Degree Name
Master of Science
Department or Program
Agribusiness Economics
Advisor
Secchi, Silvia
Abstract
This study will analyze farmers and landowners of the Clear Creek Watershed in Iowa. Their willingness to accept switchgrass will be collected by a 2010 Clear Creek Land Use survey administered to the local area watershed farmers and landowners. The literature review of this will look at the current ethanol industry in Iowa, the Clear Creek Watershed's environmental health, and some of the willingness to accept factors (of biomass production) for farmers and landowners. A multiple regression was conducted on three possible predictors of the willingness to accept payment levels. Overall, the predictor values of age, education level, and farm size had a weak goodness of fit to the willingness to accept of switchgrass.