Author
Barkley, Andrew
A wheat variety adoption model is developed to include neighboring Kansas Crop Reporting District (CRD) variety adoption decisions and yields. The model is estimated with wheat variety data from nine CRDs between 1974 and 2023. The regional spillovers provide more observations and greater information to producers about the potential performance and adaptability of the wheat varieties available for adoption. Regional spillovers have a strong statistical association with Kansas wheat variety adoption decisions. Policies and programs that promote variety trial locations in diverse growing conditions could provide additional useful information to wheat producers, who benefit from faster adoption of new higher-yielding varieties.
The effects of changes in agricultural commodity prices on net farm income, land values, and the number of farm operators are quantified using a spatial equilibrium model for 798 Great Plains counties during 1997–2017, a period of historically large price changes. The empirical model identifies major features of the agricultural sector, including distance to market and agricultural commodity price movements. Regression results show that crop prices had significant impacts on agricultural outcomes. Volatility in net farm income and land values was greater in locations farthest from market centers for corn and soybeans, but closer to the defined sorghum market center.