ABSTRACT:
This report examines relationships among, farm operator opinions, fertilization practices, and cropland potential to damage water quality from a survey that included dairy and cash grain producers in two Virginia regions. Most farmers express concern about water quality, but claim that water quality problems are not serious on their own farms. Few farmers consider even a specific sampled site, with known high potential for water quality damage, to be a high risk, for water quality. Most farmers apply fertilizers at or below recommended rates. A very small proportion express agreement with fertilization practices which may adversely affect water quality. Such farmers apply significantly more nitrogen than other farmers, and apply nitrogen at higher than recommended rates. Across most analysis variables, crop farmers are characterized by less expressed environmental concern and acknowledgement of water quality problems. Livestock farmers express greater awareness that their, farms could contribute to water quality problems.
Footnotes
James Pease and Darrell Bosch are associate professors, Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics. Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, Virginia 24061-0401, Tel. 70.3-231-4178. The Virginia Water Resources Research Center provided funding for this research.
- Copyright 1994 by the Soil and Water Conservation Society
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