Barriers to cover crop adoption: Evidence from parallel surveys in Maryland and Ohio

This paper evaluates perceived barriers to cover crop adoption, using data from an original survey of farmers in two US states. Barriers are compared in a high adoption state (Maryland) and a more typical adoption state (Ohio). Although 25.5% in Maryland and 22.3% in Ohio reported no barriers, the remainder reported at least one barrier. Financial barriers are most frequently cited (investment return, seed cost, labor cost, and equipment needs), while barriers related to education and information are mentioned less frequently (doubts on cover crop importance, knowledge issues, and risk). Multivariate probit regressions explain how farm characteristics and cover crop information sources influence these barriers, while allowing perceived adoption barriers to be related in unobservable yet systematic ways. Results show that these effects differ systematically across states. For example, barriers related to investment return are more commonly cited by large-acreage farmers in Ohio who use conservation or conventional tillage, relative to no-till. Contrasting results are found in Maryland, where there is no acreage pattern and the use of no-till increases concern about investment return. The findings on the importance of financial barriers suggest the importance of cost-share in encouraging adoption, access to which should be emphasized in educational programming. If educators believe farmers’ perceptions of financial barriers do not match scientific results—say because farmers’ financial fears are myopic—then the design and targeting of educational materials such as enterprise budgets may allay financial concerns.