How Quickly Do Farmers Adopt Technology? A Non-Parametric Duration Analysis of Kansas Farmers’ Adoption

Abstract

Precision technologies have been available at the farm level for decades. However, the rate at which adoption occurs varies. Some technologies have been readily adopted while others lagged. Analysis of 608 Kansas farms provided insights regarding duration of adoption. The lag, in years, between technologies becoming commercially available and adopted were evaluated using non-parametric duration analysis. Duration for embodied-knowledge technologies were statistically sooner than for information-intensive technologies, indicating farmers adopt automated guidance ‘quicker’ than yield monitors. Duration was indirectly (directly) proportional to commercialization date of embodied-knowledge (information-intensive) technology. Results are useful to farmers considering adoption, retailers targeting customers, and manufacturers managing supply chains.