Farm Family Resources and the Adoption of No‐Plow Tillage in Southwestern Wisconsin

A probit model identifies variables related to the probability that a farm operator used a conservation tillage practice. Data from a 1983 survey of 529 randomly selected Wisconsin farmers were used to determine maximum likelihood estimates. Voluntary no‐plow adopters were significantly different from traditional moldboard tillers in these respects: they were more likely to be risk takers; more aware of the effect of erosion damage on property values and yields; operated larger farms in areas that had less precipitation and a warmer climate; and were more often owners than renters. Several other variables, cited elsewhere in the literature, did not appear to be significant but are also reported.