation Reserve Program to populations of breeding birds in north dakota
The Wilson Journal of Ornithology, 1995Co-Authors: Douglas H Johnson, Lawrence D IglAbstract:-PreViOUS studies have shown that habitat provided by the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), a feature of the 1985 farm bill, is used by many birds. The present study quantitatively assesses the importance of the CRP by estimating changes in breedingbird populations of North Dakota projected if CRP land would revert to cultivation. Of 18 species that were common in CRP or crop fields or both, 12 were more abundant in CRP habitats. Six of these species had suffered significant population declines during 1967-1990, according to the North American Breeding Bird Survey. In contrast, none of the six species that were more common in cropland than in CRP fields had declined significantly. Termination of the Conservation Reserve Program and a return of enrolled land to cultivation is projected to cause population declines in North Dakota exceeding 17% for Sedge Wren (Cistothorus platensis), Grasshopper Sparrow (Ammodramus savannarum), Savannah Sparrow (Passerculus sandwichensis), Dickcissel (Spiza americana), and Lark Bunting (Calamospiza melanocorys). Received 27 October 1994, accepted II May 1995. The Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), established by the 1985 Food Security Act and administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, resulted in the reversion of millions of hectares of marginal cropland to perennial cover (Young and Osborn 1990). The primary objectives of the CRP were to bring crop supplies more in line with demands and to conserve soil and water resources. Certain highly erodible or eroding lands were removed from agricultural production, through IO-year contracts and annual payments, by establishing perennial vegetation. The intent was to reduce soil erosion, reduce sedimentation of streams, and thus improve water quality. Contracts begin to expire in the next few years, and most landowners indicated an intention to return their lands to cultivation (Mortensen et al. 1989, Kurzejeski et al. 1992). A secondary objective of the CRP was to enhance habitat for fish and wildlife populations. Grassland habitats established by the CRP benefit a variety of wildlife species (King 1991, Luttschwager and Higgins 1992, Hall and Willig 1994), especially breeding birds (Johnson and Schwartz 1993a, b; Kantrud 1993). Populations of many grassland birds have declined in recent decades, especially in areas of intensive agriculture, such as the Midwest (Warner 1994) and the northern Great Plains (Johnson and Schwartz 1993b). Johnson and Schwartz (1993b) found that the two most common breeding-bird species observed in CRP fields in the north’ National Biological Service, Northern Prairie Science Center Jamestown, North Dakota 58401
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the Conservation Reserve Program and grassland birds
Conservation Biology, 1993Co-Authors: Douglas H Johnson, Michael D SchwartzAbstract:Several bird species that breed in the temperate grasslands of North America, many of which winter in the Neotropics, declined in abundance during the past quarter century. The Lark Bunting (see Table 1 for scientific names) and Grasshopper Sparrow, as examples, declined by about half during that period, as indexed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Breeding Bird Survey. Populations of other grassland species have also diminished steadily, if not as spectacularly. Why so many species declined is not known, but continued conversion of perennial grassland to annually tilled cropland is a suspected cause. A test of this possibility is offered by the Conservation Reserve Program, a Program of the United States Department of Agriculture that caused the reversion of millions of hectares of marginal cropland to perennial grassland. Under this Program, landowners are paid to plant perennial vegetation on certain eroding or highly erodible fields. They receive annual payments during the 10 years of the contract. Although the primary objectives of the Program involved reduction of crop surpluses and protection of soil from erosion, wildlife habitat was listed as a secondary objective. We evaluated the use by breeding birds of selected Program fields in eastern Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, and western Minnesota. These four states have about four million hectares of land enrolled in the Pro-
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the Conservation Reserve Program habitat for grassland birds
Great Plains Research, 1993Co-Authors: Douglas H Johnson, Michael D SchwartzAbstract:The Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) has effected major changes to the landscape, especially in the northern Great Plains. Breeding birds have responded dramatically to habitat changes by colonizing CRP fields, often in large numbers. The vegetation in most CRP fields consists of introduced grasses and legumes, along with a variety ofweedy species. This paper describes the bird populations found during three years ofsurveys on more than 300 CRPfields in western Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, and eastern Montana. Tfe relate densities of selected species to geographic location, annual effects, Conservation practice adopted, and vegetation features. In 1985 the Food Security Act established the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) primarily to conserve and improve soil and water resources of highly erodible