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Restricting Pesticide Use: The Impact on Profitability by Farm Size

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 April 2015

Gerald Whittaker ,
Biing-Hwan Lin  and
Utpal Vasavada
Gerald Whittaker
Affiliation:
U.S. Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service
Biing-Hwan Lin
Affiliation:
U.S. Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service
Utpal Vasavada
Affiliation:
U.S. Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service
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Abstract

A sample of 226 cash grain farms in the Lake States-Corn Belt region are analyzed to estimate the impact of restricting pesticide use on profits. These 226 farms are classified into small, medium, and large farms according to their sale revenues. The results suggest the existence of pest management practices that could substantially reduce pesticide use without incurring economic losses. The reductions in profits associated with gradual reductions in pesticide expenditure appear to increase with farm size.

Keywords

farm pesticide usefarm sizefrontier analysisprofit
Type
Articles
Information
Journal of Agricultural and Applied Economics , Volume 27 , Issue 2 , December 1995 , pp. 352 - 262
Copyright
Copyright © Southern Agricultural Economics Association 1995

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