Factors Influencing the Adoption of Automatic Section Control Technologies and GPS Auto-Guidance Systems in Cotton Production

This study examines the factors influencing the adoption of ASC technologies and AG systems among cotton producers in the Southern United Sates. The data used is from a survey of cotton producers in 14 states. Using a random intercept bivariate probit regression, we evaluated the influence of crop acres harvested, education level, age of producer, field shape, use of farm dealers to obtain PA information, and the use of cover crops on the adoption decisions. Data from the NASS Crop Data Layer was used to estimate field shape measures included in this analysis. Results suggest that producers who are younger have more years of education, harvest more crop acres, and use farm dealers for information about precision agriculture are more likely to adopt ASC technologies and AG systems. Additionally, farms located in counties likely to have more irregularly shaped fields have a higher probability of adopting ASC technologies.