You’ve got mail: Exploring predictors of wheat farmers’ behaviors toward soil health conservation practices

The agricultural sector is facing significant challenges due to the projected U.S. population in 2050, indicating farmers need to adopt conservation practices to sustain the land and feed the growing population. Many farmers recognize this need and the importance of adopting sustainable practices, and they are likely already doing so. The purpose of our study, then, was to explore significant predictors of farmers’ behaviors toward soil health practices. Data were collected from a sample of U.S. wheat farmers from the top wheat-producing states using a cross-sectional survey design. Guided by the theory of normative social behavior, we conducted descriptive statistics, an ANOVA, and a multiple linear regression to answer two research questions: (a) How do demographic characteristics of U.S. wheat farmers influence soil health behavior?; and (b) To what extent do descriptive norms, injunctive norms, outcome expectations, and identity predict wheat farmers’ behaviors regarding soil health practices? Producers were predominantly older, white males with a college education, large farms, and conservative political views. Demographic characteristics did not significantly influence farmers’ soil health behavior, and identity was the only significant predictor of their behavior toward soil health practices. Therefore, we recommend tailored educational programming related to identity and further research to explore predictors of soil health behavior.