Soil conservation practices on leased land: A two-state study

ABSTRACT:

The leasing market for cropland in the United States is significant. More than 40% of U.S. farmland is leased. This study was conducted to evaluate the relationship lease arrangements have upon land use management and conservation practices. The Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE) was used to predict soil loss on share and cash leased tracts in Nebraska and South Dakota. Several longstanding hypotheses concerning the soil loss from leased land were tested. Evidence suggests physical location and features of the tract are primary determinants for soil loss on a particular tract. Factors such as lease type, length of lease, size of operation, business structure, and tenants' perception of retaining a leased tract did not seem to affect stewardship adversely. These results suggest that agricultural producers steward the land they operate in an environmentally conscientious manner regardless of ownership status. Tenants surveyed perceived community norms and social pressure to farm leased land as they would their own. Reputations and perceptions of individual tenants do matter. This finding coupled with their own beliefs and values concerning production agriculture and long term resource management, is reflected in their production practices, which tend to conform closely to conservation interests of owners as well as those of society in general.