Economists would assume that farmers with a net benefit will adopt programs incentivizing the delivery of public goods. Farmers who reject participation in such programs for principled reasons challenge this wisdom. This paper borrows from Will Wright's description of the North American cowboy to illustrate the motives and beliefs of this group. A survey in Switzerland about possible incentivizing programs in the realm of animal health is used to identify and characterize Swiss ‘cowboys.’ 22 % of the sample rejects any participation in incentivizing schemes. Their income and education levels are relatively low, and their ages tend to be high. They emphasize individualism and autonomy, rejecting interventions of the state in their ways of farming. The more ‘cowboys’ manage farms, the less successful incentivizing programs become.

经济学家会假设，拥有净收益的农民会采用激励提供公共产品的计划。出于原则原因拒绝参与此类计划的农民挑战了这种智慧。本文借用 Will Wright 对北美牛仔的描述来说明这一群体的动机和信仰。在瑞士进行的一项关于动物健康领域可能的激励计划的调查被用来识别和描述瑞士的“牛仔”。22% 的样本拒绝参与任何激励计划。他们的收入和教育水平相对较低，年龄偏高。他们强调个人主义和自治，拒绝国家对其耕作方式的干预。管理农场的“牛仔”越多，激励计划就越不成功。