THE PROPOSED CENTER FOR BEHAVIORAL AND EXPERIMENTAL AGRI-ENVIRONMENTAL AND RISK MANAGEMENT RESEARCH (CBEAR) WILL COORDINATE A CONSORTIUM OF RESEARCHERS FROM MAJOR RESEARCH AND LAND-GRANT UNIVERSITIES THAT APPLIES THE SCIENCE OF BEHAVIORAL ECONOMICS TO UNDERSTAND THE VALUES AND DECISION-MAKING PROCESS OF FARMERS, RANCHERS, AND LANDOWNERS. BUILDING ON LESSONS LEARNED FROM A SIMILAR USDA-FUNDED CENTER CREATED IN 2014, CBEAR AIMS TO DEVELOP BEHAVIORAL INSIGHTS THAT CAN BE RAPIDLY INCORPORATED INTO USDA PROGRAMS. THIS TIGHT COUPLING OF RESEARCH AND APPLICATIONS COMES FROM CBEAR'S USE OF CONTROLLED FIELD EXPERIMENTS IN NOVEL EXPERIMENTAL PLATFORMS AND IN FIELD COLLABORATIONS WITH USDA PROGRAM MANAGERS AND THEIR PARTNERS. CBEAR WILL ADDRESS FOUR OBJECTIVES: (1) CONDUCT HIGH-QUALITY BEHAVIORAL ECONOMIC RESEARCH USING EXPERIMENTAL PLATFORMS AND INNOVATIVE DESIGNS TO INFORM AGRI-ENVIRONMENTAL AND RISK MANAGEMENT POLICIES; (2) COORDINATE WITH STAKEHOLDERS TO ENGAGE IN RESEARCH IN WHICH BEHAVIORAL ECONOMICS AND EXPERIMENTS CAN ASSIST USDA PROGRAMS IN ACHIEVING GREATER IMPACTS, INCREASE LANDOWNER SATISFACTION, AND REDUCE PROGRAM COSTS; (3) EXPAND AND ENHANCE THE RESEARCH BASE, BY, AMONG OTHER ACTIVITIES, SHARING INFRASTRUCTURE AND RESOURCES WITH USDA STAFF AND CBEAR AFFILIATES, FUNDING INNOVATIVE RESEARCH - INCLUDING RAPID-RESPONSE GRANTS TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF QUICKLY EMERGING OPPORTUNITIES-- AND PROMOTING A CULTURE OF CAREFUL DESIGN AND ANALYSIS; AND (4) DISSEMINATE RESEARCH INSIGHTS TO PROGRAM MANAGERS, STAFF, AND POLICYMAKERS IN WAYS THAT MAKE THE INSIGHTS READILY ACCESSIBLE, INCLUDING PRESENTATIONS, TRAININGS AND DIGITAL MATERIALS. THE UNIVERSITY OF DELAWARE, JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY, AND ALBANY STATE UNIVERSITY HAVE COMMITTED SUBSTANTIAL RESOURCES TO DEVELOPING A STRONG FOUNDATION ON WHICH THESE OBJECTIVES CAN BE ACHIEVED.