Nitrogen Use and Determinants of Best Management Practices: A Study of Rush River and Elm Creek Watershed Agricultural Producers

This report describes a study of the perspectives of farmers and resource professionals in the Rush River and Elm Creek watersheds, Minnesota. The study was conducted as part of a larger project entitled "Nitrogen Budget Assessment to Determine Nitrogen Loadings, Sources, and Pathways to Minnesota Surface Water" funded by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency. This study was led by the Department of Forest Resources in collaboration with the Department of Soil, Water and Climate, and the Department of Applied Economics at the University of Minnesota. The purpose of the study is to assist watershed planners, commodity groups, and resource professionals in better understanding the determinants of nitrogen best management practices. Specific study objectives were to (1) explore farmer perspectives on farming and water resources, (2) examine the decision making process associated with nitrogen use on farms, and (3) identify drivers of and constraints to on-field and off-field nitrogen best management practice adoption. Data were gathered through a series of in-depth, personal interviews with 30 agricultural producers and two focus groups of water resource professionals in the Rush River and Elm Creek watersheds. The findings of this study are organized in response to eight research questions and are separated into two major sections: interview findings and focus group findings. A brief synopsis of