The Adoption of Reduced Tillage: The Role of Human Capital and Other Variables

Abstract This paper presents a model of adoption behavior and explains differences econometrically in farmers' decisions to adopt reduced‐tillage practices and in the efficiency of farmers' adoption decisions. The empirical results, obtained from microdata, show that the probability of adopting reduced tillage in corn enterprises differs widely across farms and depends on soil characteristics, cropping systems, and size of farming operation. The results also show that farmers' schooling enhances the efficiency of the adoption decision.