Land Quality, Irrigation Development, and Cropping Patterns in the Northern High Plains

Abstract

Abstract This article examines the interactions between land quality, crop choice, and technological change using a framework that integrates cross‐sectional and intertemporal aspects of diffusion. The empirical results indicate that ( a ) the acreages allocated to different crops vary significantly over land quality, ( b ) crops tend to be grown on specific ranges of land quality, ( c ) the introduction of center pivot technology induced significant changes in cropping patterns, ( d ) land quality‐augmenting technologies tend to be utilized primarily on lower qualities of land, and ( e ) irrigation development has been quite sensitive to tax policies.