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.
