Roberts, Roland K.

April, 2014

Adoption and Frequency of Precision Soil Testing in Cotton Production

By: Lambert, Dayton M.; English, Burton C.; Harper, David C.; Larkin, Sherry L.; Larson, James A.; Mooney, Daniel F.; Roberts, Roland K.; Velandia, Margarita; Reeves, Jeanne M.
A 2009 survey of cotton farmers in twelve states collected information about the use of georeferenced precision soil testing (PST). Adoption of PST technology and the interval until retesting were examined with a Poisson hurdle regression. Survey data were calibrated using a post-stratification weighting protocol. Farming experience, farm size, land ownership, variable rate fertilizer management plans, and the use of soil electrical conductivity devices were correlated the with period until PST adopters retested soil. Understanding how producers perceive the useful life of soil-test information may be important for monitoring the effectiveness of best nutrient management practice adoption.
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December, 2008

Adoption and Abandonment of Precision Soil Sampling in Cotton Production

By: Walton, Jonathan C.; Lambert, Dayton M.; Roberts, Roland K.; Larson, James A.; English, Burton C.; Larkin, Sherry L.; Martin, Steven W.; Marra, Michele C.; Paxton, Kenneth W.; Reeves, Jeanne M.
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.
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August, 2007

Herbicide-Resistant Technology Price Effects on the Plant Density Decision for Ultra-Narrow-Row Cotton

By: Larson, James A.; Roberts, Roland K.; Gwathmey, C. Owen
Farmers are concerned about the high cost of planting herbicide-resistant cotton with the high plant densities recommended for ultra-narrow-row cotton. This study evaluated the effects on net revenues of four herbicide-resistant technology fee policies used since 1996 by Monsanto, the technology license holder. Results indicate that changes in the technology fee policy by Monsanto have raised the cost of planting herbicide-resistant cotton. As a consequence, farmers may have an incentive to switch from ultra-narrow-row cotton to wide-row cotton and to use a lower plant density when the technology fee is tied to the seeding rate.
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August, 2006

The Variable-Rate Input Application Decision for Multiple Inputs with Interactions

By: Roberts, Roland K.; English, Burton C.; Larson, James A.
Research has evaluated the relative profitability of variable-rate (VRT) versus uniform-rate (URT) application of a single input in fields with multiple management zones. This study addresses map-based VRT decisions for multiple inputs in fields with multiple management zones. The decision-making framework is illustrated for nitrogen and water applied to irrigated cotton in fields with three management zones. Results suggest traditional methods of determining VRT application of a single input may by suboptimal if interactions exist among VRT inputs and URT inputs. Implications are that a systems approach to multiple-input VRT decisions can produce increased net returns to VRT.
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