19 pgs., The equine industry is an established part of Maryland agriculture with 79,100 equines valued at approximately $714 million in the state; approximately 10% of these animals are housed in one county. Equine operators are a unique demographic in the agricultural realm, because they are not managing land to produce food or fiber and often are employed in other professions unrelated to agriculture. These operators tend to be unaware of land conservation practices and can have a detrimental effect on areas, like the Chesapeake Bay economy and ecosystem, if shared resources are exploited. The purpose of this study was to explore equine operators’ knowledge and connection of conservation best management practices (BMPs) and their role in being a caretaker of the land. The study was informed by the diffusion of innovations theory and gathered data through semi-structured, qualitative interviews. Equine operators in the study were found to use a variety of informational sources, had a high level of adoption of the BMPs they used, and overall, a majority of participants saw their role as caretakers of the land as an important aspect of their environmental actions. Recommendations from this research include improving communication processes to increase the spread of BMPs and adjusting specific infrastructure aspects to improve retention of equine operators practicing conservation efforts. Further research should investigate other niche areas of agriculture that could potentially be struggling with a knowledge deficit of BMPs and communication neglect between conservation offices and audiences.
Online via publication website., The purpose of this study was to determine how education and communication professionals involved in climate-change communication are framing their discussions about climate change with agricultural producers. Researchers used semi-structured telephone interviews to gather information. Findings touched on communications factors such as audience analysis, appropriate terminology, localization of information, framing messages, and information sources.
James F. Evans Collection, Results from this study of Extension clientele in North Carolina depict the need for Extension professionals to provide educational opportunities through multiple program delivery methods. Clientele's choice of methods was based on receiving information that was both subject and audience specific, yet the information could be received in an understandable and personally comfortable manner. Data were collected by Extension agents using a structured personal interview. Study respondents were mature adults; a majority had nonfarm professions as primary occupations, had completed some post secondary training, had at least some dependence on Extension for information, and received Extension information for more than five years. Respondents indicated personal visits, meetings, newsletters, demonstrations, and workshops as most preferred delivery methods. Other major findings include: method demonstrations were preferred by younger, more educated clientele; clientele with less dependence on Extension and fewer years of contact preferred the videocassette; farmers preferred personal visits and meetings more than did individuals with other occupations; and clientele with the longest interaction with Extension and those perceiving Extension professional as educators were more likely to identify computer software and computer networks as important delivery methods.
search through journal, During the summer and fall of 1992, both on-site and mail surveys were conducted to determine: (1)How Oklahoma farmers receive and prefer to receive agricultural health and safety information from selected mass media, and (2) How Extension agricultural engineering departments communicate agricultural health and safety information. The study revealed that approximately one-half of the farmers identified television as their primary mass media source for general news and information. More farmers identified magazines as their primary source for safety and health information than any other medium. Three-quarters of the farmers in the study received their agricultural information from magazines. More than half of the farmers preferred to receive health and safety information from magazines. Agricultural engineers identified fact sheets, newspapers, workshops, videos, newsletters, radio, television, brochures, and magazines as methods for communicating health and safety information. In this article, recommendations are provided for agricultural health and safety educators. (original)
13 pages., Via online journal., Blogs are a type of social media that present a unique opportunity to provide information to a large audience without the constraints of traditional media’s gatekeeping barriers. Within agriculture, several studies have examined agricultural blogs but not from the perspective of blog readers. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to describe the uses and gratifications of agricultural blog readers. This study used a descriptive survey research design and online questionnaire to assess agricultural blog readers’ demographics, Internet and blog use, attitudes toward agriculture, and motivations for reading blogs. Findings indicated most respondents had direct experience in agriculture and were supportive of the industry. The strongest motivations for accessing agricultural blogs were to find out what other people think about important issues or events and to find alternatives not covered by traditional news sources. Blogs proved to be a useful source of information, but more should be done to expand reach beyond those in the industry. Additional research is needed to more fully describe agricultural blog readers’ uses and gratifications.
