November 09, 2007
Survey to Focus on Farmers' Motivations
LINCOLN, Neb. — Farmers in the Blue and Little Blue River watersheds in Nebraska and Kansas can earn $40 by taking a survey for University of Nebraska-Lincoln researchers about what motivates their decisions on soil and chemical management practices. The surveys will be anonymous, and the results will help the U.S. Department of Agriculture shape its programs to work better for farmers.
"We know economics are important. A farmer's got to be able to make a living," said School of Natural Resources geoscientist Mark Burbach. "But we want to know, what are the other things they value in making a decision?"
Surveys will go out in mid-November to most farmers in Gage and Jefferson counties in Nebraska and in Marshall and Washington counties in Kansas. The survey is part of a grant involving researchers from Nebraska, Kansas, Iowa and Missouri, sponsored by the USDA's National Integrated Water Quality Program. Burbach estimated the surveys would take about an hour to complete.
Co-researcher Gary Lynne, an agricultural economist in the university's Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources, said, "A lot of these farmers are there for reasons way beyond money. These kinds of surveys help farmers tell the rest of the story. In some cases, the farm has been in the family for more than 100 years."
Not all the USDA's programs go over as well as expected. Burbach cited the example of cost-share programs for buffer strips as a program that did not attract all the eligible farmers who stood to gain.
"We don't want to pass judgment in this," Burbach said. "But what can the USDA learn so they can make conservation programs more attractive?"
11/9/07-KS/DM Gary Lynne - Ph.D.
Agricultural Economics Professor (402) 472-8281
 
Mark Burbach - Ph.D.
School of Natural Resources Assistant Geoscientist (402) 472-8210
Kelly Smith School of Natural Resources (402) 472-3373
Department:
School of Natural Resources
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