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2. A website content analysis of corporate animal welfare messaging
- Collection:
- Agricultural Communications Documentation Center (ACDC)
- Contributers:
- Morris, Olivia (author), Miller, Jefferson D. (author), and Whitehead, Isabel (author)
- Format:
- Journal article
- Publication Date:
- 2019-11
- Published:
- Association for Communication Excellence
- Location:
- Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 121 Document Number: D11053
- Journal Title:
- Journal of Applied Communications
- Journal Title Details:
- 103(4)
- Notes:
- via online journal., The purpose of this study was to identify and describe the nature of corporate positions on animal welfare available on the websites of five meat producing companies in the U.S. The results of the content analysis illustrated that there were common topics among the dialogs the companies were willing to open related to their animal welfare positions. The companies typically took a general approach to animal welfare topics, commonly focusing on their corporate policy and their commitment to animal welfare. While each company focused on a unique combination of topics, companies commonly avoided mentioning more specific and possibly controversial topics and instead chose to focus on big-picture topics such as a commitment to sound animal welfarepractices. Each company used a particular set of frames to couch individual animal welfare messages for consumers. The most common frame led was that the company is an industry leader in animal welfare. Eighteen thematic terms related to livestock production and handling emerged through the content analysis. Of those, animal handling and humane were clearly the most commonly used terms. Future research should include matching these content analysis results with the existing communication strategies of each company, conducting more content analyses on animal protein companies’ other media outlets, as well as further exploring the presence of frames, topics, and terminology in news coverage in comparison to the online messages of animal protein companies.
3. An investigation of agricultural crisis communications via social media
- Collection:
- Agricultural Communications Documentation Center (ACDC)
- Contributers:
- Gibson, Courtney (author), Irlbeck, Erica (author), Meyers, Courtney (author), Akers, Cindy (author), Price, Peggy (author), and Texas Tech University
- Format:
- Online journal article
- Publication Date:
- 2019-11
- Published:
- United States: New Prairie Press
- Location:
- Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 121 Document Number: D11060
- Journal Title:
- Journal of Applied Communications
- Journal Title Details:
- 103(4)
- Notes:
- 21 pages, via online journal, How an agricultural organization handles the way the media reports a crisis can have an impact on the public’s perceptions of the organization, and sometimes the industry as a whole. The popularity of social media outlets as a venue for disseminating and gathering information and news makes the use of social media surrounding agricultural crises an important topic to investigate (Glynn, Huge, & Hoffman 2012; Hermida, 2010). A qualitative case study was conducted to investigate the use of social media tools during an agricultural crisis. The participants – communications directors, social media managers, and individuals with a close connection to the crisis under study – reported that social media was a major component of their communication efforts surrounding each crisis. Participants felt social media was very effective in these situations and had a major impact on their communication efforts. Although no participants reported using a structured social media strategy or crisis communication plan, they stated a need for such guidelines in the agricultural industry. From the data analyzed in this study, a model for using social media during a crisis situation, aimed specifically for use by those in the agricultural industry, was developed. This project was funded through the USDA's Beginning Farmers & Ranchers Project.
4. Consumer perceptions of green industry retailers
- Collection:
- Agricultural Communications Documentation Center (ACDC)
- Contributers:
- Campbell, Julie H. (author), Campbell, Benjamin L. (author), and University of Georgia
- Format:
- Journal article
- Publication Date:
- 2019-03-26
- Published:
- United States: American Society for Horticultural Science
- Location:
- Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 15 Document Number: D10436
- Journal Title:
- HortTechnology
- Journal Title Details:
- 29(2) : 213-222
- Notes:
- 10 pages., Via online journal., A survey of Connecticut consumers was used to investigate perceptions of various green industry retailers. Consumer perceptions of independent garden centers (IGC), home improvement centers (HIC), and mass merchandisers (MM) business practices and their perceived value were assessed. Analysis of variance and ordinary least squares regression models were used to analyze the data. Results indicated that customer service, knowledgeable staff, and high-quality plants are important factors when consumers are deciding where to shop. IGCs were ranked highest in perceived customer service, knowledgeable staff, and plant quality, followed by HICs. MMs were ranked lowest for the majority of measured business practices, with the most notable exception being price. Additionally, IGCs, HICs, and MMs are perceived differently across age cohorts.
