ABSTRACT:
Minnesota's RIM (Reinvest in Minnesota) reserve program offers farm owners up-front payments to retire marginal cropland through conservation easements. A survey of 1986 enrollees showed that a large percentage of RIM enrollees were landlords and farmers with low net farm income who earned a considerable portion of that income off the farm. An interest in wildlife habitat was the most frequently expressed motive for enrollment. The strong interest in wildlife, however, masked a general satisfaction with the payments and time period offered for the easements. Lower payment rates and longer easement periods offered in 1987 substantially reduced the total number of new applications in the state and shifted the program's emphasis to restorable wetlands in south central and southwestern Minnesota. This effect was desired and illustrates a successful adjustment of program incentives with program funds. However, the role of RIM in other regions of the state where interest was strong in 1986 is now in question.
Footnotes
Philip Heywood is a graduate student, Department of Geography, and Terence Cooper is an associate professor, Department of Soil Science, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, 55108. This study was supported by the Center for Urban and Regional Affairs and the University of Minnesota Agricultural Experiment Station. Agricultural Experiment Station No. 16,130, Scientific Journal Series.
- Copyright 1989 by the Soil and Water Conservation Society
This article requires a subscription to view the full text. If you have a subscription you may use the login form below to view the article. Access to this article can also be purchased.