Dr. Bijesh Mishra

Analysis of Farm Productivity in Kentucky using Linear Regression Model
Bijesh Mishra, Buddhi R. Gyawali, Kentucky State University

Paper Presented in Kentucky Academy of Science, 2015 Annual Conference held in Northern Kentucky University (NKU) Newport, Kentucky.

Abstract:

Agriculture in Kentucky has undergone through major changes in last few decades. The number of farms are decreasing with the increase in average farm size. Agriculture census of 2012 shows that Kentucky has high percentage decline in farmland. About 90% of Kentucky farmers are family-owned and decrease in farmlands suggests people are moving away from farming jobs to other alternatives. In contrast, agriculture production seems to increase by 5% from 2007 to 2012. This research aims to identify and study characteristics of farms in Kentucky and their productivity, as well as exploring relationship between different factors affecting farm productivity in Kentucky. Secondary data collected from different sources such as Agriculture Census 2012, US Census and Projections, Climatological data, land quality data, as well as other socioeconomic and demographic data were analyzed using regression model. Preliminary findings of the research suggest correlation between farm productivity with climatic factors, irrigation availability, farm diversification, off farm working days, land in farming, average farm size, labor availability, farm location, and market interaction.