5. Exploring the impact of Ohio agricultural organizations' social media use on traditional media coverage of agriculture
- Collection:
- Agricultural Communications Documentation Center (ACDC)
- Contributers:
- Haller, Leigha (author), Specht, Annie R. (author), Buck, Emily R. (author), and The Ohio State University
- Format:
- Online journal article
- Publication Date:
- 2019-11
- Published:
- United States: New Prairie Press
- Location:
- Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 114 Document Number: D11026
- Journal Title:
- Journal of Applied Communications
- Journal Title Details:
- 103(4)
- Notes:
- 16 pages, via online journal, One of the nation’s most important industries, agriculture, has adopted social media to communicate with consumers and the public. At the same time, traditional news media remains important to the agriculture industry because many consumers still receive information about agriculture from sources such as newspapers and television. Little literature at the time of this study explored how social media is used specifically as a media relations tool. The purpose of this study is to examine how agricultural organizations in Ohio communicate via social media and how the messages could impact central Ohio traditional media outlets’ coverage of agricultural issues. The study is grounded in uses and gratifications theory, and previous social media studies. Data were collected from seven Ohio agricultural organizations’ Facebook pages and four central Ohio news outlets. Researchers found that Ohio agricultural commodity organizations use social media, but not necessarily to communicate with the news media. The industry received limited news coverage during the time studied, and we were unable to discern a relationship between social media and news media coverage beyond a commonality of stories. By communicating the results of this study with agricultural organizations and researchers, effective social media strategies can be developed to guide the future of social media as a media relations tool.
6. Goldilocks zone': Canadians divided on whether Trudeau's pipeline approach is too much, too little or just right
- Collection:
- Agricultural Communications Documentation Center (ACDC)
- Format:
- Online article
- Publication Date:
- 2019-09-13
- Published:
- Canada: Angus Reid Institute
- Location:
- Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 207 Document Number: D13191
- Notes:
- 13 pages
7. Greenwashing and environmental communication: Effects on stakeholders' perceptions
- Collection:
- Agricultural Communications Documentation Center (ACDC)
- Contributers:
- Torelli, Riccardo (author), Balluchi, Federica (author), and Lazzini, Arianna (author)
- Format:
- Online journal article
- Publication Date:
- 2019-07
- Published:
- Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
- Location:
- Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 78 Document Number: D10823
- Journal Title:
- Business Strategy and the Environment
- Notes:
- 15 pages., via online journal., Since the first Earth Day in the 1970s, corporate environmental performance has increased dramatically, and cases of greenwashing have increased sharply. The term greenwash refers to a variety of different misleading communications that aim to form overly positive beliefs among stakeholders about a company's environmental practices. The growing number of corporate social responsibility claims, whether founded or not, creates difficulties for stakeholders in distinguishing between truly positive business performance and companies that only appear to embrace a model of sustainable development. In this context, through the lens of legitimacy and signalling theory, we intend to understand and assess the different influences that various types of misleading communications about environmental issues have on stakeholders' perceptions of corporate environmental responsibility and greenwashing. Stakeholder responses to an environmental scandal will also be assessed. The hypotheses tested through a four‐for‐two design experiment reveal that different levels of greenwashing have a significantly different influence on stakeholders' perceptions of corporate environmental responsibility and stakeholders' reactions to environmental scandals.
8. Most Americans are wary of industry-funded research
- Collection:
- Agricultural Communications Documentation Center (ACDC)
- Contributers:
- Johnson, Courtney (author)
- Format:
- Research report
- Publication Date:
- 2019
- Published:
- USA: Pew Research Center, Washington, D.C.
