Due to this first attempt to examine the cumulative effects of projected regulations on agriculture, some of which are in the early stages of development, the findings of the study are best considered as preliminary. The general findings of the report were that some specialty crops were more likely to experience serious effects than were major field crops, and the effects for all farms were highly dependent upon the producer's geographical location, production practice, and initial financial condition. For the few crop and livestock farms examined, the loss in income and changes in debt to asset ratios were small (less than 3% and 1%, respectively). For specialty crop farms, net returns per acre did not change substantially for most examined regulatory scenarios. However, under some conditions, losses could be substantial for apple producers in New York and Michigan, and tomato growers in Florida.

EPA-230-09/88-040.