Participating in agricultural environmental management practices: A study of central New York farmers

Because water quality is a public good, it is important for farmers to participate in various environmental management practices and comply with regulations to decrease the amount of pollutants caused by agricultural activities. However, this is not always the case and this study seeks to understand why compliance varies and why some farmers are more willing than others to participate in certain environmental management practices. The first paper in this thesis addresses the Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations regulations in the context of New York State. This paper examines whether or not CAFO farmers' perceptions of the regulations affect compliance. The second paper in this thesis examines how farmers' attitudes relate to their decision to/not to participate in environmental management practices in Central New York. It compares voluntary and involuntary environmental management and discusses barriers to implementing more agricultural environmental management practices.