Browsing by Author "Johnston, Robert J."
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Item Improving targeting of farmers for enrollment in agri-environmental programs(Applied Economic Perspectives and Policy, 2023-05-18) Duke, Joshua M.; Johnston, Robert J.; Shober, Amy L.; Liu, ZhongyuanAgricultural cost-share research and planning tend to focus on one program at a time, and hence overlook additional efficiencies that might be obtained by considering the possibility that enrollment decisions are related across different programs. Models of multiple-program participation decisions enable these relationships to be considered as part of conditional enrollment predictions, providing more complete and accurate understanding of enrollment behavior. Analysis of data from farmer surveys in Maryland and Ohio show complementary drivers across program participation. Results are consistent with economies of scale and/or scope among different agri-environmental programs. The data also show the gains in prediction accuracy when the model accounts for participation in other programs, thereby enabling improved targeting and program design. For instance, enrollment in commodity-type programs causes a much larger marginal increase (12.6%) in the probability of Maryland cover crops participation than does the increase from Conservation Reserve Program enrollment (4.4%).Item Preserving Farms and Forests in Sussex County, Delaware: Public Value(Department of Applied Economics and Statistics, University of Delaware, Newark, DE., 2007-07) Duke, Joshua M.; Johnston, Robert J.; Campson, Tammy WarnerThis report describes results of the 2005 Delaware Community Land Preservation Survey. This survey was a carefully designed choice experiment, which assessed the amount that Delaware residents would be willing to pay in increased taxes and associated fees to preserve farm or forest land in their local communities. Survey results quantify the value that Delaware residents have for different types of farm and forest preservation. Results indicate that the value of farm and forest preservation can be substantial, and can vary widely depending on the kind of land under consideration, the method used to prevent development, and the risk of future development on unpreserved parcels. This study considers preservation of various farm types in six Sussex County communities. When considering additional preservation in the range of 20 to 200 acres, the average community value per acre of preserving, for example, a poultry farm with the purchase of development rights is $27,707 in total capitalized value.i This value reflects the benefits that residents derive from the preservation of undeveloped land in their communities. Although these non-market public values are substantial, they represent an underestimate of total public value because they do not account for benefits accruing to residents in other communities, nor do they include the (otherwise easily measured) value of farm products. Non-market benefits of farmland preservation are composed mainly of residents’ non-market values for amenities such as recreational access, scenic vistas, and community character. These values are not captured in prices paid for farm and forest land in market transactions. As a result, market prices underestimate the true value of farm and forest to Delaware residents.