A Multinomial Logit Analysis of the Adoption of Cotton Precision Farming Technologies

Precision farming has gained considerable importance among scientists and progressive farmers alike because of its potential to save inputs and reduce the negative environmental impacts of agricultural production. Understanding farmers’ adoption decision of precision agriculture practices is an essential step for developing the technology that best serves the farming community.  Using the 2009 Southern Precision Farming Survey data, this paper examines the farm and farmer characteristics that influence cotton farmers’ choice of variability detection technologies, including the cotton yield monitor, grid soil sampling, and satellite imagery, to list a few.  The 2009 Southern Precision Farming Survey data for the first time included Texas, the largest cotton producing state in the US.  The study features a comparative analysis of adoption patterns in different geographic regions within Texas and between Texas and 11 other Southern states in the US.