Adoption and Extent of Adoption of Georeferenced Grid Soil Sampling Technology by Cotton Producers in the Southern US

This study investigates the producer/farm characteristics that influence the adoption and extent of adoption of georeferenced grid soil sampling technology, using the two-part model, among cotton producers in the southern US. The extent of adoption is defined as the number of acres managed with the technology. Soil sampling is seen as the foundation of precision agriculture. The study uses a 2013 survey data on active cotton producers in 14 southern US states conducted by Cotton Incorporated. The study identified producers’ awareness of a cost-share reimbursement program, percentage of income from cotton production, the use of yield map, ownership of livestock, land acreage devoted to other crops, and cotton productions in Mississippi and Tennessee as important variables that influence the adoption and the extent of adoption of georeferenced soil sampling technology.