Skip to main content Accessibility help

We use cookies to distinguish you from other users and to provide you with a better experience on our websites. Close this message to accept cookies or find out how to manage your cookie settings.

Close cookie message
×
Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-dzt6s Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-26T02:11:05.792Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

10 - Rural landscape change as a product of US federal policy

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 June 2012

By
Joan Iverson Nassauer
Edited by
Jørgen Primdahl  and
Simon Swaffield
Jørgen Primdahl
Affiliation:
University of Copenhagen
Simon Swaffield
Affiliation:
Lincoln University, New Zealand
Get access

Summary

Introduction

This chapter discusses three types of rural landscape change in America: changes within agricultural production, losses to rural towns and conversion of agricultural land to other uses (Figure 10.1). It describes how federal agricultural policy directly affects rural landscape change, and it will characterise potentials for international trade agreements to affect agricultural policy and rural landscapes. Other federal policies and laws that affect American rural landscapes less obviously but equally profoundly are also discussed. Federal agricultural policy interacts with policy for energy, the environment, housing, transportation, taxes and trade, as well as with the American legal system for land-use controls, all of which propel rural landscape change. At the nexus of all these forces, individual farm operators are confronted with a bewildering array of entrepreneurial opportunities, technological possibilities and policy options from which to make decisions about their farms each year. Only by critically and imaginatively examining these influential policies can we anticipate and affect the future condition and sustainability of local rural landscapes in America. The chapter is in four main parts – first, landscape condition and trends in the Corn Belt are summarised; second, relevant US federal policies are discussed in relation to aims of the WTO; third, the relationship of Corn Belt agriculture to federal policies is briefly reviewed, and finally, the prospect of alternative futures is examined.

Type
Chapter
Information
Globalisation and Agricultural Landscapes
Change Patterns and Policy trends in Developed Countries
 , pp. 185 - 200
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2010