cropland. Emphasis was placed on taking out of agricultural production certain highly erodible or eroding lands by establishing perennial cover on them, thereby reducing soil erosion and sedimentation of streams, and improving water quality. Another objective was to enhance habitat for fish and wildlife populations. Related to that objective, we evaluated the use by breeding birds of selected CRP fields in eastern Montana, North and South Dakota, and western Minnesota. With about 4 million hectares, these four states contain nearly 30% ofall land enrolled in the Program; thus, the CRP is of enormous importance in that region. Because CRP habitat is new, evaluations of its value to wildlife are limited. Studies have been completed on nesting in CRP fields by ducks (Luttschwager 1991; Kantrud 1993) and by Ring-necked Pheasants (Berthelsen et al. 1990; see American Ornithologists' Union 1983 for scientific names). King (1991) surveyed birds on4-6 CRP fields and some alternative habitats in eastern Nebraska during 1989-1990. Attempts have been made to measure habitat changes resulting from CRP and to predict subsequent effects on certain birds through various models (Hays et al. 1989; Stauffer et al. 1989). As yet, however, little published information exists on actual use of
Michael D Schwartz - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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the Conservation Reserve Program and grassland birds
Conservation Biology, 1993Co-Authors: Douglas H Johnson, Michael D SchwartzAbstract:Several bird species that breed in the temperate grasslands of North America, many of which winter in the Neotropics, declined in abundance during the past quarter century. The Lark Bunting (see Table 1 for scientific names) and Grasshopper Sparrow, as examples, declined by about half during that period, as indexed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Breeding Bird Survey. Populations of other grassland species have also diminished steadily, if not as spectacularly. Why so many species declined is not known, but continued conversion of perennial grassland to annually tilled cropland is a suspected cause. A test of this possibility is offered by the Conservation Reserve Program, a Program of the United States Department of Agriculture that caused the reversion of millions of hectares of marginal cropland to perennial grassland. Under this Program, landowners are paid to plant perennial vegetation on certain eroding or highly erodible fields. They receive annual payments during the 10 years of the contract. Although the primary objectives of the Program involved reduction of crop surpluses and protection of soil from erosion, wildlife habitat was listed as a secondary objective. We evaluated the use by breeding birds of selected Program fields in eastern Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, and western Minnesota. These four states have about four million hectares of land enrolled in the Pro-
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the Conservation Reserve Program habitat for grassland birds
Great Plains Research, 1993Co-Authors: Douglas H Johnson, Michael D SchwartzAbstract:The Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) has effected major changes to the landscape, especially in the northern Great Plains. Breeding birds have responded dramatically to habitat changes by colonizing CRP fields, often in large numbers. The vegetation in most CRP fields consists of introduced grasses and legumes, along with a variety ofweedy species. This paper describes the bird populations found during three years ofsurveys on more than 300 CRPfields in western Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, and eastern Montana. Tfe relate densities of selected species to geographic location, annual effects, Conservation practice adopted, and vegetation features. In 1985 the Food Security Act established the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) primarily to conserve and improve soil and water resources of highly erodible cropland. Emphasis was placed on taking out of agricultural production certain highly erodible or eroding lands by establishing perennial cover on them, thereby reducing soil erosion and sedimentation of streams, and improving water quality. Another objective was to enhance habitat for fish and wildlife populations. Related to that objective, we evaluated the use by breeding birds of selected CRP fields in eastern Montana, North and South Dakota, and western Minnesota. With about 4 million hectares, these four states contain nearly 30% ofall land enrolled in the Program; thus, the CRP is of enormous importance in that region. Because CRP habitat is new, evaluations of its value to wildlife are limited. Studies have been completed on nesting in CRP fields by ducks (Luttschwager 1991; Kantrud 1993) and by Ring-necked Pheasants (Berthelsen et al. 1990; see American Ornithologists' Union 1983 for scientific names). King (1991) surveyed birds on4-6 CRP fields and some alternative habitats in eastern Nebraska during 1989-1990. Attempts have been made to measure habitat changes resulting from CRP and to predict subsequent effects on certain birds through various models (Hays et al. 1989; Stauffer et al. 1989). As yet, however, little published information exists on actual use of
Dokyoung Lee - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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impacts of management practices on bioenergy feedstock yield and economic feasibility on Conservation Reserve Program grasslands
