Value of Insect Pest Management to U.S. and Canadian Corn, Soybean and Canola Farmers

Terrance Hurley and Paul Mitchell ()

No 205129, 2015 AAEA & WAEA Joint Annual Meeting, July 26-28, San Francisco, California from Agricultural and Applied Economics Association

Abstract: The objectives of this research were to assess 1) the value of alternative insect management practices to farmers and 2) how these values relate to nonpecuniary factors such as simplicity, convenience, yield risk, and human and environmental safety. To accomplish these objectives, we conduct¬ed telephone surveys in 2014 of corn and soybean farmers in the U.S. as well as corn, soybean and canola farmers in Canada. Corn farmers were queried about their use in 2013 of Bt corn, insecticide seed treatments, soil insecticides and foliar insecticides. Soybean and canola farmers were queried about their use in 2013 of insecticide seed treatments and foliar insecticides. All farmers were queried about their educational background, farming experience, insect pests of concern, sources of insect management information and nonpecuniary factors influencing their insect management decisions. Finally, all farmers were asked about the value they receive from these various insect management practices. Factor analysis was used to better understand the nonpecuniary factors influencing farmer pest man¬agement decisions. Also, econometric methods were used to better un¬derstand regional difference in pest management practices and the value of these practices as well as how differences in these pest management practices and the value of these practices related to various nonpecuniary factors. Finally, the results of the econometric analysis were used to esti¬mate the value of these different insect management practices to farmers. Based on these results, neonicotinoid seed treatments were the most valued insect management practice for North American corn, soybean and canola farmers, with a total farmer value of $1.43 billion in 2013. Bt corn was second, with a total farmer value of $1.3 billion in 2013. The total farmer values of foliar and soil insecticides were $306 million and $175 million respectively. Taken as a whole, these results demonstrate that neonicotinoid seed treatments provide substantial value to North American corn, soybean and canola farmers.

Keywords: Agricultural and Food Policy; Crop Production/Industries; Environmental Economics and Policy; Farm Management (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 52
Date: 2015
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-env
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:ags:aaea15:205129

DOI: 10.22004/ag.econ.205129

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