Valuing Cattle Manure as an Agricultural Resource for Efficiency and Environmental Sustainability

Erich von Stroheim and Dana Loyd Keske Hoag
Additional contact information
Erich von Stroheim: Department of Sociology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA
Dana Loyd Keske Hoag: Department of Agricultural & Resource Economics, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA

Sustainability, 2021, vol. 13, issue 16, 1-21

Abstract: Within a context of beef feedlots and feed-crop production systems, we surveyed farmers to identify their perceived monetary value for the manure they used or could have used. Value is contextual with respect to a number of socio-economic, environmental, regulatory, and physical factors, which influence farmer’s inclinations about how they manage manure. The most desirable manure management strategies are likely practiced by those who perceive its value highest, and, conversely, the least desirable manure management strategies are likely practiced by those who assign the lowest value to it. This study considered factors that affect or relate to farmer perceptions of manure’s value. Using quantile regression, we observed variations in how farmers perceived the value of manure, considering farm and farmer characteristics, farming practices, select preferences, and whether or not they used manure on their own cropland. For example, we found that livestock producers who grow feed for their own cattle value manure differently compared to crop producers who do not manage cattle, most likely due to perceived need. Added years of experience in farming lowered the farmer’s perception of manure’s value. Additionally, extra tillage required when using manure was seen by farmers not as a burden but rather as a benefit.

Keywords: agricultural input; contingent valuation; fertilizer; manure management; nutrient cycle (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/13/16/9375/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/13/16/9375/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:13:y:2021:i:16:p:9375-:d:618544

Access Statistics for this article

Sustainability is currently edited by Ms. Alexandra Wu

More articles in Sustainability from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().