Precision Agriculture Adoption By Texas Cotton Producers: Trends and Drivers

Precision agriculture aims at improving resource use efficiency and reducing the negative environmental impacts of harmful agricultural chemicals on environment by matching resource application with spatial and temporal variability in crop requirements and field conditions. Understanding the trends in adoption and the farm and farmer characteristics that influence the adoption of specific precision agriculture practices helps development of technologies that best suits the producers and targeted extension activities. This study uses the 2013 Southern Precision Farming Survey to analyze the adoption rates of different precision agriculture practices by Texas cotton producers. These adoption rates are then compared with those reported from 2009 Southern Precision Farming Survey to analyze the trends in adoption rates of different precision agriculture practices. The farm and farmer characteristics that influence the adoption of different precision agricultural practices are analyzed using binary logit and linear probability models.