Land Tenure and the Adoption of Conservation Practices

Abstract

We use a logit adoption model with data on 941 U.S. corn producers from the 1996 Agricultural Resource Management Study to analyze the influence of land tenure on the adoption of conservation practices. We extend previous analyses by distinguishing renters according to lease type and by distinguishing practices according to the timing of costs and returns. We find that cash‐renters are less likely than owner‐operators to use conservation tillage, but share‐renters are not. Both cash‐renters and share‐renters are less likely than owner‐operators to adopt practices that provide benefits only over the longer term (grassed waterways, stripcropping, and contour farming).

Keywords: Adoption, corn production, soil conservation practices, land tenure, Q150, Q160, Q240, Q280