Factors Influencing Selection of Information Sources by Cotton Producers Considering Adoption of Precision Agriculture Technologies

Given the potential economic and environmental benefits from some precision agriculture practices, dissemination of precision farming information as an alternative production management strategy is important. The needs of farmers for precision farming information have been met by various suppliers, including private and public sources. Factors affecting the use of different information sources to obtained precision farming information such as crop consultants, farm dealers, trade shows, Extension, and media are analyzed using a multivariate probit approach that accounts for simultaneous and/or correlation among the different information-source use decisions. Empirical findings suggest that the decision to use private, Extension, and/or Media information sources are correlated. Some factors significantly affecting the use of the information sources analyzed are age, education, and income