Factors affecting farmers’ use of practices to reduce commercial fertilizers and pesticides

A survey conducted among a statewide random sample of Iowa farm operators explored the extent to which farmers rely upon a set of practices to reduce commercial fertilizer and pesticide use. The analysis examines the relationship between farmers’ use of these practices with their opinions about low-input farming and their level of concerns about the health and safety of modern agricultural practices. These dimensions are explored by including selected sociodemographic characteristics of the operators in the analysis. Implications for the adoption and diffusion of low-input farming are discussed.