Economics

The policy of the Natural Resources Conservation Service is that economics is an essential consideration in all agency decision making. Economic principles must be applied in the planning, implementation, and evaluation of agency policies and program activities to provide the most cost effective assistance to customers, cooperators, and partners for the sustained use of natural resources.

• Economic principles and techniques, including cost effectiveness, economic feasibility, and benefit-cost analysis will be applied to all program formulation, management, and evaluation activities of the agency.
• Economic effects of alternative actions should be provided to NRCS customers in order for them to make informed resource conservation decisions. NRCS policy permits cost effectiveness analysis, partial budgeting, profitability analysis, and other appropriate analyses when requested by the client. NRCS policy prohibits field offices from obtaining financial information beyond that volunteered by the client.
• For nationwide consistency in the application of economics in all NRCS activities, the National Resource Economics Handbooks and other directives will be used as the guidance for the integration of economics into conservation planning, program implementation, and program evaluation at the field, state, regional and national offices of the agency.
• Economic principles and techniques shall be used at all levels of the agency in order to satisfy the goal of maximizing environmental benefits per dollar expended as legislated for selected U.S. Department of Agriculture conservation programs.

Additional Economics Resources

• Average Annual Cost Worksheet (PDF)
• CARD – Center for Agricultural and Rural Development
• Cash Grain Markets (PDF)
• Cover Crop Economics
• FAPRI – Food and Agricultural Policy Research Institute
• Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago – Quarterly AgLetter
• Iowa Agricultural Statistics – USDA NASS
• Iowa-Central U.S. feeder pigs (PDF)
• Iowa Fertilizer, Propane and Farm Diesel Fuel Prices
• Iowa State University, Department of Economics
• Iowa State University, Department of Sociology - Extension and Outreach
• Iowa State University, Extension and Outreach
• Iowa State University, Extension and Outreach, Ag Decision Maker
  • Iowa Estimated Costs of Production
  • Iowa Farm Custom Rate Survey
  • Organic and Specialty Crop Budgets
  • Iowa Livestock Enterprise Budgets
  • Iowa Land Values
• Iowa State University, Extension and Outreach, Agriculture and Natural Resources
• Iowa State University, Extension and Outreach, Beginning Farmer Center
• Iowa State University, Extension and Outreach, Iowa Beef Center
• Iowa State University, Extension and Outreach, Iowa Pork Industry Center
• Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture
• Livestock Market Summary
• Practical Farmers of Iowa
• National NRCS Economic Resources

For more information about NRCS Economics, visit the national NRCS Economics web page or contact the Iowa NRCS Economist Alan Lauver at 515-284-4370.