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The Invisible Elephant: Disadoption of Conservation Practices in the United States Appendix

Wendiam Sawadgo and Alejandro Plastina
JEL Classifications: Q15, Q28
Keywords: Adoption, Conservation practices, Cover crops, Disadoption, No-Till
Citation: Sawadgo, W. and A. Plastina. 2022. "The Invisible Elephant: Disadoption of Conservation Practices in the United States" Choices. Quarter 1. Available online: https://www.choicesmagazine.org/choices-magazine/submitted-articles/the-invisible-elephant-disadoption-of-conservation-practices-in-the-united-states
Figure A1. Farm Resource Regions

Figure 1

Source: USDA (2000).

Table A1. Cover Crop Adoption Rate and Disadoption Ratio by State
  Cover Crop
Adoption Ratea
(%)		 Disadoption of Cover Crops
2012–2017		 State Totals
2012–2017
State 2012 2017 No. of
Counties		 Percentageb
of Counties		 Change in
Acres		 Net Change
in Acres		 Disadoption
Ratio (%)		 Efficiency Rankingc
Alabama 7.22 8.13 30 44.78 -43,292 27,739 60.95 36
Arizona 1.54 3.07 5 33.33 -1,151 11,224 9.30 17
Arkansas 1.73 3.20 26 34.67 -9,095 102,605 8.14 15
California 3.55 3.65 19 33.93 -32,324 8,935 78.34 41
Colorado 1.19 1.17 18 29.03 -25,925 1,684 93.90 44
Connecticut 13.53 14.80 3 37.50 -747 1,545 32.59 31
Delaware 15.97 19.49 0 0.00 0 17,996 0.00 1
Florida 5.02 5.02 24 35.82 -23,201 3,616 86.52 43
Georgia 8.83 12.14 40 25.16 -26,739 155,294 14.69 20
Idaho 1.79 2.19 17 38.64 -19,543 24,653 44.22 34
Illinois 1.34 2.95 9 8.82 -5,207 388,338 1.32 3
Indiana 4.73 7.25 20 21.74 -37,501 338,006 9.99 18
Iowa 1.45 3.67 5 5.05 -8,353 593,498 1.39 4
Kansas 1.13 1.91 27 25.71 -43,659 242,542 15.25 23
Kentucky 5.58 6.29 48 40.00 -37,884 62,585 37.71 32
Louisiana 1.38 1.67 20 31.25 -17,393 6,490 72.83 39
Maine 6.15 11.74 6 37.50 -1,180 26,083 4.33 8
Maryland 23.47 28.80 6 26.09 -14,526 83,160 14.87 21
Massachusetts 10.63 10.14 4 28.57 -2,048 327 86.23 42
Michigan 5.70 8.50 22 26.51 -13,795 236,219 5.52 12
Minnesota 1.89 2.66 23 26.44 -44,113 160,544 21.57 28
Mississippi 1.30 2.81 24 29.27 -13,613 65,027 17.31 25
Missouri 2.56 5.40 21 18.42 -14,113 450,127 3.04 7
Montana 0.75 0.92 21 37.50 -37,626 18,800 66.68 38
Nebraska 1.65 3.36 16 17.20 -19,025 389,008 4.66 9
Nevada 1.39 1.76 5 29.41 -3,402 2,280 59.87 35
New Hampshire 5.11 7.71 1 10.00 -183 3,301 5.25 11
New Jersey 11.14 13.74 3 15.79 -806 12,786 5.93 13
New Mexico 3.65 2.94 11 33.33 -22,416 -16,682 390.93 38
New York 5.11 6.88 14 24.14 -14,270 80,157 15.11 22
North Carolina 8.28 9.66 40 40.00 -22,068 87,025 20.23 27
North Dakota 0.79 1.45 10 18.87 -16,035 190,457 7.77 14
Ohio 3.32 6.55 11 12.50 -5,406 359,374 1.48 5
Oklahoma 2.02 2.92 33 42.86 -26,049 111,303 18.97 26
Oregon 1.98 2.55 10 27.78 -6,077 17,817 25.43 30
Pennsylvania 9.82 12.80 10 14.93 -3,247 149,284 2.13 6
Rhode Island 11.23 13.07 2 40.00 -450 -263 240.64 47
South Carolina 4.00 5.92 10 21.74 -12,339 43,658 22.04 29
South Dakota 0.78 1.42 14 21.21 -11,470 125,806 8.36 16
Tennessee 3.45 6.44 20 21.05 -7,731 156,732 4.70 10
Texas 3.13 3.45 107 42.46 -179,851 108,208 62.44 37
Utah 1.84 1.95 9 31.03 -4,225 1,248 77.20 40
Vermont 4.12 8.45 1 7.14 -39 20,435 0.19 2
Virginia 10.10 13.29 24 24.49 -13,181 104,041 11.24 19
Washington 2.37 2.35 19 48.72 -36,479 -1,796 105.18 45
West Virginia 2.08 2.37 18 33.96 -1,037 5,599 15.63 24
Wisconsin 5.58 6.06 28 40.00 -38,407 62,960 37.89 33
Wyoming 1.91 1.57 9 39.13 -13,233 -5,382 168.55 46
US Total 2.64 3.88 863 28.26 930,506 5,034,393 15.60  

a Adoption rate calculated as cover crop area divided by total cropland area. Total cropland includes cropland harvested, crop failure, cultivated summer fallow, cropland used only for pasture, and idle cropland.
b Percent of counties calculated with respect to all counties in the state (including counties with missing data).
cEfficiency ranking with respect to disadoption ratio.