- Location:
- Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 133 Document Number: D11400
- Notes:
- 4 pages., Online via website., Results of a national survey among U.S. adults indicated: "A majority of Americans are skeptical of the impact that industry funding has on scientific research and on the recommendations made by practitioners ... The public is somewhat more positive - though still ambivalent - about the effects of government funding on research and practitioner recommendations."
9. Perceptions of precision agriculture technologies in the U.S. fresh apple industry
- Collection:
- Agricultural Communications Documentation Center (ACDC)
- Contributers:
- Gallardo, Karina R. (author), Grant, Kara (author), Brown, David J. (author), McFerson, James R. (author), Lewis, Karen M. (author), Einhorn, Todd (author), Sazo, Mario Miranda (author), and Washington State University Michigan State University Cornell Cooperative Extension
- Format:
- Journal article
- Publication Date:
- 2019-02-28
- Published:
- United States: American Society for Horticultural Science
- Location:
- Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 15 Document Number: D10435
- Journal Title:
- HortTechnology
- Journal Title Details:
- 29(2) : 151-162
- Notes:
- 12 pages., Via online journal., Advances in precision agriculture technologies provide opportunities to improve the efficiency of agricultural production systems, especially for high-value specialty crops such as fresh apples (Malus domestica). We distributed an online survey to apple growers in Washington, New York, and Michigan to elicit stakeholder perceptions of precision agriculture technologies. Findings from this study demonstrated that growers are willing to adopt precision agriculture technologies when they receive results from applied research projects and are engaged with active extension programs. The availability of customized services and purchasing and rental options may minimize the effects of the economies of size that create barriers to adopting increasing access to technologies. Finally, respondents deemed collaborative efforts between industry and academic institutions crucial for adapting the innovation to better address the needs of growers.
10. ‘Would it sell more pork?’ pig farmers’ perceptions of real welfare, the welfare outcome component of their farm assurance scheme
- Collection:
- Agricultural Communications Documentation Center (ACDC)
- Contributers:
- Hockenhull, J. (author), Main, D.C.J. (author), and Mullan, S (author)
- Format:
- Journal Article
- Publication Date:
- 2019-05-20
- Published:
- Netherlands: Elsevier
- Location:
- Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 206 Document Number: D12782
- Journal Title:
- Animal
- Journal Title Details:
- Volume 13, Issue 12, Pages 2864 - 2875
- Notes:
- 12pgs, In the UK, the pig industry is leading the way in the adoption of welfare outcome measures as part of their farm assurance scheme. The welfare outcome assessment (WOA), known as Real Welfare, is conducted by the farmers’ own veterinary surgeon. For the first time, this has allowed the pig industry to evaluate welfare by directly assessing the animal itself and to document the welfare of the UK pig industry as a whole. Farmer perspectives of the addition of a welfare outcome assessment to their farm assurance scheme have yet to be explored. Here, we investigate how the introduction of the Real Welfare protocol has been perceived by the farmers involved, what value it has (if any), whether any practical changes on farm have been a direct consequence of Real Welfare and ultimately whether they consider that the welfare of their pigs has been improved by the introduction of the Real Welfare protocol. Semi-structured interviews with 15 English pig farmers were conducted to explore their perceptions and experiences of the Real Welfare process. Our findings fall into three key areas: the lived experience of Real Welfare, on-farm changes resulting from Real Welfare and suggested improvements to the Real Welfare process as it currently stands. In all the three areas, the value farmers placed on the addition of WOA appeared to reflect their veterinary surgeon's attitude towards the Real Welfare protocol. If the vet was engaged in the process and actively included the farmer, for example through discussion of their findings, the farmers interviewed had a greater appreciation of the benefits of Real Welfare themselves. It is recommended that future similar schemes should work with veterinary surgeons to ensure their understanding and engagement with the process, as well as identifying and promoting how the scheme will practically benefit individual farmers rather than assuming that they will be motivated to engage for the good of the industry alone. Retailers should be encouraged to use Real Welfare as a marketing tool for pig products to enhance the perceived commercial value of this protocol to farmers.