Article ID: | iaor1999676 |
Country: | United States |
Volume: | 78 |
Issue: | 4 |
Start Page Number: | 1082 |
End Page Number: | 1091 |
Publication Date: | Oct 1996 |
Journal: | American Journal of Agricultural Economics |
Authors: | Plantinga A.J. |
Keywords: | economics, geography & environment |
In this paper I consider the environmental quality gains that may be achieved by reducing agricultural income supports. A new methodology is developed to estimate land use shares. In an application to Wisconsin, milk price support reductions result in shifts of marginal agricultural land to forest, reducing soil erosion and providing off-site water quality improvements. The environmental benefits are estimated to be at least as large as the decreased welfare burden on consumers and taxpayers, indicating a central role for environmental quality considerations in motivating policy reforms and a more efficient means of achieving the environmental quality goals of land retirement programs.