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Changes in cropland area in the United States and the role of CRP

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  • Hendricks, Nathan P.
  • Er, Emrah

Abstract

An understanding of the main drivers of land-use change is critical for policy recommendations that aim to meet the challenge of food and environmental security over the coming decades. Here we show that agricultural policy exerts substantial influence on cropland area in the United States through administration of the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP). Looking at changes in the CRP over time and an understanding of how the program is managed suggest that the government adjusts enrolled acres in response to changing market conditions to achieve supply management objectives and due to budgetary reasons. The projected decrease of 12.8 million acres of CRP from 2007 to 2017 is estimated to decrease corn and soybean prices by 8.9% and 5.4%, while a hypothetical return to 2007 CRP acreage is estimated to increase corn and soybean prices by 12.0% and 7.3%.

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  • Hendricks, Nathan P. & Er, Emrah, 2018. "Changes in cropland area in the United States and the role of CRP," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 75(C), pages 15-23.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jfpoli:v:75:y:2018:i:c:p:15-23
    DOI: 10.1016/j.foodpol.2018.02.001
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    Cited by:

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    2. Spawn-Lee, Seth A. & Lark, Tyler J. & Gibbs, Holly & Houghton, Richard A. & Kucharik, Christopher J & Malins, Chris & Pelton, Rylie & Robertson, G. Philip, 2021. "Refuting recent claims of an improved carbon intensity of U.S. corn ethanol," EcoEvoRxiv cxhz5, Center for Open Science.
    3. Wallander, Steven & Paul, Laura A. & Ferraro, Paul J. & Messer, Kent D. & Iovanna, Richard, 2023. "Informational nudges in conservation auctions: A field experiment with U.S. farmers," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 120(C).
    4. Thomas, Alban & Chakir, Raja, 2020. "Unintended consequences of environmental policies: the case of set-aside and agricultural intensification," TSE Working Papers 20-1066, Toulouse School of Economics (TSE).
    5. Cornish, Brian & Miao, Ruiqing & Khanna, Madhu, 2020. "How will changes in Title II of the 2018 Farm Bill affect CRP Acreage?," 2020 Annual Meeting, July 26-28, Kansas City, Missouri 304304, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.
    6. Lark, Tyler J., 2020. "Protecting our prairies: Research and policy actions for conserving America’s grasslands," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 97(C).
    7. Gabriel Medina & Catherine Isley & J. Arbuckle, 2021. "Promoting sustainable agriculture: Iowa stakeholders’ perspectives on the US Farm Bill conservation programs," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 23(1), pages 173-194, January.
    8. Calafat-Marzal, Consuelo & Sánchez-García, Mercedes & Gallego-Salguero, Aurea & Piñeiro, Veronica, 2023. "Drivers of winegrowers' decision on land use abandonment based on exploratory spatial data analysis and multilevel models," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 132(C).
    9. Rosenberg, Andrew B. & Pratt, Bryan & Arnold, David, 2022. "Land Use Impacts of the Conservation Reserve Program: An Analysis of Rejected CRP Offers," 2022 Allied Social Sciences Association (ASSA) Annual Meeting (Virtual), January 7-9, 2022 316533, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.
    10. Yuanming Xie & Zemeng Ma & Mingjie Fang & Weiguo Liu & Feiyan Yu & Jiajing Tian & Shuoxin Zhang & Yan Yan, 2023. "Analysis of Net Primary Productivity of Retired Farmlands in the Grain-for-Green Project in China from 2011 to 2020," Land, MDPI, vol. 12(5), pages 1-16, May.
    11. Jennifer Ifft & Deepak Rajagopal & Ryan Weldzuis, 2019. "Ethanol Plant Location and Land Use: A Case Study of CRP and the Ethanol Mandate," Applied Economic Perspectives and Policy, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 41(1), pages 37-55, March.
    12. Mykel R. Taylor & Nathan P. Hendricks & Gabriel S. Sampson & Dillon Garr, 2021. "The Opportunity Cost of the Conservation Reserve Program: A Kansas Land Example," Applied Economic Perspectives and Policy, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 43(2), pages 849-865, June.
    13. Rosenberg, Andrew B. & Pratt, Bryan & Arnold, David, 2022. "Land Use Impacts of the Conservation Reserve Program: An Analysis of Rejected CRP Offers," 2023 Allied Social Sciences Association (ASSA) Annual Meeting, January 6-8, 2023, New Orleans, Louisiana 316533, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.
    14. Thapa, Bhawna & Chapagain, Binod P. & McMurry, Scott T. & Smith, Loren M. & Joshi, Omkar, 2024. "Understanding landowner participation in the Conservation Reserve Program in the U.S. High Plains region," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 141(C).
    15. Lim, Siew & Wachenheim, Cheryl, 2022. "Predicted enrollment in alternative attribute Conservation Reserve Program contracts," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 117(C).
    16. Brian Cornish & Ruiqing Miao & Madhu Khanna, 2022. "Impact of changes in Title II of the 2018 Farm Bill on the acreage and environmental benefits of Conservation Reserve Program," Applied Economic Perspectives and Policy, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 44(2), pages 1100-1122, June.
    17. Rosenberg, Andrew B. & Pratt, Bryan & Arnold, David & Williams, Ryan, 2024. "Land Use of Rejected, Enrolled, and Expiring Fields in the Conservation Reserve Program," Economic Information Bulletin 344828, United States Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service.

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