A recent Prairie Research Institute (PRI) study of attitudes about land conservation found that Illinois farmers view themselves as stewards of their land, balancing conservation with earning a profit. Nearly half of farmers surveyed said they would use conservation practices even without financial compensation from federal land conservation programs.
With this attitude about sustainable land management, farmers support the efforts of conservationists and managers striving to reduce the adverse effects of fertilizer runoff into streams and rivers, said Craig Miller, principal investigator of the two studies at the Illinois Natural History Survey, a unit of PRI.
Miller and colleagues surveyed more than 900 Illinois private landowners. The survey questions were based on the concept that land ownership is a moral issue and doing the right thing to keep the land healthy is as important as earning money from land use. This study, published in Society & Natural Resources, is part of a larger investigation on farmers’ attitudes about Gulf hypoxia caused partly by nitrate and phosphorus runoff from crop fields.
Respondents who believe farmers have dominion over the land were more likely to feel that the land is to be used solely for personal gain. However, a majority felt that landowners had an obligation to manage the land in the best interests of the broader community. The study also looked at how farmers felt about their rights related to land use.
The researchers found that farmers, in general, are fully aware that they are responsible for conserving the land for the greater good.
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Photo Credit: minnesota-corn-growers-association
Categories: Illinois, Crops