Many conservation programs seek to achieve multiple environ. objectives. Implementing a multi-objective program efficiently requires program managers to balance different environ. and cost objectives. Some conservation programs use an index approach to prioritize objectives and rank program applications. This approach keeps program objectives distinct and enables program managers to use weights to determine the relative importance of each objective. This report provides empirical evidence on the environ. and cost tradeoffs of different index weighting schemes at the USDA. The analyses take into account both land characteristics and how changes to an index affect producer decisions. Charts and tables. This is a print on demand report.

Many of the Nation's conservation programs seek to achieve multiple environmental objectives. Implementing a multi-objective program efficiently requires program managers to balance different environmental and cost objectives. A number of conservation programs use an index approach to prioritize objectives and rank program applications. This approach keeps program objectives distinct and enables program managers to use weights to determine the relative importance of each objective. This report provides empirical evidence on the environmental and cost tradeoffs of different index weighting schemes in USDA's Conservation Reserve Program (CRP). The analyses take into account both land characteristics and how changes to an index affect producer decisions to voluntarily apply. While small changes in index weights do not markedly affect the outcomes of the CRP, larger changes can have a moderate effect. Opportunities for obtaining multiple environmental benefits simultaneously by increasing the index weight on one objective appear limited, and increasing an objective's index weight by at least 20 percent can trigger losses of benefits related to other objectives. Weight changes in smaller incremental program enrollments also result in more tradeoffs than in very large program enrollments.

Many of the Nation's conservation programs seek to achieve multiple environmental objectives. Implementing a multi-objective program efficiently requires program managers to balance different environmental and cost objectives. A number of conservation programs use an index approach to prioritize objectives and rank program applications. This approach keeps program objectives distinct and enables program managers to use weights to determine the relative importance of each objective. This report provides empirical evidence on the environmental and cost tradeoffs of different index weighting schemes in USDA's Conservation Reserve Program (CRP). The analyses take into account both land characteristics and how changes to an index affect producer decisions to voluntarily apply. While small changes in index weights do not markedly affect the outcomes of the CRP, larger changes can have a moderate effect. Opportunities for obtaining multiple environmental benefits simultaneously by increasing the index weight on one objective appear limited, and increasing an objective's index weight by at least 20 percent can trigger losses of benefits related to other objectives. Weight changes in smaller incremental program enrollments also result in more tradeoffs than in very large program enrollments.

Many of the Nation's conservation programs seek to achieve multiple environmental objectives. Implementing a multi-objective program efficiently requires program managers to balance different environmental and cost objectives. A number of conservation programs use an index approach to prioritize objectives and rank program applications. This approach keeps program objectives distinct and enables program managers to use weights to determine the relative importance of each objective. This report provides empirical evidence on the environmental and cost tradeoffs of different index weighting schemes in USDA's Conservation Reserve Program (CRP). The analyses take into account both land characteristics and how changes to an index affect producer decisions to voluntarily apply. While small changes in index weights do not markedly affect the outcomes of the CRP, larger changes can have a moderate effect. Opportunities for obtaining multiple environmental benefits simultaneously by increasing the index weight on one objective appear limited, and increasing an objective's index weight by at least 20 percent can trigger losses of benefits related to other objectives. Weight changes in smaller incremental program enrollments also result in more tradeoffs than in very large program enrollments.

Many of the Nation's conservation programs help to offset the negative environmental impacts of agricultural production. One tool many conservation program managers use to balance multiple objectives is a selection index. Using data from USDA's Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), the Nation's largest land retirement program, ERS researchers found that small changes in index weights did not markedly affect environmental outcomes at the national level. Varying the index weights by region or adjusting other program features may bring about desired changes in CRP outcomes.

Featuring over five hundred illustrations and forty tables, this book is a collection of in-depth discussions by a tremendous range of experts on topics related to wildlife and fisheries management in Mississippi. Beginning with foundational chapters on natural resource history and conservation planning, the authors discuss the delicate balance between profit and land stewardship. A series of chapters about the various habitat types and the associated fish and wildlife populations that dominate them follow. Several chapters expand on the natural history and specific management techniques of popular species of wildlife, including white-tailed deer, eastern wild turkey, and other species. Experts discuss such special management topics as supplemental, wildlife-food planting, farm pond management, backyard habitat, nuisance animal control, and invasive plant species control. Leading professionals who work every day in Mississippi with landowners on wildlife and fisheries management created this indispensable book. The up-to-date and applicable management techniques discussed here can be employed by private landowners throughout the state. For those who do not own rural lands but have an interest in wildlife and natural resources, this book also has much to offer. Residents of urban communities interested in creating a wildlife-friendly yard will delight in the backyard habitat chapter specifically written for them. Whether responsible for one-fourth of an acre or two thousand, landowners will find this handbook to be an incalculable aid on their journey to good stewardship of their Mississippi lands.