Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Document Number: C36816
Notes:
Agricultural Publishers Association Records, Series No. 8/3/80, Box 10, Special Bulletin No. 17. 2 pages., Cites a bulletin by the National Better Business Bureau, Inc. Includes samples of objectionable claims in advertising food and drug preparations for animals.
Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 144 Document Number: C22331
Notes:
Meatingplace.com 2 pages., An Internet device developed at the National University of Singapore connects users to a real chicken via a chicken-shaped doll, comp;uter sensors and a Webcam link.
13pgs, With a focus on journalistic discourse, this paper argues for a re-envisioning of food-system communication that takes non-human animals into account as stakeholders in systems that commodify them. This is especially urgent in light of the global pandemic, which has laid bare the vulnerability to crisis inherent in animal-based food production. As a case study to illustrate the need for a just and non-human inclusive orientation to food-systems communication, the paper performs a qualitative rhetorical examination, of a series of articles in major U.S. news sources in May of 2020, a few months into the economic shutdown in the U.S. in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. At that time, millions of pigs were brutally killed on U.S. farms due to the impossibility of killing them in slaughterhouses overrun with COVID-19 outbreaks. The analysis finds that media reporting legitimated violence against pigs by framing narratives from industry perspectives, deflecting agency for violence away from farmers, presenting pigs as willing victims, masking violence through euphemism, objectifying pigs and ignoring their sentience, and uncritically propagating industry rhetoric about “humane” farming. Through these representations, it is argued, the media failed in their responsibility to present the viewpoints of all sentient beings affected by the crisis; in other words, all stakeholders. The methodology merges a textually- oriented approach to critical discourse analysis (CDA) with social critique informed by critical animal studies (CAS), and the essay concludes with recommendations for journalists and other food-system communicators, which should be possible to implement even given the current capitalist, industry-influenced media environment and the demonstrated ruthlessness of animal industries in silencing voices inimical to their profitmaking.
See abstract in file folder for Document No. D06143., Abstract of poster presentation at North American Colleges and Teachers of Agriculture conference, Athens, Georgia, June 16-20, 2015.
"More than a year after an undercover video campaign revealed animal welfare issues at Fair Oaks Farms, experts say there are important lessons to be learned." Article describes the event and includes sections about principles of crisis communication, tracking animal activists, and tips for hiring employees.
The demographics of incoming university animal science majors have shifted from students with a farm background to urban students with no history of direct livestock contact. Research completed before the Internet was a central source of information indicated that incoming urban students tend to express no opinion or a neutral opinion regarding livestock agriculture issues. Due to the changing background of incoming students enrolled in introductory university-level animal science classes, we sought to determine 1) if livestock background (self-identified as raised in a farm or urban setting), sex, or animal science career interest influenced the opinions of incoming students regarding critical issues involving livestock farming practices and 2) if 15 wk of introductory animal science instruction changed student opinions. A total of 224 students were given 2 identical anonymous surveys (start and end of 15 wk) with 5 demographic questions and 9 animal issue statements. For each statement, students marked their opinion by placing a vertical line on a continuous 130 mm horizontal line, where a vertical line placed at 0 mm = strongly agree and 130 mm = strongly disagree. Data were analyzed by ANOVA to determine any significant effects of instruction, background, sex, and future career preference on survey responses. Before instruction, urban students were less agreeable than farm students that animal farming was moral and humane and that farmers are concerned about animal welfare and livestock are of value to society (P ≤ 0.05). Urban students were more likely than farm students to purchase organic foods or food based on environmental/welfare standards (P ≤ 0.05). Introductory animal science instruction resulted in students becoming more agreeable that animal farming was humane, farmers are concerned about animal welfare, and animal agriculture is a value to society (P ≤ 0.05). Postinstruction, students were more likely to buy food products based on price (P ≤ 0.05). Males found farm practices more humane than females (P ≤ 0.05), but sex differences were not evident for other questions. Future professional career plans did not affect student opinions. Data showed that incoming urban students tend to be more neutral with regards to animal farming issues, and introductory animal science instruction fosters a more agreeable attitude towards animal farming practices, especially in students with urban backgrounds.
Discourse about industrial animal agriculture contributing to global climate change. Examines how interest groups have responded to the release of "Livestock's Long Shadow," a 2006 report by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Document Number: D06957
Notes:
Pages 129-142 in Francine L. Dolins (ed.), Attitudes to animals: views in animal welfare. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, United Kingdom. 262 pages., Overview of problem areas in animal welfare, from the perspective of animals.
Bruce, Gordana (author), Critchley, Christine (author), Dempsey, Deborah (author), Gilding, Michael (author), Hardie, Elizabeth (author), Walshe, Jarrod (author), and Swinburne University of Technology, Melbourne, Australia.