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Alig, R. J., Kline, J. D. and Lichtenstein, M. (2004). Urbanization on the US landscape: looking ahead in the 21st century. Landscape and Urban Planning, 69, 2–3, 219–234.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Batie, S. S. (1985). Soil conservation in the 1980's: a historical perspective. In The History of Soil and Water Conservation (ed.) Helms, D. and Flader, S. L.. Washington, DC: Agricultural History Society and University of California Press, pp. 5–21.Google Scholar
Boody, G., Vondracek, B., Andow, D.et al. (2005). Multifunctional agriculture in the United States. BioScience, 55, 27–38.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bouet, A. and LaBorde, D. (2008). The Potential Cost of a Failed Doha Round (No. IFPRI Issue Brief 56). Washington, DC: International Food Policy Research Institute.Google Scholar
Burkart, M., James, D., Liebman, M. and Herndl, C. (2005). Impacts of integrated crop-livestock systems on nitrogen dynamics and soil erosion in western Iowa watersheds. Journal of Geophysical Research, 110, G01009.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Claassen, R. (2006). Compliance provisions for soil and water conservation. In Agricultural Resources and Environmental Indicators. USDA Economic Research Service, pp. 184–193.Google Scholar
Claassen, R., Cattaneo, A. and Johansson, R. (2008). Cost-effective design of agri-environmental payment programs: U.S. experience in theory and practice. Ecological Economics, 65, 4, 737–752.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dale, V., Bianchi, T., Blumberg, A.et al. (2008). Hypoxia in the Northern Gulf of Mexico: An Update by the EPA Science Advisory Board. US Environmental Protection Agency.Google Scholar
Dimitri, C., Effland, A. and Conklin, N. (2005). The 20th Century Transformation of U.S. Agriculture and Farm Policy. USDA ERS.Google Scholar
Doering, O. C., Kling, C. L., Nassauer, J. I. and Scavia, D. (2007). Agricultural policy choices. In From the Corn Belt to the Gulf: Societal and Environmental Implications of Alternative Agricultural Futures (ed.) Nassauer, J. I., Santelmann, M. V. and Scavia, D.. Washington, DC: Resources for the Future Press, pp. 185–200.Google Scholar
Duffy, M. (2006). The Clock is Ticking for Rural America (No. Working Paper #06015). Ames, IA: Iowa State University.Google Scholar
Duffy, M. and Smith, D. (2004). Farmland Ownership and Tenure in Iowa 1982–2002: A Twenty-Year Perspective. ISU Extension.Google Scholar
EPA, US (2000). Profile of the Agricultural Crop Production Industry (No. EPA/310-R-00-001). US Environmental Protection Agency.Google Scholar
Foreman, L. (2006). Production Costs of U.S. Corn Farms, 2001 (Economic Information Bulletin No. 7). Washington, DC: USDA Economic Research Service.Google Scholar
Frumkin, H., Frank, L. and Jackson, R. (2004). Urban Sprawl and Public Health. Washington, DC: Island Press.Google Scholar
Goldman, R. L., Thompson, B. H. and Daily, G. C. (2007). Institutional incentives for managing the landscape: inducing cooperation for the production of ecosystem services. Ecological Economics, 64, 2, 333–343.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Harris, J. M., Erickson, K., Dillard, J.et al. (2008). Agricultural Income and Finance Outlook (No. AIS-86). Washington, DC: USDA Economic Research Service.Google Scholar
Hart, J. F. (1975). The Look of the Land. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.Google Scholar
Hart, J. F. (2002). Small towns in Minnesota are growing again. CURA Reporter, 32, 7–11.Google Scholar
Heimlich, R. (2003). Agricultural Resources and Environmental Indicators (No. AH722). Washington, DC: USDA Economic Research Service.Google Scholar
Jackson, K. T. (1985). Crabgrass Frontier: The Suburbanization of America. New York: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Johnson, H. B. (1976). Order Upon the Land. New York: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Jordan, N., Boody, G., Broussard, W.et al. (2007). Sustainable development of the agricultural bio-economy. Science, 316, 1570–1571.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Lamy, P. (2008). Opening Address for Commodities Week. Paper presented to the Geneva Shipping and Trading Association 3 November, 2008.
Nassauer, J. I. (1997). Agricultural landscapes in harmony with nature. In Visions of American Agriculture. 1st edition (ed.) Lockeretz, W.. Ames, IA: Iowa State University Press, pp. 60–73.Google Scholar
Nassauer, J. I., Corry, R. C. and Cruse, R. M. (2002). The landscape in 2025: alternative landscape future scenarios as a means to consider agricultural policy. Journal of Soil and Water Conservation, 57, 2, 44A–53A.Google Scholar
Nassauer, J. I., Allan, J. D., Johengen, T., Kosek, S. E. and Infante, D. (2004). Exurban residential subdivision development: effects on water quality and public perception. Urban Ecosystems, 7, 3, 267–281.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Nassauer, J. I. and Kling, C. L. (2007). Changing societal expectations for environmental benefits from agricultural policy. In From the Corn Belt to the Gulf: Societal and Environmental Implications of Alternative Agricultural Futures (ed.) Nassauer, J. I., Santelmann, M. V. and Scavia, D.. Washington, DC: Resources for the Future Press, pp. 28–40.Google Scholar
