The Impact of Adoption of Precision Farming Technologies On Cotton Yield In Texas

Precision farming technologies have the potential to improve crop yield by matching the recourse application and agronomic practices to the within-field variability in soil conditions and crop requirements.  The past work on the yield impact of precision farming technologies has been based on experimental data from a small number of fields; the results so obtained cannot be generalized to a regional scale.  This study uses the 2009 Cotton Inc. Southern Precision Farming Survey to analyze the contribution of the adoption of precision farming technologies to cotton yield improvement in the state of Texas. The analysis examines yield improvements in both irrigated and dryland cotton. The county-wise hydrologic data from Texas Water Development Board are included in the model to account for the constraints of water availability on yield. A two-stage least square estimation was employed to overcome potential simultaneity bias.  The analysis represents a first regional evaluation in the state of Texas of precision farming technology’s impact on cotton yield.