Format:
Research report
Publication Date:
2007
Published:
Australia
Location:
Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 164 Document Number: C27386
Analyzes images of animals over a 30-year period, with emphasis on relations between humans and animals in terms of protection of humans against animals (e.g., diseases), animals against humans and their relative impact on environment.
Busse, M. (author), Schwerdtner, W. (author), Siebert, R. (author), Doemberg, A. (author), Kuntosch, A. (author), König, B. (author), and Bokelmann, W. (author)
Format:
Journal article
Publication Date:
2015-09
Published:
Germany: Elsevier
Location:
Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 161 Document Number: D07796
Carr, Chad (author), Abrams, Katie (author), Roberts, Grady (author), Philipps, Kylie (author), Velinsky, Victoria (author), Eubanks, Larry (author), Scheffler, Jason (author), and Johnson, Dwain (author)
Format:
Journal article
Publication Date:
2020-08
Published:
United States: Extension Journal, Inc.
Location:
Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 203 Document Number: D12301
11 pages, Massive open online courses (MOOCs) offer a unique platform through which Extension can provide valuable education. We explored The Meat We Eat, a MOOC designed to create a more informed meat consumer and increase perceptions of transparency surrounding meat production. Compared to pretest respondents (n = 490), students who completed the posttest (n = 226) had an improved attitude toward meat and slaughter, an improved perception of the meat industry’s transparency, and increased knowledge. These findings suggest the relevance and value of MOOCs as Extension activities for improving knowledge and attitudes toward animal agriculture and other topics.
318 pages., Book in the University of Illinois online collection. Search other sources or contact ACDC., Pages 37-51 in Ferguson, D.; Lee, Caroline; and Fisher, Andrew. 2017. Advances in sheep welfare. Woodhead Publishing, Duxford, United Kingdom.
Examines the controversy between behavioral scientists who have conceptualized the honeybee dance as a linguistic system and scientists who support the "great chain of being," with man and other higher animals "at the apex" and invertebrates "in the basement."
Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Document Number: D06959
Notes:
Pages 200-217 in Francine L. Dolins (ed.), Attitudes to animals: views in animal welfare. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, United Kingdom. 262 pages.
International: Oxford University Press, Oxford, England.
Location:
Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Document Number: D01515
Notes:
Pages 93-107 in Cass R. Sunstein and Martha C. Nussbaum (eds.), Animal rights: current debates and new directions. Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK. 338 pages.
19 pages, via Online Journal, This article discusses the interplay of public policy and market-driven initiatives to improve farm animal welfare (FAW). Over the last couple of decades, the notion of ‘market-driven animal welfare’ has become popular, but can the market deliver the FAW that consumers and politicians expect? Using the Danish pork sector as the empirical setting, this article studies efforts to improve private FAW standards following changes to general regulations. The analysis shows that ethical misgivings regarding the adequacy of current and prospective FAW standards are tempered by the economic considerations that guide the practices of some actors. The study also shows that efforts to improve FAW standards are contingent on collaboration and coordination across globalised markets among actors with divergent interests. The findings have important implications for market practices and public policy in relation to FAW.
Ferguson, Drewe (author), Lee, Caroline (author), and Fisher, Andrew (author)
Format:
Book
Publication Date:
2017
Published:
Duxford, United Kingdom: Woodhead Publishing
Location:
Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 151 Document Number: D10099
Notes:
318 pages., Available through the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Library. Patrons outside of the university system should contact the ACDC for assistance accessing text., Via University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Library catalog., Advances in Sheep Welfare examines the recent advances made in sheep welfare assessment, handling and management, providing state-of-the-art coverage of the welfare needs of one of the world's most widely farmed animals. The book begins with an introduction to sheep welfare in Part One, with chapters covering biology and natural behavior, sheep production systems, and consumer and societal expectations for sheep products. Part Two goes on to highlight new advances in sheep welfare assessment, before Part Three outlines a wide range of solutions to sheep welfare challenges. The final section looks ahead to the future, considering what sheep welfare will look like in 2030 and beyond. This book is an essential part of the wider ranging series Advances in Farm Animal Welfare, with coverage of cattle, sheep, pigs and poultry.
Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Document Number: D06953
Notes:
Pages 227-248 in Eugene C. Hargrove (ed.), The animal rights/environmental ethics debate: the environmental perspective. State University of New York Press, Albany. 273 pages.
International: Oxford University Press, Oxford, England.
Location:
Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Document Number: D01517
Notes:
Pages 108-142 in Cass R. Sunstein and Martha C. Nussbaum (eds.), Animal rights: current debates and new directions. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press. 338 pages.
Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Document Number: D09046
Notes:
Pages 248-250 in Tema Milstein, Mairi Pileggi, and Eric Morgan (editors), Environmental communication pedagogy and practice. Routledge: Abingdon, Oxon, England. 277 pages.
Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 12 Document Number: D10405
Notes:
4 pages., Online from Australian Broadcasting Corporation website., During a severe drought, a Queensland grazier decided to share her story on a social media post that included distressing images of livestock. Unintended consequences included accusations of animal abuse and investigation by Biosecurity Queensland.
Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Document Number: D06952
Notes:
Pages 151-183 in Eugene C. Hargrove (ed.), The animal rights/environmental ethics debate: the environmental perspective. State University of New York Press, Albany. 273 pages.
19 pages, This paper describes a multimodal brochure assignment in an undergraduate animal science subject with a mixed cohort of animal science and veterinary science students. The assignment involved group work and peer feedback that allowed students to improve their brochures prior to submission. Support for the communication aspects of the assignment was developed by a teaching team consisting of the subject lecturer and two lecturers with a specialisation in academic language and learning. This support consisted of a rubric containing detailed communication rows, and annotated brochures illustrating written and visual features of this unfamiliar assignment genre. At the end of the subject, students were surveyed to seek their feedback on the usefulness of the assignment, the rubric (especially the detailed communication rows), the annotated brochures, and the peer review process. Results were highly positive, with students seeing value in this type of assignment for developing their communication skills. Students reported benefits in both giving and receiving (and using) peer feedback to improve their brochures. While giving feedback was considered to be helpful for enhancing both communication and understanding of the rubric, receiving feedback was mostly seen as beneficial for the purposes of editing and proofreading. Students reported that the main challenges of the assignment were in being concise and tailoring the language of the brochure to the target audience. The results suggest that while the support was viewed as very helpful, students may need more explicit and scaffolded guidance in tailoring their communication for a non-academic audience in a multimodal genre.
Hausmann, Anna (author), Slotow, Rob (author), Di Minin, Enrico (author), Toivonen,Tuuli (author), Heikinheimo, Vuokko (author), and Tenkanen, Henrikki (author)
Format:
Journal article
Publication Date:
2017-04-10
Published:
UK: Nature Portfolio
Location:
Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 207 Document Number: D13088
9 pages, Charismatic megafauna are arguably considered the primary attractor of ecotourists to sub-Saharan African protected areas. However, the lack of visitation data across the whole continent has thus far prevented the investigation of whether charismatic species are indeed a key attractor of ecotourists to protected areas. Social media data can now be used for this purpose. We mined data from Instagram, and used generalized linear models with site- and country-level deviations to explore which socio-economic, geographical and biological factors explain social media use in sub-Saharan African protected areas. We found that charismatic species richness did not explain social media usage. On the other hand, protected areas that were more accessible, had sparser vegetation, where human population density was higher, and that were located in wealthier countries, had higher social media use. Interestingly, protected areas with lower richness in non-charismatic species had more users. Overall, our results suggest that more factors than simply charismatic species might explain attractiveness of protected areas, and call for more in-depth content analysis of the posts. With African countries projected to develop further in the near-future, more social media data will become available, and could be used to inform protected area management and marketing.
Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 181 Document Number: C36378
Notes:
Drovers CattleNetwork via online. 3 pages., Author comments about a CNN Eatocracy feature that included an observation that the 4-H organization serves to desensitize children to the suffering of animals.
Interviews with animal rights advocates prompt author to suggest that a satisfactory resolution of the debate over the use of animals can only emerge in an atmosphere of respect, communication and mutual understanding rather than through the "argumentation is war" model.
Hill, Jackie (author), Mobly, Mallory (author), and McKim, Billy R. (author)
Format:
Paper
Publication Date:
2015
Published:
USA
Location:
Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 138 Document Number: D05795
Notes:
Paper presented in the Agricultural Communications Section of the annual conference of the Southern Association of Agricultural Scientists, Atlanta, Georgia, January 31-February 1, 2015. 22 pages.
7 pages, • Consumers want transparency and sharing of more information regarding animal welfare, housing, and the environmental impacts of animals. Social media provides many new opportunities for farmers and ranchers to introduce science and technology in away that encourages the public to make informed decisions.
• All individuals associated with food production have the responsibility to communicate effectively with the public, news media, and policymakers. Effective communication on issues related to sustainable food production requires a commitment to building trust, shared values, ethics, and credible expertise.
• Additional research is needed to understand the best way to frame messages related to the production of meat, milk, and eggs for various audiences who do not fully understand where these foods come from.
• Policies and laws governing the production of meat, milk, and eggs should integrate ethical issues and science-based information.
Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 138 Document Number: D05748
Notes:
Drovers CattleNetwork, Lenexa, Kansas. 4 pages., Interview with Nathan Runkle, Mercy for Animals, about livestock abuses reported recently by the organization, based on undercover investigations.
