When Does Variable Rate Technology for Agricultural Sprayers Pay? A Case Study for Cotton Production in Tennessee

Producers interested in precision agriculture lack information on the profitability of variable rate technology (VRT) systems for agricultural sprayers. A partial budgeting framework was developed to evaluate the level of input savings required to pay for investments in VRT. To illustrate this framework, a case study for cotton production in Tennessee is provided. Ownership and information costs were determined for two commerciallyavailable VRT systems and compared to extension recommended input application levels. Map-based VRT systems required input savings of 11 percent to be profitable. Sensor-based systems required input savings from 5 to 11 percent to be profitable depending on imagery resolution.