factors affecting the probability of delayed of machine operation at different stages of sugar beet production in fars province

the purpose of this study is determining the factors affecting timeliness of machine operation at different stages of sugar beet production. farm-level data were collected from a sample of 227 sugar beet farmer located in three major districts of farsprovince ofiran: eghleed, marvdasht and fasa, selected by a random sampling method during 2006. for this purpose, the probit model was used. the results indiated that, when the intensity of demand for using facilitites and machinery services of sugar beet factories in the studied area, the intensity of cultural practices of competitive crops, and on- time non-accessibility of sugar beet farmers to production inputs increase by 1 percent then the probability of delayed machine operation in sugar beet farms increases, respectively, by 0.413, 0.192 in eghleed by 0.122, 0.425, 0.226 in marvdasht and by 0.060 and 0.444, 0.158 and 0.097 in fasa. however, if liquidity of sugar beet farmers for renting machineries increases by 1 percent, then the probability of delayed machine operation in sugar beet farms in eghleed, marvdasht and fasa decreases by 0.273, 0.290 and 0.301, respectively.