Rural Prosperity Links to Conservation Agriculture
The December Council on Food, Agriculture and Resource Economics webinar presents findings from three Federally funded projects related to conservation agriculture and crop diversity in larger agricultural systems. Protecting natural resources while improving farm profitability are two major goals of USDA. Across the value chain, ripple effects from conservation, research, and outreach investments are shown to increase crop yields, improve soil health, increase farmer income, meet evolving consumer demand, and inform national farm policy. Join our panelists as they discuss conservation agriculture impacts on a national level, in the Midwest corn belt and in the Pacific Northwest.
Wei Zhang – Economic Benefits of Agricultural Conservation: Evidence from the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP)
Wei Zhang presented research on the economic benefits of agricultural conservation using studies based on the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP). She described EQIP as a USDA NRCS program established under the 1996 Farm Bill that provides financial and technical assistance to farmers and ranchers to support conservation on working agricultural lands. Using administrative EQIP contract data from 2005 to 2015, a period in which over $10 billion was obligated nationwide, Zhang evaluated the overall impact of EQIP investments rather than individual conservation practices.
Zhang presented evidence that EQIP payments are associated with improvements in water quality, particularly nitrogen and oxygen levels, while noting that some practices in certain regions may increase sediment, suggesting the need for more targeted conservation strategies. She also examined the economic benefits of conservation using housing transaction data and found that benefits are reflected in housing prices within about 20 miles of EQIP projects. A 10 percent increase in EQIP payments was associated with an estimated $1.6 billion increase in aggregate housing values. Additional analysis showed modest increases in corn yields over time and no evidence that EQIP reduces yields for major crops, suggesting that environmental improvement and agricultural productivity goals can align.
Linda Prokopy – Diverse Corn Belt
Linda Prokopy presented an overview of the Diverse Corn Belt Project, a five-year, $10 million USDA NIFA Sustainable Agricultural Systems grant focused on rethinking agricultural systems in Illinois, Indiana, and Iowa. Drawing on her background researching farmer adoption of conservation practices, Prokopy explained that the project was motivated by the recognition that widespread adoption of conservation alone would not resolve the Midwest’s environmental, economic, and social challenges. Instead, the project explores agricultural diversification as a pathway toward greater resilience and rural prosperity, including extended crop rotations beyond corn and soybeans, horticultural crops, perennial systems, agroforestry, and grazing livestock, alongside diversification of markets and landscape-level outcomes.
Prokopy emphasized the project’s strong social science and co-production approach, which engaged farmers, advisors, agency representatives, and community stakeholders through focus groups, surveys, interviews, and state-based “Reimagining Agricultural Diversity” (RAD) teams. Findings showed broad agreement that diversification can improve resilience, water quality, rural vitality, and economic opportunities, though it must remain economically viable and complement existing corn and soybean systems. Survey results indicated that farmers associate diversified systems with improved conservation and climate resilience, while still viewing specialized systems as best suited to feeding a growing population. The RAD teams ultimately identified four policy priorities: reforming crop insurance and commodity programs, enhancing conservation incentives to support diversification, investing in post-harvest and processing infrastructure, and expanding institutional purchasing. Prokopy concluded that while interest in diversification exists, coordinated policy changes are needed to support farmers in making viable transitions.
Ryan Boylan – Farmers Leading Our United Revolution in Soil Health
Ryan Boylan presented the Farmers Leading Our United Revolution in Soil Health (FLOURISH) project, a four-year, $2.1 million USDA Conservation Innovation On-Farm Trials grant focused on dryland agriculture in the inland Pacific Northwest. The project works with farmers in Washington, Idaho, and Oregon to test soil health systems centered on cover crops and, in some cases, livestock integration. Boylan explained that while cover crops are widely used in other regions, farmers in the Pacific Northwest face unique challenges due to limited summer precipitation and the difficulty of fitting cover crops into existing rotations. The project was motivated by widespread experimentation among farmers, the need to reduce risk when trying new systems, and a desire to support farmer-led innovation and peer learning.
The project established paired trials on 27 farms, comparing 30-acre cover crop or integrated systems with adjacent business-as-usual fields. Data collection includes soil chemical, physical, and biological indicators, economic cost information, and social outcomes. Early results show significant improvements in soil health, including increases in soil organic matter, active carbon, soil respiration, and pH, with stronger effects when livestock are integrated. Boylan also highlighted social outcomes, noting increased farmer engagement, reduced reliance on synthetic inputs, and renewed connections between farmers, their families, and the land. He emphasized that peer-to-peer learning through field days, meetings, and outreach has been a key component of the project and that the data being generated will help address long-standing information gaps about cover cropping in the region.
This program is supported in part by the Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.