Data were collected from land operators in erosion‐prone areas of six counties in Ohio to examine the factors that affect adoption of soil erosion control practices. A theoretical perspective was developed from selected components of diffusion and farm structure models. The study findings revealed that the theoretical perspective created for the study was inadequate to predict adoption behaviors examined. Respondents indicated that conventional tillage practices were most frequently used while soil conservation practices were seldom used. It was concluded that existing voluntary soil conservation programs will probably be ineffective until the costs of pollution become significantly higher.