Gcb Bioenergy, 2016Co-Authors: Eric K Anderson, Madhu Khanna, Ezra Aberle, Chengci Chen, Josh Egenolf, Keith R Harmoney, Vijaya Gopal Kakani, Robert L Kallenbach, Weiwei Wang, Dokyoung LeeAbstract:Citation: Anderson, E. K., Aberle, E., Chen, C., Egenolf, J., Harmoney, K., Kakani, V. G., . . . Lee, D. (2016). Impacts of management practices on bioenergy feedstock yield and economic feasibility on Conservation Reserve Program grasslands. GCB Bioenergy. doi:10.1111/gcbb.12328
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nitrogen and harvest management of Conservation Reserve Program crp grassland for sustainable biomass feedstock production
Gcb Bioenergy, 2013Co-Authors: Dokyoung Lee, Ezra Aberle, Chengci Chen, Josh Egenolf, Keith R Harmoney, Robert L Kallenbach, Gopal Kakani, Joseph C CastroAbstract:The Biomass Regional Feedstock Partnership has identified grasslands planted under the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) as a potential source for herbaceous bioenergy feedstock. The goal of this project is to assess the yield potential of CRP grasslands across diverse regions. Consistent with that goal, the objective of this project was to establish yield potential and quality parameters for several different CRP grasslands, representative of different growing environments. Standard field scale agricultural practices were used as management guidelines at each location. The test locations were identified and established based on known regions containing concentrated tracts of CRP grassland and represented variable climatic parameters and production histories. Biomass production potential for CRP land dominated by either warm- or cool-season grass mixtures in each location was evaluated over the course of three growing seasons (2008, 2009, and 2010). Specifically, a mixture of warm-season perennial grasses was evaluated in North Dakota, Kansas, and Oklahoma, while a cool-season mixture was evaluated in Montana, Georgia, and Missouri. Maximum biomass yields for the three warm-season CRP sites ranged from 4.0 to 7.2 Mg ha−1 and for the three cool-season CRP sites 3.4–6.0 Mg ha−1. Our results demonstrate that CRP grassland has potential as a bioenergy feedstock resource if the appropriate management practices are followed.
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management of switchgrass dominated Conservation Reserve Program lands for biomass production in south dakota
Crop Science, 2006Co-Authors: V R Mulkey, Vance N Owens, Dokyoung LeeAbstract:Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.) has been planted on land enrolled in the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP). Management strategies for conversion of this land from CRP to biomass energy require evaluation. Objectives of this study were to: (i) determine the effect of harvest timing and N rate on biomass production and characteristics of switchgrass land enrolled in or managed similarly to CRP and (ii) evaluate the impact of harvest management on species composition and persistence. Five N rates (spring applications of 0, 56, 112, and 224 kg ha -1 and 224 kg ha -1 split between spring and postharvest) and two harvest timings (anthesis and post-killing frost) were applied to plots from 2001 to 2003 at three South Dakota locations. Harvesting after a killing frost produced higher total yields and improved switchgrass persistence compared with anthesis harvests. The concentration of neutral detergent fiber (NDF), add detergent fiber (ADF), and add detergent lignin (ADL) increased between anthesis and killing-frost harvests, while total nitrogen (TN) and ash decreased. Nitrogen applied at 56 kg ha -1 increased total biomass without affecting switchgrass persistence, but there was no additional benefit with N above 56 kg ha -1 . Harvesting long-established switchgrass stands once per year after a killing frost and applying N at 56 kg ha -1 was an effective system for switchgrass biomass production and persistence on land enrolled in or managed similarly to CRP in South Dakota.
Peter Feather - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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calibrating benefit function transfer to assess the Conservation Reserve Program
Social Science Research Network, 1999Co-Authors: Peter Feather, Daniel HellersteinAbstract:Benefit transfer is a quick and inexpensive alternative to conducting an original study to determine economic value. Although this practice is attractive, it can result in biased welfare estimates. This paper proposes a method of calibrating benefit transfers in order to reduce this bias. An empirical example to determine the benefits of the Conservation Reserve Program on water-based recreation illustrates the potentially large biases that may result if the transfer is not calibrated.
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calibrating benefit function transfer to assess the Conservation Reserve Program
American Journal of Agricultural Economics, 1997Co-Authors: Peter Feather, Daniel HellersteinAbstract:Benefit transfer offers an inexpensive alternative to conducting an original study to determine economic value. Unfortunately, benefit transfers can also result in biased welfare estimates. In this paper, we suggest a method of calibrating the benefit transfer to reduce this bias. An empirical example to determine the benefits of the Conservation Reserve Program on water-based recreation illustrates the potentially large biases that can result if the transfer is not calibrated.