Nassauer, J. I. and Wascher, D. M. (2007). The globalized landscape: rural landscape change and policy in the United States and European Union. In Political Economies of Landscape Change (ed.) Wescoat, Jr. J. L. and Johnston, D. M.. Dordrecht: Springer, pp. 169–194.Google Scholar
Nassauer, J. I., Corry, R. C. and Dowdell, J. A. (2007a). Farmers' perceptions. In From the Corn Belt to the Gulf: Societal and Environmental Implications of Alternative Agricultural Futures (ed.) Nassauer, J. I., Santelmann, M. V. and Scavia, D.. Washington, DC: Resources for the Future Press, pp. 67–77.Google Scholar
Nassauer, J. I., Santelmann, M. V. and Scavia, D. (2007b). From the Corn Belt to the Gulf: Societal and Environmental Implications of Alternative Agricultural Futures. Washington, DC: Resources for the Future Press.Google Scholar
O'Brien, D. (2006). World Trade Organization and the Commodity Title of the Next Farm Bill: A Practitioner's View. National Agricultural Law Center.Google Scholar
,Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) (2008). Agricultural Policies in OECD Countries: At a Glance 2008. OECD.Google Scholar
,Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)–FAO (2008). Agricultural Outlook 2008–2017. Paris: OECD.Google Scholar
,Renewable Fuels Association (2008). Historic US Ethanol Production [Electronic Version].
Salamon, S. (1995). Prairie Patrimony: Family, Farming, and Community in the Midwest. UNC Press.Google Scholar
Santelmann, M. V., White, D., Freemark, K.et al. (2004). Assessing alternative futures for agriculture in the U.S. Corn Belt. Landscape Ecology, 19, 357–374.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Santelmann, M., Sifneos, J., White, D. and Lindsay, K. F. (2007). Plant diversity. In From the Corn Belt to the Gulf: Societal and Environmental Implications of Alternative Agricultural Futures (ed.) Nassauer, J. I., Santelmann, M. V. and Scavia, D.. Washington, DC: Resources for the Future Press, pp. 91–101.Google Scholar
Simpson, T. W., Sharpley, A. N., Howarth, R. W., Paerl, H. W. and Mankin, K. R. (2008). The new gold rush: fueling ethanol production while protecting water quality. Journal of Environment Quality, 37, 2, 318–324.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Stone, B. J. (2008). Urban sprawl and air quality in large US cities. Journal of Environmental Management, 86, 4, 688–698.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Trimble, S. W. (1985). Perspectives on the history of soil erosion control in the eastern United States. In The History of Soil and Water Conservation (ed.) Helms, D. and Flader, S. L.. Washington, DC: Agricultural History Society and University of California Press.Google Scholar
Turner, R. E., Rabalais, N. N., Scavia, D. and McIsaac, G. F. (2007). Corn Belt landscapes and hypoxia of the Gulf of Mexico. In From the Corn Belt to the Gulf: Societal and Environmental Implications of Alternative Agricultural Futures (ed.) Nassauer, J. I., Santelmann, M. V. and Scavia, D.. Washington, DC: Resources for the Future Press, pp. 10–27.Google Scholar
,USDA, Foreign Agriculture Service (2005). Commodity Intelligence Report [Electronic Version]. Retrieved 1 Feb., 2009, from http://www.fas.usda.gov/pecad/highlights/2005/12/europe_21dec2005/
,USDA, NASS (2008a). The Census of Agriculture [Electronic Version]. Retrieved 1 Feb., 2009 from http://www.agcensus.usda.gov/Publications/2007/index.asp.
,USDA, NASS (2008b). Iowa State Agriculture Overview–2007 [Electronic Version]. 2007 Census of Agriculture.
,USDA, NRCS (2006). Conservation and the environment.
Vache, K. B., Eilers, J. M. and Santelmann, M. V. (2007). Water quality. In From the Corn Belt to the Gulf: Societal and Environmental Implications of Alternative Agricultural Futures (ed.) Nassauer, J. I., Santelmann, M. V. and Scavia, D.. Washington, DC: Resources for the Future Press, pp. 78–90.Google Scholar
Womach, J., Becker, G., Chite, R.et al. (2006). Previewing the Farm Bill (No. RL33037). Congressional Research Service: Library of Congress.Google Scholar
Zain, Z. and Lovejoy, S. (2004). History and outlook for farm bill conservation programs. Choices, 4, 37–42.Google Scholar

Save book to Kindle

To save this book to your Kindle, first ensure [email protected] is added to your Approved Personal Document E-mail List under your Personal Document Settings on the Manage Your Content and Devices page of your Amazon account. Then enter the ‘name’ part of your Kindle email address below. Find out more about saving to your Kindle.

Note you can select to save to either the @free.kindle.com or @kindle.com variations. ‘@free.kindle.com’ emails are free but can only be saved to your device when it is connected to wi-fi. ‘@kindle.com’ emails can be delivered even when you are not connected to wi-fi, but note that service fees apply.

Find out more about the Kindle Personal Document Service.

Available formats
×

Save book to Dropbox

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Dropbox.

Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

Available formats
×