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Westra, J. V., J. K. H. Zimmerman, and B. Vondracek. 2004. Agricultural and Resource Economics Review 33:105-120.
Abstract: Many conservation programs under the 2002 Farm Act are designed to address resource concerns like water quality and aquatic communities in streams. Under two such programs, simulated changes in agricultural practices produced field-edge sediment losses that decreased by 25-30% in two geophysically distinct watersheds. However, while
in-stream sediment concentrations and lethal fisheries events decreased significantly in one watershed, there was no discernable improvement for the fisheries in the other, despite potentially spending over $100,000 annually to address the problem. These results highlight the importance of identifying the genuine resource concerns and targeting conservation payments to address them.
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