** AWARDS ISSUED PRIOR TO JANUARY 20, 2025, WERE FUNDED UNDER PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATIONS AND MAY NOT REFLECT THE PRIORITIES AND POLICIES OF THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION.** AFTER AGRICULTURAL PRODUCERS ADOPT ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY PRACTICES, HOW LIKELY ARE THE PRODUCERS TO PERSIST IN USING THESE PRACTICES? WHAT ENVIRONMENTAL AND ECONOMIC FACTORS AFFECT PERSISTENCE? THE ANSWERS TO THESE QUESTIONS ARE CRITICAL FOR THE DESIGN AND EVALUATION OF SUSTAINABLE AGRI-ENVIRONMENTAL PROGRAMS. YET DESPITE MYRIAD STUDIES ON THE ADOPTION OF AGRI-ENVIRONMENTAL PRACTICES, STUDIES ON THEIR PERSISTENCE ARE RARE. A RECENT REVIEW OF 35 YEARS OF RESEARCH ON THE ADOPTION OF AGRI-ENVIRONMENTAL PRACTICES REPORTED THAT [T]HERE IS...LITTLE TO NO FOCUS ON ADOPTION OVER TIME, A PHENOMENON THAT IS REFERRED TO AS MAINTENANCE AND PERSISTENCE (PROKOPY ET AL. 2019).TO HELP FILL THIS GAP IN THE EVIDENCE BASE, WE WILL ENGAGE IN AN INTERDISCIPLINARY, MIXED-METHODS RESEARCH AGENDA THAT RELIES ON DEVELOPING QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DATA AND METHODS TO SHED LIGHT ON THE PERSISTENCE OF COVER CROPPING AND THE FACTORS THAT SHAPE ITS PERSISTENCE. IN PARTICULAR, WE SEEK TO ELUCIDATE THE PATTERNS AND DRIVERS OF POST-ADOPTIONPERSISTENCEOF COVER CROPPING AT A NATIONAL SCALE, THEREBY EXTENDING THE RICH LITERATURE ON THE PATTERNS AND DRIVERS OF THEADOPTIONOF COVER CROPS (KNOWLER AND BRADSHAW 2007; PROKOPY ET AL. 2019; PROKOPY ET AL. 2008; RANJAN ET AL. 2019; WAUTERS AND MATHIJS 2014). IN OTHER WORDS, WE AIM TO ASSESS THE DEGREE TO WHICH PRODUCERS CONTINUE TO USE COVER CROPS AFTER ADOPTING THEM AND TO UNDERSTAND THE FACTORS THAT AFFECT WHETHER PRODUCERS CONTINUE TO USE THEM. COVER CROPS ARE A FOCUS OF GOVERNMENT AND PRIVATE SECTOR PROGRAMS, AND, UNLIKE OTHER WORKING LANDS CONSERVATION PRACTICES, THEY REQUIRE SUSTAINED ATTENTION AND INVESTMENT TO DELIVER THEIR BENEFITS. BUILDING ON OUR PRIOR WORK TO DEVELOP LARGE, FIELD-LEVEL LONGITUDINAL DATA SETS, WE AIM TO IDENTIFY CAUSAL DRIVERS OF THE PERSISTENCE OF COVER CROPPING. IN PARTICULAR, WE EXPECT TO ESTIMATE THE EFFECTS OF SHORT-TERM FINANCIAL SUPPORT FOR COVER CROP ADOPTION, A VARIABLE UNDER THE CONTROL OF USDA AND ITS PARTNERS, AS WELL THE EFFECTS OF CROP ROTATIONS AND PRECIPITATION, VARIABLES THAT WILL BE AFFECTED BY CLIMATE CHANGE. UNDERSTANDING WHAT TAKES PLACE AFTER ADOPTION, AND WHY, IS