Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 8 Document Number: D10313
Notes:
2 pages., University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign., Researchers report consumer research indicating that the "future of U. S. citrus may hinge on consumer acceptance of genetically modified food."
Gallardo, Karina R. (author), Stafne, Eric T. (author), Devetter, Lisa Wasko (author), Zhang, Qi (author), Li, Charlie (author), Takeda, Fumiomi (author), Williamson, Jeffrey (author), Yang, Wei Qiang (author), Cline, William O. (author), Beaudry, Randy (author), Allen, Renee (author), and Washington State University
Mississippi State University
University of Georgia
University of Florida
Oregon State University
Michigan State University
Format:
Journal article
Publication Date:
2018-02
Published:
United States: American Society for Horticultural Science
Location:
Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 11 Document Number: D10337
7 pages., Via online journal., The availability and cost of agricultural labor is constraining the specialty crop industry throughout the United States. Most soft fruits destined for the fresh market are fragile and are usually hand harvested to maintain optimal quality and postharvest longevity. However, because of labor shortages, machine harvest options are being explored out of necessity. A survey on machine harvest of blueberries (Vaccinium sp.) for fresh market was conducted in 2015 and 2016 in seven U.S. states and one Canadian province. Survey respondents totaled 223 blueberry producers of various production sizes and scope. A majority (61%) indicated that their berries were destined for fresh markets with 33% machine harvested for this purpose. Eighty percent said that they thought fruit quality was the limiting factor for machine-harvested blueberries destined for fresh markets. Many producers had used mechanized harvesters, but their experience varied greatly. Just less than half (47%) used mechanical harvesters for fewer than 5 years. Most respondents indicated that labor was a primary concern, as well as competing markets and weather. New technologies that reduce harvesting constraints, such as improvements to harvest machinery and packing lines, were of interest to most respondents. Forty-five percent stated they would be interested in using a modified harvest-aid platform with handheld shaking devices if it is viable (i.e., fruit quality and picking efficiency is maintained and the practice is cost effective). Overall, the survey showed that blueberry producers have great concerns with labor costs and availability and are open to exploring mechanization as a way to mitigate the need for hand-harvest labor.
8 pages., Via online journal., With growing interest in food system solutions to address poor health outcomes related to preventable chronic diseases, organizations and researchers are examining the value of community gardens as interventions to promote individual and community health. Research suggests that participation in community gardens improves access to fresh, healthy foods and increases fruit and vegetable consumption. In addition to these physical benefits, research also documents a variety of social and communal benefits, by expanding social capital, stabilizing neighborhoods, and cultivating relationships. Unfortunately, most of these studies focus on a specific case, cross case, or intervention studies within a geographically specific locale. Learning lessons from successful community garden programs can be difficult because community gardens often rely on the synergy of a complex network of support agencies that assist in various technical and educational capacities. The purpose of the study was to demonstrate the use of a framework for program development and evaluation that stakeholders, including extension, can adopt to show program outcomes. The framework used a Delphi approach with a diverse panel of community garden stakeholders to reach consensus about program outcomes. The study demonstrated that the panel could reach consensus on a variety of short-, medium-, and long-term outcomes.
8 pages., ISBN 978-3-319-92102-0, Via ebook, The idea underpinning EIP-AGRI for linking producers and users of knowledge and promoting their interaction around problem-solving is well grounded on the evidence provided by the ‘innovation systems’ and related literature. Evidence gaps that matter to the implementation of the EIP-AGRI activities comprise the lack of knowledge regarding the best-fit network configuration for different farming systems and farming styles, and the nature and effectiveness of a facilitator function and role to bridge communication between researchers and farmers. This paper contributes with empirical evidence regarding the networks configuration best-fit for different farming system and farming styles, and provide insights on the facilitator relevance and its desirable profile, built on the study of a particular network: the Portuguese Cluster of small fruits (CSF). The small fruit sector is a novel sector in Portugal that has attracted in recent years a large number of new investors, in particular newly-established small-scale inexperienced producers. The insights provided by the CSF analysis emphasises that agglomeration economies based networks, which are very important in some agricultural sectors (e.g. fruit, wine) and in countries or regions where small-scale farms are significant, can in fact be the ground for knowledge and innovation networks in the sense wanted by the EIP-AGRI, since inclusiveness and facilitation functions are accounted for properly.
Brown, Mark G. (author), Lee, Jong-Ying (author), and Behr, Robert M. (author)
Format:
Paper
Publication Date:
1990-08
Published:
USA
Location:
Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 30 Document Number: D10577
Notes:
17 pages., via conference paper presented at the American Agricultural Economics Association conference, August 1990., Analysis of grocery-store scanner data suggested that consumer confusion may exist between the two products, with advertising of grapefruit juice increasing demand for both.
Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 32 Document Number: D10653
Notes:
3 pages., via website, "Growing Produce"., The majority of the editors at the newspaper were from urban areas, which I think was the reason they often either had a tough time grasping these stories, or thought I was biased toward growers. I’m sure you know what I mean, they thought agriculture used way too much of California’s limited water supply, or that farmers used too many pesticides, etc.
14 pages., via online journal., In public health, politics, and advertising, interactive content spurred increased elaboration from audiences that were otherwise least likely to engage with a message. This study sought to examine interactivity as an agricultural communication strategy through the lens of the Elaboration Likelihood Model. Respondents were randomly assigned a static or interactive data visualization concerning the production of peaches and blueberries in Georgia, then asked to list their thoughts in accordance with Petty and Cacioppo’s thought-listing measure. Respondents significantly exhibited higher elaboration with the interactive message as opposed to the static, extending the results of past research in other communication realms to agricultural communication as well. This increase in attitude and cognition encourages agricultural communicators to pursue the use of more interactive elements in their messaging.
Available online at www.centmapress.org, This study distinguished five categories of inter-organizational network relations: very strong operational, strong sustainable, moderate social, weak innovative and very weak shared resources. The studied networks were characterized by strong activity and actor ties and weak resources bonds. "Specifically, the lack of shared resources might negatively influence the networks innovation and sustainable in the future."
December 1 issue via online. 3 pages., Farm Journal Media will purchase Vance's agriculture and produce assets. Vance Publishing is a multimedia company founded in Chicago in 1937.
