The Flux of Agricultural Conservation: Understanding Changes in Iowa Farmers’ Adoption of Cover Crops and No-Till Over Time

U.S. Agriculture faces major sustainability challenges that require massive increases in conservation practice use. Two important research gaps related to conservation practice adoption include tracking practice use over time and extension of adoption measures beyond cross-sectional binary adoption variables. This study used longitudinal survey data from 3,202 Iowa farmers to examine adoption dynamics for no-till and cover crops. Farmers’ adoption statuses were categorized into non-adoption, open to adoption, and adoption. The analysis revealed substantial movement between categories. While many farmers continued or began use of practices, many discontinued use, suppressing overall adoption rates over time. Temporal analysis showed this flux occurred consistently each year over a four-year period. Spatial variation occurred with no-till adoption more than cover crops. Findings indicate that adoption measurement should take disadoption over time into account and suggest that conservation policy and outreach should center on both adoption and continuance, and develop strategies to reduce disadoption.