Structural Conservation Practices in U.S. Corn Production: Evidence on Environmental Stewardship by Program Participants and Non-Participants

and particularly with high-sales farms (growing corn) that do not participate in conservation
programs (on corn acres).

Corn producers have also installed a variety of in-field and perimeter-field structural
practices within and around corn fields designed to reduce wind and water-based soil erosion,
protect surface-water sources, and enhance agricultural bio-diversity, including creating/enhancing
natural habitat pathways across the agricultural landscape (fig. 3).⁷ In 2005, acres devoted to
grassed-waterways were the dominant structural practice installed across corn acreage (in the study
area) by producers not participating in a conservation program (on corn acres). However, for
conservation program participants, terraces were the dominant structural practice installed on corn
acres. Field borders and filter strips were the next dominant structural practice installed by program
participants and non-participants alike.

Model: A Cost-Function Based Technology Adoption Approach

Traditional probabilistic models of agricultural technology adoption have been based on the
log of the odds of choosing an advanced technology over the conventional technology, but under
the assumption that available cropland is fully utilized or cropland is predetermined (Caswell and
Zilberman, 1985; Lichtenberg,1989; Schaible, Kim, and Whittlesey, 1991; Alexander, Fernandez-
Cornejo, and Goodhue, 2003). Given that a probabilistic model is not suitable for the study of crop-
specific technology adoption where acreage allocated for the crop-specific production is not
predetermined, this paper applies a generalized, cost-function based acreage allocation approach to
model the economic decision-making process of producers for structural conservation practices
used on corn production acreage. Both conservation program participants and non-participants are
presumed to recognize the changes in output and costs associated with shifting field acres from corn
production to conservation structural practices. It is assumed that decisions to allocate field acres to

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