Beyond the Pasture: A Review of Business Risk and Rangeland Management Decisions

Business risk management (BRM) programs in agriculture aim to enable producers to better protect their farms against threats to the sustainability and resilience of their business. While BRM programs are broadly considered beneficial to producers, the extent to which these programs could evoke negative environmental externalities remains understudied, especially concerning rangeland management. The purpose of this review was to investigate the link between BRM programs and the voluntary conservation of grasslands and its associated multiple species habitat, as well as the factors driving adoption of BRM, extension, or other government programs by beef cattle producers. A secondary focus of this review included identifying the factors motivating the adoption of beneficial management practices (BMP) and grassland conversion. Using a variety of search tools and terms, the application of our search strategy resulted in 30 articles meeting inclusion criteria, of which four were reviews, 14 were producer focused surveys, 11 conducted empirical analyses, and one utilized spatial analysis. From these articles, we were able to answer our five main global research objectives. Several studies found a link between BRM programs and negative environmental effects (including motivating grassland conversion). Producer characteristics such as age, education level, previous participation in government programs, and external motivations were found to impact the likelihood of adopting a BMP or new BRM program. Producers were also found to favour individually-led risk management strategies, and preferred learning about risk through independent self-study or from a trusted professional. Research gaps included the level of governmental support desired by producers, a connection between non-crop insurance BRM programs and rangeland conversion, and connections between BRM and rangeland management decisions.