14 pages, Agriculturalists can be divided into broad ideological camps with differing value sets. While many different groups exist, there are two primary ideological groups: (1) conventional or agrarian populists and (2) non-conventional or neo-agrarians. Agricultural education students’ values about agriculture shape how they will work in their future classrooms, schools, and communities, as well as how they will interact with students and community members. The purpose of this narrative study was to describe undergraduate agricultural education students’ conceptualization of their values about agriculture. The findings from this study highlighted the polarization of ideologies in American agriculture. The agricultural education students’ conceptualization of agricultural values was largely conventional. Some students formed conventional agriculture values as they grew up, while other students experienced a change of their values towards conventional attitudes while in college. Students’ responses to others with differing values ranged from indifferent to negative. These differences indicate a real challenge for post-secondary agricultural educators. Students have the right to maintain their own values in agriculture, however they must be able to work with others who have differing values. Research is needed to evaluate effective ways to help students learn how to work with people who have differing agricultural values.
Cletzer, D. Adam (author), Mott, Rebecca L. (author), Simonsen, Jon C. (author), Tummons, John D. (author), Peckman, Jaelyn Y. (author), and Preston, Kate (author)
Format:
Journal article
Publication Date:
2022-01-01
Published:
USA: American Association for Agricultural Education
Location:
Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 205 Document Number: D12706
17 pages, Agricultural leadership coursework has sought to developed leadership skills in graduates of colleges of agriculture for decades. Yet, a national study of the scope and nature of undergraduate leadership coursework has not been conducted since 2003. The purpose of this study was to provide empirical data for discussion of the state of agricultural leadership education. A census of all programs represented by faculty in AAAE was conducted, and 227 courses were determined to exist, the most common types of courses were introduction to leadership, personal leadership, and team and group leadership. The most common leadership theories or concepts present in the 100 course syllabi analyzed were “traits and skills,” “ethics,” and “servant leadership.” More than 80 different textbooks were used.
17 pages, Small farms and small farmers are a growing sector of the agricultural economy nationwide. Notably, small farms are influenced by similar antagonists to the success of their business as large, concentrated operations, but they experience it differently. The purpose of this study was to describe small farms and farmers in North Dakota to assist North Dakota State University Extension in defining their needs for programming development. We found that nearly 45% of small farmer respondents are women. Small farmers prefer to access information for their operations in a variety of ways but like to engage with Extension through more direct and personal means. Recommendations include developing programming targeted at female farmers and organizing Extension information resources targeted at small farm needs, specifically.
17 pages, This study sought to describe agriculture and natural resources (ANR) opinion leaders’ ethical orientations by illuminating how they determine what is right/wrong or good/bad when making decisions that impact the ANR industry. ANR leaders’ ethical perspectives impact decisions regarding complex critical issues and influence others’ behavior. We used Q methodology, and four typologies were revealed, including Principled, Industry-focused, Dutiful, and Multi-Hat Leaders. The methodological approach of Q methodology to identify common ethical perspectives among ANR leaders is unique. Leadership development practitioners and educators should encourage leaders to reflect on and be cognizant of their ethical beliefs, particularly when making high-stakes decisions with far-reaching implications and when representing others as industry leaders. Though each typology characterized was unique, they all relied on a combination of ethical perspectives to guide their decision making. This may be evidence of Kohlberg’s postconventional morality as leaders’ attempt to reconcile a multitude of perspectives while seeking solutions to complex problems. Ensuring ethical approaches to food and fiber production and consumption simultaneously with care for and preservation of natural resources begins with a clear understanding of leaders’ existing ethical perspectives.
19pgs, New communication methods and technology continue to emerge and evolve – as do societal trends – making it paramount that Extension professionals stay abreast with the preferred communication channels of potential clientele. By being aware of clients’ preferred communication channels, Extension professionals can increase the number of participants who benefit from their work while also improving the quality of the message being delivered. The present study examined the preferred communication channels of potential Extension clientele specifically when gathering information regarding their community. Specifically, a non-probability opt-in sampling procedure was employed whereby respondent (N = 3,347) communication channel preferences were analyzed from an audience segmentation and uses and gratifications perspective. Overall, the results indicated the most effective channels through which to reach potential Extension clientele under 50 years of age is through the internet and social media, while word of mouth and newspaper are preferred channels for those 50 and over. However, the results of the study indicate there are a variety of potential communication channels with varying degrees of preference among different audiences. Using study results as a starting point to inform communication channel strategy may help to Extension professionals ensure the correct message is provided to the correct audience via the correct channel.
