INFORMATION SOURCES IMPACT ON THE ADOPTION OF PRECISION TECHNOLOGY BY COTTON PRODUCERS IN THE UNITED STATES

Abstract

Farmers demand more precision farming technology and specific information is consumed in the adoption process, which could not only depend on how efficiently the information flows among farmers. It is assumed that the sources of information are inputs in the production processes and could have an impact on the decision to adopt precision farming technology, after controlling for farmer and farm business characteristics. Accordingly, the objective of this research was to evaluate the effects of nine information sources used by cotton farmers of 12 U.S. producer states on the adoption of yield monitor with GPS, grid soil sampling, zone soil sampling, aerial photos, and soil survey maps. The scientific utility of this research lies on the quantitative data from the Southern Cotton Precision Farming Survey analysed using statistical methods such as univariate, bivariate and multivariate probit regressions. The statistical results indicated that information from dealers, consultants, university publications, and university events were the most common information sources used when searching for precision farming information with positive and significant effects on the adoption of precision farming technology. The presented findings from this comprehensive analysis can assist organizations in selecting information sources, and on planning communications and partnerships strategies fostering technology transfer.