CRUCIAL NOT ONLY FOR DESIGNING PROGRAMS TO IMPROVE SOIL HEALTH, REDUCE NUTRIENT RUNOFF, AND SEQUESTER CARBON ON AMERICAN FARMS, BUT ALSO FOR MODELLING THE ECOSYSTEM SERVICES GENERATED BY AGRI-ENVIRONMENTAL PRACTICES, FOR PUTTING ECONOMIC VALUES ON THOSE SERVICES, AND FOR DOING COST-BENEFIT ANALYSES OF AGRI-ENVIRONMENTAL PROGRAMS.SUSTAINABILITY IMPLIES THE PERSISTENCE OF BEHAVIORS AND TECHNOLOGIES THAT ENSURE THE U.S. AGRICULTURAL SYSTEM IS PRODUCTIVE NOW AND WELL INTO THE FUTURE. TO PROMOTE THIS PERSISTENCE, SCIENTISTS AND PROGRAM ADMINISTRATORS NEED A DEEPER UNDERSTANDING OF IT. WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE UNDER NATURALLY OCCURRING CONDITIONS AND WHY DOES IT LOOK THAT WAY? THE ANSWER TO THIS QUESTION CAN HELP IMPROVE AGRI-ENVIRONMENTAL AND CLIMATE-SMART PROGRAM DESIGN IN TWO WAYS. FIRST, QUANTIFYING HOW LONG THE TARGETED PRACTI,CES PERSIST, AND UNDER WHAT CONDITIONS THEY WILL PERSIST, IS CRITICAL FOR EFFORTS TO QUANTIFY THE RETURNS TO PUBLIC AND PRIVATE SECTOR INVESTMENTS IN THESE PROGRAMS (I.E., COST-BENEFIT ANALYSES). SECOND, KNOWING THE CONDITIONS THAT FACILITATE PERSISTENCE CAN IMPROVE THE DESIGN AND TARGETING OF AGRI-ENVIRONMENTAL PROGRAMS TO YIELD THE MOST BENEFITS PER DOLLAR INVESTED. EFFICIENT USE OF LIMITED BUDGETS IS IMPORTANT BECAUSE, OVER THE LAST 20 YEARS, GOVERNMENT AGENCIES AND NONPROFIT ORGANIZATIONS HAVE PROVIDED BILLIONS TO PRODUCERS IN FINANCIAL INCENTIVES TO ENCOURAGE PRACTICES THAT YIELD ENVIRONMENTAL AND CLIMATE-SMART BENEFITS AT LOCAL, STATE, NATIONAL, AND GLOBAL LEVELS. IMPORTANTLY, THE WORKING LANDS SUSTAINABILITY PROGRAMS IN THE U.S. AND ELSEWHERE RELY ON SHORT-TERM CONTRACTS TO INDUCE LONG-TERM CHANGE. THEY ARE THUS PREMISED ON AN ASSUMPTION THAT TEMPORARY ASSISTANCE CAN LEAD TO PERSISTENT CHANGES IN SOIL HEALTH AND LAND USE PRACTICES. THE VALIDITY OF THAT ASSUMPTION, HOWEVER, HASNOT BEEN RIGOROUSLY ASSESSED.IN ADDITION TO DEVELOPING NEW DATASETS AND NEW INSIGHTS INTO WHAT DRIVES THE PERSISTENCE OF SUSTAINABLE LAND USE PRACTICES AMONG U.S. PRODUCERS, OUR PROJECT WILL PROVIDE A MORE BEHAVIORALLY INFORMED FOUNDATION ON WHICH NATURAL AND PHYSICAL SCIENTISTS CAN IMPROVE THEIR MODELS OF THE ECOSYSTEM AND AGRICULTURAL EFFECTS OF AGRI-ENVIRONMENTAL PRACTICES. WITH BEHAVIORALLY INFORMED MODELS OF ANTHROPOGENIC LAND USE, SCIENTISTS WILL BE ABLE TO PROVIDE MORE ACCURATE ADVICE TO IMPROVE THE SUSTAINABILITY OF AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTION.