Impacts of the Conservation Reserve Program Decision on the Texas Panhandle

Abstract

The following is an attempt to measure the economic effects of bringing CRP land back into production in the Texas Panhandle. I will focus on 60 counties within this region. In the research, I have used an input-output model in an attempt to duplicate the effects of bringing once idled CRP land back into production. This was done in an attempt to quantify the effects to farmers, as well as to agribusiness and consumers in the region. The study performed here had not been previously done by other researchers in the field, so the question of economic impact to the area is a major concern. The model measures the output and employment resulting from putting the land back into production. These variables allow an accurate evaluation of the impact resulting from returning CRP land to production. While the study has some inherent weaknesses, it appears to be a reasonably accurate assessment of the impacts on the Texas Panhandle.