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Cotton Precision Farming in Tennessee

Burton C. English, Roland K. Roberts, James A. Larson and Rebecca L. Cochran


ABSTRACT

Precision farming may increase cotton production efficiency, reduce input use, and increase yields and profits. Thus far, most producers in Tennessee have made only modest investments in precision farming technologies. A need exists to assess producers’ experiences with a variety of precision farming technologies and to determine what benefits they have received or expect to receive from using these technologies. The objectives of this study were 1) to determine attitudes toward and current use of precision farming technologies by Tennessee cotton producers and 2) to examine the willingness of cotton producers to pay for a cotton yield monitoring system. A mail survey of cotton producers in Tennessee was conducted in January and February of 2001 as part of a six-state survey to address these objectives. Most responding Tennessee cotton producers used computers for farm management decisions, believed precision farming will be profitable in the future, and those producers who had adopted these technologies did so to increase profit. Cotton producers indicated that extension and research personnel at universities, crop consultants, and farm dealers were important sources of information in learning about precision farming. Price was found to affect producers’ willingness to pay for a cotton yield monitoring system. Findings from this and other studies that investigate precision farming practices and perceptions are important because they provide needed information for making better decisions about the adoption of these technologies.





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Document last modified May 20, 2002