Assessment of the Effects of Conservation Practices on Cultivated Cropland in the Missouri River Basin

The primary focus of the CEAP Missouri River Basin study is on the 29 percent of the basin that is cultivated cropland. The study was designed to: • quantify the effects of conservation practices commonly used on cultivated cropland in the Missouri River Basin during 2003–06, • evaluate the need for additional conservation treatment in the region on the basis of wind erosion and edge-of field sediment and nutrient losses, and • estimate the potential gains that could be attained with additional conservation treatment. The assessment uses a statistical sampling and modeling approach to estimate the effects of conservation practices. The National Resources Inventory (NRI), a statistical survey of conditions and trends in soil, water, and related resources on U.S. non-Federal land conducted by USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service, provides the statistical framework for the study. Physical process simulation models were used to estimate the effects of conservation practices that were in use during the period 2003–06. Information on farming activities and conservation practices was obtained primarily from a farmer survey conducted as part of the study. The assessment includes not only practices associated with Federal conservation programs but also the conservation efforts of States, independent organizations, and individual landowners and farm operators. The analysis assumes that structural practices (such as buffers, terraces, and grassed waterways) reported in the farmer survey or obtained from other data sources were appropriately designed, installed, and maintained.