Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Units Program: Minnesota
Education, Research and Technical Assistance for Managing Our Natural Resources

The behaviors of individual land-owners, many of whom actively farm their properties, have the potential to conserve water quality as well restore and conserve fisheries and wildlife habitat. In fact, the steering committee for the Eastern Tallgrass Prairie and Big Rivers LCC has identified a need to better understand the motivations of landowners for participating in programs that improve wildlife habitat and water quality in the region. This proposal addresses that need. The scope of this study is to: 1) evaluate if wildlife benefits are a driving factor for producer enrollment in USDA programs that address the resource concern of water quality in terms of sedimentation and nutrient loading; and 2) to identify and evaluate the motivating reasons that producers enter into sustainable agricultural systems. The outcomes of this study will provide insight into designing and developing programs, practices and messages that encourage broader participation in conservation programs and sustainable practices within the agricultural community.