AdoptionandFrequencyofPrecisionSoilTestinginCotton.PDFVIP

Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics 39(1):106–123 ISSN 1068-5502 Copyright 2014 Western Agricultural Economics Association Adoption and Frequency of Precision Soil Testing in Cotton Production Dayton M. Lambert, Burton C. English, David C. Harper, Sherry L. Larkin, James A. Larson, Daniel F. Mooney, Roland K. Roberts, Margarita Velandia, and Jeanne M. Reeves A 2009 survey of cotton farmers in twelve states collected information about the use of georeferenced precision soil testing (PST). Adoption of PST technology and the interval until retesting were examined with a Poisson hurdle regression. Survey data were calibrated using a post-stratification weighting protocol. Farming experience, farm size, land ownership, variable rate fertilizer management plans, and the use of soil electrical conductivity devices were correlated the with period until PST adopters retested soil. Understanding how producers perceive the useful life of soil-test information may be important for monitoring the effectiveness of best nutrient management practice adoption. Key words: frequency, Poisson-hurdle regression, post-stratification survey weight estimation, precision soil sampling Introduction Federal and state conservation programs incentivize producers to adopt precision input management for formulating best nutrient-management plans by reducing their perceived risk of implementation through cost-share reimbursements. Some federal conservation programs, such as the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) and the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP), requ