American farmers face economic constraints in producing their crops, public pressure to produce safe foods, and environmental concerns over soil erosion and water quality and protection of wildlife habitats. The overall objective of this study was to provide information that would help strengthen public and private programs for achieving more economical use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides. For this purpose, almost 500 farmers in five diverse parts of the country were interviewed during 1989 about their current farming practices and their opinions regarding proposed policies for promoting practices that economize on chemical inputs.