Source: Authors’ calculations based on Census of Agriculture (USDA 2014, 2019).

Table A2. No-Till Adoption Rate and Disadoption Ratio by State
  No-Till Adoption
Ratea (%)		 Disadoption of No-Till
2012–2017		 State Totals
2012–2017
State 2012 2017 No. of
Counties		 Percentageb
of Counties		 Change in
Acres		 Net Change
in Acres		 Disadoption
Ratio (%)		 Efficiency
Rankingc
Alabama 27.53 27.15 31 46.27 -20,940 55,263 27.48 23
Arizona 2.50 4.52 3 20.00 -210 27,884 0.75 5
Arkansas 12.37 12.63 28 37.33 -128,147 5,394 95.96 41
California 2.14 2.48 20 35.71 -40,869 32,809 55.47 31
Colorado 25.92 26.22 16 25.81 -255,445 146,790 63.51 33
Connecticut 7.82 12.22 0 0.00 0 6,335 0.00 1
Delaware 49.90 53.65 1 33.33 -3,252 23,461 12.17 16
Florida 7.05 8.67 19 28.36 -28,274 4,230 86.99 38
Georgia 16.69 17.11 56 35.22 -132,000 45,981 74.17 35
Idaho 8.07 8.72 16 36.36 -62,669 46,588 57.36 32
Illinois 25.47 26.96 41 40.20 -215,564 419,615 33.94 27
Indiana 39.33 37.98 52 56.52 -293,808 -49,217 120.12 44
Iowa 26.47 30.88 14 14.14 -75,496 1,245,363 5.72 10
Kansas 36.50 38.45 39 37.14 -520,394 794,145 39.59 29
Kentucky 36.42 36.17 50 41.67 -85,770 88,938 49.09 30
Louisiana 11.22 9.59 23 35.94 -106,121 -54,672 206.26 47
Maine 2.08 4.59 0 0.00 0 11,595 0.00 1
Maryland 55.00 57.97 5 21.74 -29,904 59,186 33.57 26
Massachusetts 3.35 5.34 0 0.00 0 3,761 0.00 1
Michigan 19.80 19.77 31 37.35 -103,130 49,571 67.54 34
Minnesota 3.79 5.01 24 27.59 -41,294 270,069 13.26 17
Mississippi 12.23 12.84 32 39.02 -109,889 14,172 88.58 40
Missouri 26.33 29.78 40 35.09 -73,325 626,573 10.48 14
Montana 40.30 49.07 12 21.43 -121,191 1,195,541 9.20 13
Nebraska 43.34 46.11 31 33.33 -241,157 896,468 21.20 20
Nevada 2.32 2.45 3 17.65 -4,743 677 87.51 39
New Hampshire 1.94 4.36 2 20.00 -51 2,806 1.79 7
New Jersey 19.31 22.57 8 42.11 -3,552 16,329 17.87 18
New Mexico 6.85 7.58 8 24.24 -25.276 57,515 30.53 35
New York 6.64 7.88 13 22.41 -25,276 57,515 30.53 25
North Carolina 39.59 38.18 50 50.00 -143,121 29,407 82.96 36
North Dakota 28.91 27.83 30 56.60 -602,422 -69,740 113.09 43
Ohio 39.81 38.94 44 50.00 -231,239 -9,941 104.49 42
Oklahoma 20.70 17.88 51 66.23 -369,074 -239,454 284.74 48
Oregon 15.19 21.09 8 22.22 -9.202 283,076 3.15 8
Pennsylvania 30.34 34.64 14 20.90 -28,043 233,414 10.73 15
Rhode Island 3.70 4.89 1 20.00 -384 -116 143.28 46
South Carolina 27.39 30.36 14 30.43 -18,561 79,716 18.89 19
South Dakota 37.39 38.64 29 43.94 -301,725 504,106 37.44 28
Tennessee 39.54 44.32 23 24.21 -86,420 235,537 26.84 22
Texas 8.84 8.25 117 46.43 -552,483 -152,923 138.27 45
Utah 2.62 3.96 7 24.14 -1,333 22,068 5.70 9
Vermont 2.12 5.90 0 0.00 0 17,240 0.00 1
Virginia 31.95 33.12 39 39.80 -21,715 65,939 24.77 21
Washington 10.70 15.68 8 20.51 -3,535 368,550 0.95 6
West Virginia 7.23 7.20 17 32.08 -3,562 9,188 27.94 24
Wisconsin 17.86 22.09 10 14.29 -28,500 454,096 5.91 11
Wyoming 3.80 5.80 4 17.39 -3,819 57,923 6.19 12
US Total 24.76 26.35 1084 35.49 -5,155,867 7,936,833 39.38  

a Adoption rate calculated as no-till area divided by total cropland area. Total cropland includes cropland harvested, crop failure, cultivated summer fallow, cropland used only for pasture, and idle cropland.
b Percent of counties calculated with respect to all counties in the state (including counties with missing data).
cEfficiency ranking with respect to disadoption ratio.

Source: Authors’ calculations based on Census of Agriculture (USDA 2014, 2019).

Wendiam Sawadgo (wendiam@auburn.edu) is Assistant Professor, Department of Agricultural Economics and Rural Sociology, Auburn University, Auburn, AL.