A bioeconomic model of farm management practices and environmental effluents in the western Lake Erie Basin

ABSTRACT:

Agricultural production has been indentured as a major source of groundwater and sediment pollution in the western Lake Erie Basin of Ohio. In order to anticipate the efects of potential conservation policies, we employed a bioeconomic model to examine the rehtionship between alternative tillage practices and environmental and economic impacts in the western Lake Erie Basin of Ohio. Our results indicated that the effects of conservation tillage were mixed. Favorable impacts for the region's environment and economy were: a.) soil erosion decreased and future soil productivity improved, b.) several potential pollutants (e.g., sediment, organic nitrogen, and total phosphorus loadings) decreased, and c.) farm profitability improved But these positive effects were somewhat offset by unintended consequences such as: (a) some potential pollutants (e.g., nitrates and herbicides) increased, (b) crop mix and input usage changed, and (c) average farm size increased resulting in fewer farms in the region.