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

could either under- or over-estimate producer conservation practice responses for conservation
program participants and non-participants.

Finally, these study results indicate that significant characteristic differences do exist
between conservation program participants and non-participants across corn production in the 4-
State study area; that non-program factors do heavily influence producer conservation practice
decisions; and that farm-size matters. These results also suggest that corn producers not
participating in a USDA conservation program (on corn acres) tend to adopt infield conservation
structures much more intensively while program participants emphasize the adoption of perimeter-
field conservation structures. In addition, even though conservation program participants and non-
participants may view field-level acreage allocation responses differently, based on differences in
perceived productivity/profitability and field-level cost (or scale) expectations, policy decision-
makers are generally also interested in a policy’s aggregate impact. Therefore, because the
working-farmland acreage base for corn is much larger for non-participants growing corn, and
because perimeter-field structural practices can involve differential productivity/field-level cost
effects and off-site benefits, program incentives may need to play a greater role in encouraging their
adoption than they do for infield structural practices.

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