Impacts of Agricultural Practices and Policies on Potential Nitrate Water Pollution in the Midwest and Northern Plains of the United States
JunJie Wu, Bruce A. Babcock, P. G. Lakshminarayan
February 1996 [96-WP 148]
Suggested citation:
Wu, J., B.A. Babcock, and P.G. Lakshminarayan. 1996. "Impacts of Agricultural Practices and Policies on Potential Nitrate Water Pollution in the Midwest and Northern Plains of the United States." Working paper 96-WP 148. Center for Agricultural and Rural Development, Iowa State University.
Abstract
The authors present an empirical model used to estimate the effects of alternative farming practices on potential nitrogen runoff and leaching in 128,591 National Resource Inventory sites across the Midwest and the Northern Plains of the United States. This model integrates the effects of soils, climate, crops, and management practices on nitrogen loss. The model is applied to evaluation of two policy scenarios; one deals with fertilizer application reduction and the other replaces continuous cropping with crop rotations.