Impact of environmental policies on the adoption of manure management practices in the Chesapeake Bay watershed

•Concern over water quality in Chesapeake Bay has influenced animal waste management.•We compare operations inside the Bay states to similar operations outside Bay states.•Operations inside Bay states are more likely to implement nutrient management.•Operations inside Bay states have higher manure removal rates.•Operations inside Bay states have lower animal densities.

Pollution in the Chesapeake Bay is a problem and has been a focus of federal and state initiatives to reduce nutrient pollution from agriculture and other sources since 1983. In 2010 EPA established a TMDL for the watershed. Producers may voluntarily respond to intense and focused policy scrutiny by adopting best management practices. A detailed analysis of water quality best management practices by animal feeding operations inside and outside the watershed yield insight into this relationship. Our findings support the hypothesis that farmers will adopt water quality measures if links are made clear and there is an expectation of future regulations.