Understanding the adoption of smartphone apps in dairy herd management

The number of decision support tools available to farmers, including dairy herd management smartphone apps, has been steadily increasing. The existing literature does not cover topics concerning the adoption and use of herd management smartphone apps or which specific functions of such apps are perceived as most useful by dairy farmers. It is unclear whether technology adoption can only be explained by economic reasoning, because the beliefs about a technology also play a role in decision-making. Therefore, this study seeks to determine whether an extended technology acceptance model can explain adoption and use of herd management smartphone apps. Results about the adoption and use of dairy herd management smartphone apps are derived from an online survey conducted in 2018 with 280 German dairy farmers. To model farmers' frequency of use of herd management smartphone apps, we applied partial least squares structural equation modeling and an ordered logit model. Our results show that 93% of the dairy farmers in our sample use a smartphone and 61% already use a herd management smartphone app. Daily use is reported by 38% of the adopters. Dairy farmers rated functions related to the observation of animal health, reproduction management, and data gathering as most useful, which should be in focus by developers and providers for future development. The key attitudinal components of the technology acceptance model, namely perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness, both positively influence the intention to use such apps. This ultimately has a positive effect on the actual usage behavior. Besides other factors, dairy farmers' education and knowledge of herd management smartphone apps have a positive effect on perceived ease of use. Our model explains 33% of the variance in the actual usage behavior related to herd management smartphone apps. Because perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness positively influence the intention to use such apps and ultimately the actual usage behavior, developers and providers should highlight the benefits of using herd management smartphone apps and also keep the interface of the apps as simple as possible.