The conservation reserve program in the presence of a working land alternative: Implications for environmental quality, program participation, and income transfer

The effect of the existence of conservation programs similar to Environmental Quality Incentive Program (EQIP) and Conservation Security Program (CSP) on Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) was estimated in terms of land enrolled, income transfers to farms, and the extent of environmental improvement, as measured by agricultural soil carbon sequestration, reduction in soil erosion, and reduction in nitrogen runoff. These program interactions were considered for a critically important agricultural region of the country - the Upper Mississippi River Basin (UMRB). It was found that compared to the case where land retirement is the only option, the economic and environmental results of a land retirement program are very different when working land programs are also available.