Conservation & Farm Size
Earlier this month, Nebraska Public Radio aired a story about the generational transfer of farm ground occurring as the current generation of producers moves out of agriculture and younger producers take over. The story noted concerns over whether smaller farmers could compete for farmland sold via auctions and the potential implications for the adoption of conservation practices. The fear is conservation practices might be lost if smaller farmers are unable to compete for land because operators of smaller farms “might” be more conservation minded compared to operators of larger farms.
Is there a relationship between farm size and the adoption of conservation practices? Yes, but perhaps not what small farm advocates think. A review of 35 years of studies published in 2019 by the U.S. Forest Service showed that larger farm size was positively associated with the adoption of conservation practices. In other words, larger farms adopt conservation practices at a greater rate than smaller ones. This is especially true for working-land practices such as no-till and cover crops. There are several reasons for this. Larger farms can have better access to capital, can spread the costs over more acres and justify the investment needed, can accrue greater savings in labor and machinery use, and may have the help of specialists. Smaller farmers, though, do show a greater propensity to participate in land-retirement programs like the Conservation Reserve Program.
Research has also shown land tenure can affect the adoption of conservation practices. Conservation practices are adopted less often on rented land compared to owner-operated land. However, rental structures and types of conservation practices can affect the rate of adoption. Longer-term leasing arrangements and greater management involvement by landowners enhance the adoption of conservation practices on leased land.
The upshot is farmers’ attitudes towards conservation and stewardship are as important — if not more important — than farm size or leasing practices when it comes to the adoption of conservation practices. And while larger farms may have greater adoption rates, adoption rates depend on types of conservation practices, farm characteristics, land types, lease structures, production systems, and countless other factors. So, while operators of smaller farms may have difficulty competing with those who operate large farms in buying land, the adoption of conservation practices will not necessarily suffer as a result.
On a related note, the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service will be surveying farmers this month about their conservation practices. It is part of the Conservation Effects Assessment Project in partnership with the Natural Resources Conservation Service. The information gathered will be used to inform agricultural and conservation policies and research like that cited above. Farmers are certainly encouraged to participate if they receive a survey.