The adoption and usage of precision agriculture technologies in North Dakota

Abstract

Precision agriculture technologies (PATs) hold promise for improving resource usage and agricultural profitability. This paper examines the adoption of automatic section control, Global Positioning Systems and autosteer, satellite imagery, variable rate nitrogen application, and variable rate seeding by farm operators in North Dakota. Survey data are analyzed using a double-hurdle model. The double-hurdle model allows operators' adoption and usage decisions to be examined separately. Results indicate that larger operations are more likely to adopt PATs, suggesting that economies of scale exist among PAT adopters. Several PATs have complementary effects on the adoption of other technologies. These effects are most noticeable for variable rate technologies. Cropping patterns are related to the adoption of PATs, as corn production is positively associated with the adoption of multiple PATs while wheat production is negatively associated with adoption of variable rate technologies. These results have implications for farm managers, precision agriculture dealers and service providers, and policy makers.