Author
Lambert, Dayton M.
Industry cluster identification methods determine linkages between purchasers and suppliers at the county level for 447 economic sectors in Tennessee. Using an econometric model, the cluster analysis is extended to estimate which value chains contributed to economic growth between 2001 and 2006. Businesses making up the agriculture and forestry clusters enjoyed increased output per job in 34% and 32%, respectively, of Tennessee’s counties. The spatial pattern of these findings was significant, suggesting that some counties may benefit from regional coordination of projects designed to enhance or retain businesses in these industry clusters.
Adoption of precision agriculture technology has arrived considerable attention, but abandonment has received little. This paper identified factors motivating adoption and abandonment of precision soils sampling in cotton. Younger producers who farmed more cotton area, owned more of their cropland, planted more non-cotton area, or used a computer were more likely to adopt precision soil sampling. Those with more cotton area or who owned livestock were more likely to abandon, while those who used precision soil sampling longer, or used variable-rate fertilizer application were less likely to abandon precision soil sampling.