18 pages, Digital agriculture has been developing rapidly over the past decade. However, studies have shown that the need for more ability to use these tools and the shortage of knowledge contribute to current farmer unease about digital technology. In response, this study investigated the influence of communication channels—mass media, social media, and interpersonal meetings—on farmers’ adoption, decision-making, and benefits obtained using technologies. The research uses data from 461 farmers in Brazil and 340 farmers in the United States, leaders in soybean production worldwide. The results show differences and similarities between these countries. LinkedIn has the highest positive association in Brazil between the communication channels and the digital agriculture technologies analyzed. In the United States, YouTube has the highest positive correlation. The overall influence of social media among Brazilian farmers is higher than among American farmers. The perceived benefits of using digital tools are more strongly associated with mass media communication in the United States than in Brazil. Regarding farm management decision-making, the study showed a higher relevance of interpersonal meetings in Brazil than in the United States. Findings can aid farmers, managers, academics and government decision makers to use communication channels more effectively in evaluating and adopting digital technologies.
Bowen, Blannie E. (author), Lee, Jasper S. (author), Paulette, Dwight M. (author), and Paulette: Graduate Assistant, Department of Agricultural and Extension Education, Mississippi State University; Lee: Professor and Head, Department of Agricultural and Extension Education, Mississippi State University; Bowen: Associate Professor, Department of Agricultural and Extension Education, Mississippi State University
Format:
Conference paper
Publication Date:
1983
Published:
USA
Location:
Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 48 Document Number: C00031
Notes:
Evans; Mississippi State University; See also C01249 for short abstract, Mimeographed, 1983. 15 p. Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of Agricultural Communicators in Education (ACE); 1983 July 17-21; Madison, WI
Bowen, Blannie E. (author), Lee, Jasper S. (author), Paulette, Dwight M. (author), and Paulette: Graduate Assistant, Department of Agricultural and Extension Education, Mississippi State University; Lee: Professor and Head, Department of Agricultural and Extension Education, Mississippi State University; Bowen: Associate Professor, Department of Agricultural and Extension Education, Mississippi State University
Format:
Conference paper
Publication Date:
1983
Published:
USA
Location:
Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 55 Document Number: C01249
Notes:
451-457; See ID C01241 for original; For complete proposal, see ID C00031, Harold Swanson Collection; See ID CO1241, Mimeographed. 1983. 3 p. Paper presented at the National Convention of Agricultural Communicators in Education; 1983 July 19, Madison, WI
Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Document Number: D09074
Notes:
James E. Grunig Collection, Pages 72-104 in F.L. Casmir (ed.), International and intercultural communications. Washington: University Press of America. 32 pages.
20 pages, Knowledge of agricultural practices has declined in recent years, resulting in consumers becoming uncertain of where and how their food has been produced and the marketing tactics used to promote the product. Historically, the U.S. population’s rich agricultural heritage coincided with higher levels of agricultural literacy. Some scholars, however, have maintained that U.S. culture has begun to lose touch with its agricultural foundations. More recent evidence has demonstrated that consumers acquire knowledge about their food from various media, most notably the Internet and social media. Often these sources use incorrect information and promote food and agricultural marketing trends that may not be grounded in scientific data. In response, this historical narrative analyzed a reform effort that occurred in U.S. food labeling policy and practice in the 1900s, which contributed to food labeling issues and consumer distrust in the agricultural industry. Based on the findings of this investigation, we concluded that food labels were initially intended to provide consumers with more profound knowledge of the food they purchased. However, key legislative acts such as the Fair Packaging and Labeling Act and the Nutrition Labeling and Education Act shifted the food labeling movement into a branding device to differentiate products and brands. We recommend that agricultural practitioners explore new ways to communicate their message more effectively. We also call for producers to incorporate more personal and emotional appeals when marketing agricultural products to better compete with third-party branding efforts.
"Agricultural education is much older than our agricultural colleges. We might say that agricultural communication is as old as agriculture itself. Scenes of rural life engraved in stone by people of ancient times, the Biblical record - Old Testament stories, the pastoral poetry of the Psalms, the rural parables of the New Testament - and the writings on agriculture by the Greeks and the Romans reflect the evolution of agricultural communications."