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.
22 pages, The purpose of this study was to identify the demographic characteristics, career motivations, and professional development of American equine journalists. An online survey was distributed to equine journalists identified through their professional organizational membership. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the data. Equine journalists were found to be predominately female, Caucasian, and averaged 53 years old. Nearly half were exposed to the equine industry prior to their career and have been working in the industry for over 15 years. Respondents were well educated and were most motivated towards their career as an equine journalist because of their interest in horses. Over 70% of equine journalists in this study participated in one to 10 professional developments in the last year, with social media management as the most frequently reported topic. Other frequently reported topics were marketing, journalistic writing, and magazine publication. Recommendations for practice include recruiting agricultural communications minor or certificate students from specialized programs such as animal science, equine science, equine studies, or livestock. Future research should consider the influence of pre-career experiences on equine journalist career motivations and skill development.
Carpenter, Ashley K. (author) and Dharmasena, Senarath (author)
Format:
Paper
Publication Date:
2016
Published:
USA
Location:
Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Document Number: D07637
Notes:
Selected paper presented at the Southern Agricultural Economics Association annual meeting, San Antonio, Texas, February 6-9, 2016. 6 pages., Brief review of the U.S. horse industry and description of a planned marketing communications project involving use of social media to sell breeding stock.
Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 106 Document Number: C09260
Notes:
D. Fielding & R.A. Pearson (edit). Donkeys, Mules and Horses in Tropical Agricultural Development. Proceedings of a Colloquium organized by the Edinburg School of Agriculture and the Center for Tropical Veterinary Medicine of the University of Edinburg. September 3-6, 1990. 306-310
