A Heckman's two-stage method is used in conjunction with data from the 1998 Agricultural Resource Management Study to estimate the likelihood of adopting a variable rate application technology (VRT) and the impact of such adoption on the per-acre costs of fertilizers and lime in cash grain production. Results highlight the importance of operator's level of human capital and attitude toward risk, along with size and location of farm in impacting VRT adoption decisions. Results also indicate no significant cost-savings attributable to VRT adoption.

结合1998年农业资源管理研究的数据，使用Heckman的两阶段方法来估计采用可变速率施用技术(VRT)的可能性，以及这种采用对现金粮食生产中肥料和石灰的每英亩成本的影响。结果强调了经营者的人力资本水平和对风险的态度，以及农场的规模和位置在影响VRT采用决策中的重要性。结果还表明，采用VRT没有显著的成本节约。