Applied agricultural economics has been integral to NEA since the company’s founding in 1977, when we managed the Northwest Agricultural Development Project, a comprehensive and detailed perspective on the industry’s future. Since that time, we have produced more than 300 reports related to agriculture. NEA has a solid reputation for accurate, cost-effective analyses for agencies, trade associations, irrigation districts, farmers, landowners, developers, energy providers, and other stakeholders making critical decisions about land, labor, capital, and water resource issues. We also work closely with the management and legal staff of these groups to provide litigation support and expert testimony at hearings or trials.

We provide economics expertise and research in areas such as market analysis, crop enterprise budgeting, agricultural production, water resources, irrigation, farm management, food processing, soil conservation, and pesticide drift. NEA also conducts financial analyses, surveys, and socioeconomic studies associated with agriculture. We also analyze policy effects on agricultural firms and prepare comprehensive resource development plans. Our litigation experience is critical to clients involved in land or water disputes, and we frequently provide expert analysis and testimony at hearings to document the economic impact of regulations on agriculture, water agencies, and regional economies. NEA has analyzed issues related to water shortages and transfers; economic trade-offs among agricultural, urban, and environmental water uses; Endangered Species Act and its effect on water; beneficial uses of water; and benefits and costs and repayment capacity for water projects.

NEA’s agricultural economics expertise has been used extensively in studies of Native American water rights and economic development. Our economic experts have helped to develop and quantify water rights using professionally- and judicially-accepted principles of enterprise budgeting, crop market analysis, economic feasibility, resource allocation, capital use efficiency, benefit-cost analysis, and multi-year analyses.

Project Highlights

Economic Benefits of Enhanced Water Supplies in the Yakima River Basin
Tri-County Water Resource Agency, Yakima, WA

NEA analyzed the economic benefits of increased availability of dependable water supplies in the Tri-County area of the Yakima River Basin in Washington State. Extensive agricultural and economic base information for the region was developed, and NEA used spreadsheet modeling and an IMPLAN input-output model to estimate regional economic impacts from enhanced water supplies in the areas of agriculture, M&I, recreation, and flood control.

Estimation of Economic Benefits from the 9B Farm with Double-Cropped Vegetables and Sorghum
San Xavier District of the Tohono O’odham Nation, Tucson, AZ

NEA estimated the value of crop production on the 9B Farm, a proposed farm so named because "9B" is the designation of the preferred alternative in the San Xavier Development Project Final EIS. The study also included an evaluation of crop net revenues under alternative crop mix assumptions, as well as long-term economic benefits of the 9B Farm.

EIS/EIR on Drainage Disposal Options for the Grassland Drainage Area
URS Greiner Woodward Clyde, Oakland, CA

NEA was a subcontractor for this project, a combined EIS/EIR for the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation and San Luis Delta Mendota Water Authority. The key issue was the quality of subsurface drainage flow, which has high concentrations of both selenium and total dissolved solids. The study involved the analysis of various alternatives relating to extending the permit time period and to variance in permitted concentration levels of selenium. NEA developed a mathematical programming model which simulated farm-level decisions on cropping mix and irrigation technology choice while meeting water quality objectives. The results were included in the EIS/EIR and were used to select a preferred alternative.

Analysis of a Joint Citrus Venture
Soboba Band of Luiseno Indians, San Jacinto, CA

The Soboba Band of Luiseno Indians retained NEA to analyze the economic and financial feasibility of a potential joint venture citrus operation on their reservation. NEA analyzed various equity investment and profit sharing alternatives under scenarios including different crop prices and water availability in recommending the most favorable terms for the Soboba Band

Farm Level Payment Capacity for Secondary and Tertiary Treated Water in Sonoma County
Sonoma County Water Agency, Santa Rosa, CA
NEA determined the feasibility of using treated wastewater on irrigated croplands (including vineyards, vegetables, alfalfa, and pasture) in Sonoma County, California. An agricultural profile and enterprise budgeting approach was used to examine the feasibility of such a project, and the resulting report was submitted to the Sonoma County Water Agency.

Economic Impacts of the 1992 California Drought and Regulatory Reductions on the San Joaquin Valley Agriculture Industry
The San Joaquin Valley Agricultural Water Committee, Corcoran, CA

In a follow-up to NEA’s study of the effects of the 1991 California drought, NEA analyzed the economic impacts of the 1992 hydrologic and regulatory drought on agriculture and the regional economy of California’s San Joaquin Valley. The effects of water shortages and higher costs on farm revenues and profits and on regional output and employment were estimated. NEA surveyed 120 water districts in the San Joaquin Valley, collecting information on cropping patterns, land idling, and fallowing.

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