Thesis (M.S.)--University of Wisconsin--Madison, 1966. / eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references.

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Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Wisconsin--Madison, 1958. / Typescript. Vita. eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 223-229).

Master of Science / Department of Agricultural Economics / Michael A. Boland / The 2002 Farm Bill Rural Development Title created new programs to encourage the development of businesses designed to convert commodities to value-added products. This thesis identifies determinants of business development success for Value-Added Producer Grant (VAPG) recipients. Success is categorized in nine different stages of development:(1) creation of an idea, (2) formation of the idea into a written plan as a feasibility study, business plan, or marketing plan, (3) formation of an organizational structure for the idea, (4) the hiring of a manager or employees for the idea, (5) raise capital for the idea through equity drives, (7) creation of the idea into a product in a facility, (8) distribute and sell the product, (9) and whether the product was being sold in March of 2006. The data involves information on 621 grant recipients. Two econometric models are used to evaluate the data. The number of USDA Rural Business and Cooperative Employees, the value-added producer grant amount divided by the number of producers in the organization, the 2006 organizational sales divided by the number of producers in the respective organization, and the total production of the organization divided by the national production of the respective crop were significant variables. These four size variables had a negative impact on an organization being in steps one though eight, but a positive impact on being in step nine, which was the successful stage of business development. (such as dairy, flowers, fruit, nuts, specialty meats, wheat, and wine were positively associated with successful VAPG grant recipients. Illinois, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, and Wisconsin had significantly greater odds of success in business development also.

Master of Agribusiness / Department of Agricultural Economics / Andrew P. Barkley / For more than 10 years Agriculture Future of America (AFA) has been helping college students from around the country prepare for careers in the food and agriculture industry. Over time the organization has received a lot of positive feedback from both participating students and employers. The feedback has led the organization to believe there is an “AFA Advantage,” where participants have an advantage over their peers when entering the workforce due to their AFA involvement. The purpose of the thesis was to determine if there is an “AFA Advantage,” by measuring former participants’ workplace skill sets, as determined by agribusiness employers in a previous study. To accomplish this purpose, two sub-objectives were evaluated, measuring the skill competencies of former AFA participants participating in a (1) self assessment and (2) comparison with peers, who were not involved in AFA. The analysis is based on survey results from former AFA participants. The conceptual model established examined if there was a relationship between AFA, college and the skills desired by agribusiness employers. The skills measured include interpersonal communication skills, critical thinking skills, knowledge of general business practices, quantitative analysis skills, cultural/gender awareness, and oral presentation skills. Through this research, it was determined that there is an “AFA Advantage.” Data shows evidence that former participants do attribute AFA to helping them develop skills for the workplace. In fact, as the years of AFA participation increased, individuals tended to agree more that AFA contributed to their workplace skill competencies.

Doctor of Philosophy / Department of Curriculum and Instruction / Steven Harbstriet / Colleges of agriculture across the country are challenged to produce more graduates in order to meet the increase in employment opportunities in the areas of agriculture, food, and renewable natural resources. To attract students from areas with the most growth, urban communities, this study identified factors such as exposures to agriculture, college factors, and career aspirations that influenced urban students to major in agriculture and enroll in the College of Agriculture at Kansas State University (KSU). The accessible sample consisted of 125 students currently majoring in the College of Agriculture (agriculture students) and 18 students no longer majoring in the College of Agriculture (non-agriculture students) who completed the online questionnaire. Students from both groups were predominately female, non-minority students from the state of Kansas who entered KSU as incoming freshmen. The majors most represented were animal sciences and industry, pre-veterinary medicine, and food science and industry. The mean ACT score for agriculture students was 26.23 and 24.81 for non-agriculture students. For both groups of students, having a relative who worked in a field related to agriculture (grandparents, parent/guardian, aunt and uncle) was influential when they chose their academic major. A higher percentage of agriculture students had a relative who worked in a field related to agriculture or in production agriculture, compared to non-agriculture students. Career opportunities for graduates, hands-on-learning opportunities, friendly atmosphere in the College of Agriculture, visit to campus, quality and reputation of college faculty, availability of academic programs, and affordability of KSU were college factors most influential among the sample of students. Least influential factors were interaction with alumni, agriculture related camps and competitive events on campus, and ability to take online courses. Agriculture students were more influenced by career aspirations specific to career interests, such as working with people and animals, being able to use their creativity, or work with their hands. Non-agriculture students were influenced by broader career aspirations, such as having a job they enjoyed or being able to advance in their career.

The purpose of this study was to develop a flexible multidisciplinary participatory development model for practical application. This design emphasized the indigenous information and communication systems for the duration of the project. The model was practically applied to three distinct rural Native American communities. Each community chose a separate development project. Technology, resource awareness and training emerged as the common goals. Project determination was made through multiple session focus groups and written surveys. The success of each of the model application processes and projects was determined by participant outcomes and follow-up surveys. It was found that project participants viewed their project as successful and the process which they had engaged in positively affected their attitudes regarding future projects.