Building on existing work evaluating food-attribute labels, we use data collected in 2010 from a national web-based survey of 1,002 households to examine consumer inferences and valuations of food products promoted as “sustainably produced.” A best-worst scale framework was implemented to identify how consumers define “sustainably produced” and their preferences for each of the sustainable farming practices considered. The results suggest that consumers perceive farm size and local production as important elements of sustainable agriculture while economic attributes exhibit a significant amount of heterogeneity, indicating segmentation in the sample and the potential for targeted marketing.

We investigate effects of corn-based ethanol plants on local land uses using county-level panel data for Iowa for 1997 through 2009 and an Arellano-Bond difference-generalized method-of-moments estimator. Our results show that ethanol plants have statistically significant effects on the proportion of acres planted to corn in the plants’ host counties. Furthermore, ceteris paribus, the land-use-change effect of locally owned plants (owned by local farmers or cooperatives) is about twice as large as the effect of plants with nonlocal owners. We also explore implications for the environment of ethanol plants and the changes in land use that they induce.

We collected surveys from 94 greenhouse and nursery growers in three northeastern states to examine factors influencing integrated pest management (IPM] adoption. We constructed three alternative dependent variables describing the extent of IPM adoption and employed discrete choice models to identify factors that affect adoption. We find that operations with more full-time workers are more likely to adopt IPM. Additionally, greenhouse/nursery growers that rank pests as a serious problem are likely to use a wider array of IPM practices. The reliability of IPM practices is critical for adoption. Our analysis highlights differences between self-reported and objective IPM adoption measures.

This study estimates how potential carbon policies targeted at reduction of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions could affect selection of rice cultivars by conducting a life cycle assessment of GHG emissions and estimating the carbon sequestered for fourteen commonly sown rice cultivars across Arkansas. Market-oriented carbon-offset credits based on additionality likely would be insufficient to convince producers to change cultivars; nonetheless, there may be upstream pressure as food retailers strive to lower their overall carbon footprints. Given their higher yield per unit of GHG emission, hybrid rice cultivars appear to be positioned to respond to industry demand.

We analyze risk management behavior (financial savings versus physical savings) of a private forest owner who values amenities in relation to uncertainty about timber growth. In a two-period model, we study the properties of optimal current and future harvesting and risk management decisions. We show that the forest owner chooses the tool with the highest rate of return unless both risk management instruments are perfect substitutes. We prove that future harvesting is greater under physical savings than under financial savings. Comparative static results on amenity preferences, incomes, forest stocks, timber prices, and opportunity costs are investigated.

We use parametric and nonparametric methods to estimate correlations between average control cost and three field-level characteristics—field size and delivered phosphorous per field and per acre—as proxies for economies of scale in controlling nonpoint pollution. We combine load and delivery-ratio estimates for more than 12,000 fields in the Bear River Basin, Utah, with estimates of control costs and effectiveness of management practices from the literature. Results suggest a negative relationship between control cost and delivered phosphorous per field and per acre. Ranking fields by phosphorous load therefore prioritizes management-practice subsidies by economies of scale.

Most of Southern California's wetlands have disappeared despite being critical ecosystems with many valuable attributes. Many of the wetlands that remain are in relatively urban areas, are severely degraded, and may not function properly. Using hedonic spatial error models, we measure the economic value of living near an urban multi-use wetland in Long Beach, California. Both sales prices and estimated values are used in the analysis. Results show that proximity to wetlands increases residential property values in the focus area. This analysis provides important information for policymakers to justify ongoing restoration projects and prevent further degradation of urbanized natural resources.

High tunnels are being used by specialty crop producers to enhance production yields and quality, extend growing seasons, and protect crops from extreme weather. The tunnels are unheated, plastic-covered structures under which crops are planted directly in the soil, and they provide greater environmental protection and control than open-field production. This study uses field-level experiments to evaluate high-tunnel production. The results suggest that investments in high tunnels can provide increased profits and superior protection against adverse risks relative to crop insurance.