Computer ownership by farmers continues to grow, the latest research by Successful Farming magazine shows.
Almost 10 percent of subscribers polled in May said they own or lease a computer, up from the 6.5 percent who owned or leased computers in November, 1983. The number of farmers owning computers is 10 times as great today as it was in 1980, the magazine said.
In the poll of 1,136 Successful Farming subscribers, more than 18 percent indicated that they will buy a computer in the next three years.
More than half of them are waiting for hardware prices to decrease further, but 52 percent said they want to learn more about how to use the computer before buying.
One-third are not sure which brand to buy and an equal number said they were waiting to see which brands survive.
”Farmers who buy computers don`t fit the category of home-computer users,” said Gary Vincent, editor of Farm Computer News.
Vincent said news of trouble in the home-computer field makes people who already have bought a computer think they have made a mistake.
