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To purchase or authenticate to the full-text of this article, please visit this link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1744-7976.2008.00128.x Byline: Kelly A. Davey (1), W. Hartley Furtan (2) Abstract: The adoption of conservation tillage technology since the 1970s has been one of the most remarkable changes in the production of crops on the Canadian Prairies. The decision whether to adopt conservation tillage technology or not requires the producer to go through a thorough decision-making process. In Canada, there has been little economic research on the question of what farm, regional, and environmental characteristics affect the adoption decision. Using 1991, 1996, and 2001 Census of Agriculture data together with other data sources we estimate a probit model explaining the adoption decision. We find that important variables include farm size, proximity to a research station, type of soil, and weather conditions. La pratique du semis direct depuis les annees 1970 constitue l'un des changements les plus notables de la production des cultures dans les Prairies canadiennes. Avant de decider d'adopter ou non cette pratique, le producteur doit s'engager dans un processus rigoureux de prise de decisions. Au Canada, peu d'etudes economiques se sont penchees sur les caracteristiques agricoles, regionales et environnementales qui influencent la decision d'adopter ou non. Au moyen des donnees tirees du Recensement de l'agriculture de 1991, 1996 et 2001, combinees a d'autres sources de donnees, nous avons estime un modele probit pour expliquer la decision d'adopter ou non. Nous avons estime que les variables importantes incluent la taille de l'exploitation, la proximite d'une station de recherche, le type de sol et les conditions meteorologiques. Author Affiliation: (1)Manager, Market Research, PotashCorp, 122-1st Avenue South, Saskatoon Saskatchewan, S7K 7G3 (corresponding author: 306-933-8727; fax: 306-933-8844; e-mail:kelly.davey@potashcorp.com). (2)Department of Agricultural Economics, University of Saskatchewan, 51 Campus Drive, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, S7N 5A8 (phone: 306-966-4032; fax: 306-966-1845; e-mail:Hartley.furtan@usask.ca).

Research and development (R&D) in the heavily subsidized grain industry benefits individual producers but not the country as a whole. In a world market such as wheat, any surplus created by R&D goes to an export market which sells grains at nearly zero profit. However, since the negative effects of subsidies mostly affect taxpayers, there is no incentive for individual producers to desist. R&D does benefit agricultural efforts globally, often assisting developing nations.