ABSTRACT The purpose of this study was to explore the preferred information sources and delivery channels for receiving agronomic crop related information for farmers, agricultural retailers, and private crop consultants in Mississippi. The Mississippi State Extension Agronomic Crops Team can use this information to better serve their agronomic crop clients throughout the state of Mississippi. An electronic survey was developed and disseminated at the Mississippi State Row Crops Short Course, Winter Producer Meetings, and Farm Trade Shows to farmers, agricultural retailers, and private crop consultants who attended throughout Mississippi (n=298). The highest-ranking interpersonal information source was MSU Extension, followed by agricultural retailers, and crop consultants. The lowest ranking interpersonal information sources were other farmers, seed and chemical companies, and government agencies. The highest ranking information delivery channels were email, text messaging, and the Mississippi Crops Blog. The lowest ranking information delivery channels were postal mail, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Face-toace conversations, private consultants, and field days were the highest rated information source preferences. In contrast, respondents rated television and radio the lowest. Respondents were asked to give a numeric ranking on where they would fall on adopting a new agricultural technology (e.g. smart phone crop app). The majority of respondents placed themselves in the “Early Majority” group as it relates to Rogers Diffusion of Innovation. The smallest percentage placed themselves in the “Laggards” group. Internet use among farmers was found to be influenced by age, highest level of education, internet connection type, and other devices used. Findings in this study support the Uses and Gratifications Theory. The majority of respondents still place value in the MSU Extension Agronomic Crops Team when it comes to frequency of contact. Respondents number one answer was making contact ten or more times a year with the appropriate Crops Specialist for their agronomic crops needs. Extension educators should remember that not all of their clientele are equally connected to the internet. Marketing efforts for programs and educational materials available only online are not being accessed by all potential clientele. Programs targeting older clientele should be marketed using other methods in addition to the internet.

This research is to validate a risk assessment model?s ability to predict work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs). The model looks at the primary risk factors of repetition, force, deviated posture, tool design, duration, and frequency. The sum of the ratings for each factor is the risk assessment score for the person doing a certain job task. According to the score, the task is rated as a ?no risk? to an ?extreme risk? task. The data used for this research was from an epidemiological study preformed at a fish processing facility. To validate the model, the scores from the risk assessment model were compared to the operators? severity and frequency of pain in the median nerve distribution of the hand and to previous risk model. The statistical tests show that the risk assessment model can predict if the operator performing a task is at risk for forming a WMSD.

Work-related stress is a hindrance to the quality of working life. Stressful circumstances occur when individuals are no more able to handle, manage and cope with difficult situations. Events and situations are themselves not inherently stressful; it is the capability of people to face these situations and handle these effectively which will cause less or more stress. Hotel operations have to compete by constantly offering an increasingly better comparative product and service. Being at the centre stage, hotel managers, therefore, have to respond to this challenge. The exigencies of the tourists and of the industry are exerting additional pressures on hotel managers. The main findings of this study carried out from the human resource management perspective indicate the following: pressure from work and from both occupation-home and home-occupation interfaces do not have a positive influence on hotel managers’ psychological health. However, there is a positive effect of work on both the occupation-home and home-occupation interfaces and of manager interests and hobbies on the health and home-occupation interface. Potential areas of future research are identified and new research directions are proposed.

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