Economic Return to Adoption of Mechanical Thinning: The Case of New Mexico Chile

Facing expanding foreign competition and increasingly more stringent labor and environmental laws, today's vegetable producer faces a challenging business environment. One way in which vegetable producers have attempted to stay competitive in through the adoption of new technologies. This paper examines the economic returns available to chile pepper producers willing to adopt mechanical thinning as a substitute for either contracted hand thinning or transplanting.