10 pages, This study sought to understand Extension Education's trends and research needs as perceived by members of the American Association for Agricultural Education (AAAE) and Joint Council of Extension Professionals (JCEP) by comparing and contrasting findings from questionnaires using open-ended questions. Both groups identified changing technology and new audiences as key trends requiring Extension to adapt, and JCEP respondents noted makers and entrepreneurs as prominent new audiences. For Extension Education research needs, both groups prioritized research to heighten professional development among Extension professionals. JCEP respondents desire Agricultural and Extension Education (AEE) Departments to lead research in Extension administrative leadership. On the contrary, AAAE respondents prioritized Extension program evaluation research. Regarding Extension professional development, JCEP respondents identified program planning and evaluation, but AAAE respondents named research methods as prioritized needs. JCEP respondents prioritized practical experiences in Extension Education college courses, and AAAE members reported some internships, practicums, and experiential learning in their AEE curriculum. The results have implications for AEE Departments in planning professional development for Extension professionals and college instruction producing Extension-career-ready graduates. Recommendations emphasize the need to coordinate college curriculum and professional development and to prepare students for Extension careers.
14 pages, For centuries music has played a vital role in the lives of people, communities, and organizations. This is the same for agricultural and youth organizations like the Future Farmers of America (FFA) and the New Farmers of America (NFA). From the very beginning of these youth groups, music has played an important part in the live’s of members, as well as in chapter, state, and national events. The purpose of this historical research study was to document the history of music within the Future Farmers of America and New Farmers of America youth organizations. Historical research methods were used to gather information for this study. From the beginnings of both the FFA and NFA, local advisors quickly saw the benefit of using music to build leadership, confidence, and esprit de corps among the boys in their organizations. The NFA developed quartet and talent competitions at the state and national levels. Both the FFA and NFA organizations established chorus groups for boys from across the country. The FFA placed more emphasis on state and national bands and orchestras than did the NFA. Song books were published to encourage the inclusion of singing in FFA and NFA events. Official manuals for the organizations included songs and yells that could be used in local chapter activities. Organization leaders saw the benefits of using music to inspire youth to develop their musical and leadership skills. Music has been a key component of the success of both the FFA and NFA organizations.
14 pages., The agricultural sector has been influenced significantly by agriculture and natural resources (ANR) policies voted in by elected officials. Many agricultural organizations and their members have sought to provide a ‘voice’ for the ANR industry and communicate with policymakers about emerging issues. It is necessary that such organizations and members be able to use that voice effectively. This study was conducted to examine the communication preferences of Florida agricultural organization members and factors that may encourage them to contact elected officials about an ANR policy. Respondents in this study least preferred to be contacted by their organization(s) via phone call or text message. They also identified local Extension offices and the university as the most trustworthy sources of communication regarding ANR policy. When contacting members to spur involvement in ANR policy decisions, organizational leaders should use a variety of communication mediums, including email magazines and printed newsletters and magazines, to promote engagement in ANR policy discussions. Future research is needed to examine other factors that may influence agriculture organization members’ communication with elected officials, as well as the types of messaging strategies organizational leaders can use to further members’ engagement in ANR policy decisions.
24 pages, The central research question that guided this study was: how does the framing of written content on Facebook influence public perception of information regarding the management of wild horses and burros? This research was conducted using content analysis to examine 136 Facebook posts of six organizations communicating about the wild horse and burro controversy and 8,295 comments made by individuals to the organization’s posts. There were eight major themes that emerged from the data, organized by the interaction of three frames: organization frame, audience frame, and organization-audience interaction frame. Organization frame themes included: organization positionality and its influence on framing posts for emotional appeal and audience action, and organization post style, post frequency, and response frequency and its influence on audience reception of the issued. Audience frame themes included: action-oriented responses, emotional responses, government responses, and management-related responses. Organization-audience interaction frame themes included: the influence of organization comments on audience’s perception of the issue, and misinformation concerns.. These themes provide insight into how organizations and individuals are communicating about the wild horse and burro controversy using social media and illuminate opportunities for further research into social media communications to positively impact agricultural literacy. Recommendations for practice include: supplying necessary information to social media instead of relying on the audience to click links, keeping the perceived-cost and investment of requested audience participation low to encourage activism, and strategic planning regarding the frequency and types of post to maximize audience engagement.
13 pages., While work on agricultural messaging is abundant, the way that audiences form perceptions of messages is not well understood and little research has examined the cognitive effects of image and word associations in an agricultural context. Previous knowledge gap research has shown that socioeconomic status and access to information could be one contributor of perception formation. We propose that these variables could also impact cognitive processing. Therefore, the purpose of this exploratory study was to examine how components of cognitive dissonance and knowledge gap theory apply in the context of a contentious agricultural issue. Data were collected from 1,049 United States’ residents through an online survey with an embedded experimental design. Respondents randomly received one of two image and word association pairings. After viewing the treatment, measures of cognitive conflict, demographics, and desire to learn more were collected. The results showed that the cognitive conflict instrument performed differently in the context of a complex agricultural issue than in prior research. Additionally, the message pairings had a stronger influence on cognitive conflict components than demographic characteristics. Finally, the desire to learn more was impacted by the message treatments. Future research on cognitive conflict and advanced modeling is recommended.
