If producers are thinking about planting corn rootworm-resistant corn, they will first want to make sure their buyer is willing to buy that corn. You wouldn't want to plant corn rootworm corn without checking with them because it doesn't so much matter what the European Union wants, what really matters is what your buyer wants.

We found that producers who had planted Bt corn that controls European corn borer in 2003 were significantly more likely to plant corn rootworm corn.

Agribusiness professionals are concerned that there's been a decline in the number of farmers who make purchases based on their longstanding relationships with businesses. Our study shows they are correct and provides insight into how today's farmer makes those decisions.

What we found was that age was a significant predictor in Bt corn adoption. We found as producers get older and gain experience they are more likely to adopt Bt corn rootworm, but once they reach about age 48 they become less likely to adopt the technology.