Farm-Level Evaluation of Agricultural and Environmental Policies with an Integrated Modeling System

Concern is growing throughout the United States about environmental and health risks associated with the use of agricultural chemicals. In response to these concerns, public policies designed to alter farming practices and the use of agricultural chemicals are being proposed and implemented. In addition, existing U.S. agricultural policies directed at price stabilization and income support are being reviewed for interdependencies with environmental measures. This paper provides a farm-level analysis of the interrelationships between the current U.S. commodity program for corn and selected environmentally motivated policies for controlling the use of corn rootworm insecticides. An integrated modeling system is employed that includes economic and biological components. The farm modeled is for opportunities for coordinating agricultural commodity and environmental policies. Policy adjustments are identified that can reduce corn rootworm insecticide use, improving the quality of the environment and limiting health risk, while only modestly affecting certainly equivalent farm income

Flexibility and the Integration of Commodity and Environmental Policies

Environmental and health risk concerns associated with the use of agricultural chemicals in the United States are increasing. In response, public policies designed to alter farming practices and the use of agricultural chemicals are being proposed and implemented. In addition, agricultural price stabilization and income support policies are being reviewed for environmental implications. This paper provides a farm-level analysis of the interrelationships between the current U.S. commodity program for corn and selected policies for controlling the use of corn rootworm insecticides. The farm modeled is for Chickasaw County, Iowa. Results show significant opportunities for coordinating agricultural commodity and environmental policies. Corn rootworm insecticide use can be reduced with only modest effects

Swine Veterinary Internship Program: Enhancing the Value of the Veterinary Internship

The Swine Veterinary Internship Program (SVIP) at Iowa State University College of Veterinary Medicine (ISU CVM) was developed and implemented to provide students an opportunity to obtain swine specific skills and knowledge that complements the veterinary curriculum early in their veterinary education, to learn how to conduct field research, and communicate the results in written and oral forms. The expertise obtained from the program makes students more attractive to future employers and more likely to exceed in their careers

National and Regional Implications of Targeting the Conservation Reserve

Within the Conservation Reserve (CR) program, a change in program criteria could reduce the amount of erosion material entering our nation\u27s waterways. The inclusion of land adjacent to water bodies, flowing streams, and river waterways may reduce erosion from these lands and improve water quality. These buffer strip areas, removed from production and placed in the reserve with a vegetative cover, would limit sedimentation and act to prevent upland erosion materials from reaching waterway channels, thus enhancing the programs\u27 environmental benefits. This paper analyzes the economic benefits of including buffer strups as eligible CR land, and it reviews the problems of identifying such areas

Atrazine and Water Quality: An Evaluation of Restricting Atrazine Use on Corn and Sorghum to Postemergent Applications

Atrazine is the most widely used herbicide for corn and sorghum and the most commonly encountered in ground and surface water. In addition to water quality problems, atrazine poses hazards through atmospheric transport, food residues, and exposure of applications and wildlife. If atrazine use is restricted, substitute herbicides will come into wider use, increasing the likelihood of occurrence of their own sets of potentially undesirable side effects and imposing cost or efficacy penalties