The introduction of taste regimes into the agriculture literacy and communications literature is explored and discussed in this study. I analyze how college students interpret taste regime indicators (interpretations, personal view alignment, personal action) influence their perceptions of agriculture food production information. More specifically, I look at how media information effects college students’ interpretations of these taste regime indicators. Data were collected from a convenience sample of undergraduate students at a large research-intensive university who responded to an electronic questionnaire developed specifically for this study. Findings indicate that the college students involved in this study have little to no defined opinion between large-scale and alternative agriculture. This indicates that the agriculture taste regime is not taking the general populations beliefs and preferences into consideration when developing campaigns. Recommendations for large-scale and alternative campaigns are to develop more objective campaigns and for the general population become change agents forcing the agriculture taste regime to take their beliefs and preferences into consideration.

The goal of farm field days in Utah is to show an increase in agricultural literacy among elementary aged children. Evaluations of student learning have not been adequately assessed. Students from two of the statewide farm field day events were assessed on what they already knew about agriculture, what they wanted to learn about agriculture, and then what they learned about agriculture as a result of the event they attended. Data was collected and analyzed using the National Agriculture Literacy Outcomes and Themes, to determine if the farm field day events had any impact on their awareness or understanding of agriculture. Results indicated that students were below an average awareness of younger grade-level appropriate agricultural concepts before they attend the farm field day event. However, after the event, results indicated that student awareness of grade appropriate agricultural concepts increased.

Research specific to the agriculture literacy of adult learners and, more specifically, college students, is warranted (Kovar & Ball, 2013). In the current study, I analyze the sources of knowledge that are dispersed across formal, non-formal, and informal learning settings that college students rely on to understand the various components of food systems. More specifically, I ask here, "How do college students learn about food systems?" Data were collected using a convenience sample of undergraduate students at a large research-intensive university who responded to an authentic questionnaire developed specifically for this study. Findings indicate that there is little variation between the three learning settings with respect to food system knowledge. This indicates that education with respect to food system knowledge is lacking. Implications of the study include recommendations for the development and refinement of formal and non-formal food systems curricula specific to the needs, backgrounds, and experiences of undergraduate college students.

This text examines the possible impacts of prior exposure to agriculture, and how this relates to college students’ food purchasing decisions. This study will assess if college students had prior exposure to agriculture before attending college, and what type of exposure this was, as well as assess how this prior exposure may alter purchasing decisions made by students who attend Mississippi State University. To collect this data, this study used a qualitative survey method to question students enrolled in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Mississippi State University and determine if there is a significant relationship between prior exposure to agriculture and the purchasing decisions of food products. It was found that a college student’s prior exposure to agriculture does in fact impact their food purchasing decisions. It is recommended that this study be replicated with a larger sample size and further research should be conducted to examine specifically how their purchasing decisions are impacted. This study could also aid in future research to find the best agriculture education methods for this specific demographic of college students ages 18-23 in order to raise agriculture literacy rates and preserve the future of the agriculture industry.

Currently, most Americans are 2 to 4 generations removed from the farm, as only 2% are involved with agriculture. Thus, verifying the importance of agriculture education implementation to promote the agriculture industry. MSU has a novel Hatch-out Program in attempt to bridge the gap in agriculture awareness. Research for this thesis first evaluates previous participants of the Hatch-out Program to assess satisfaction to determine if modifications are needed. This thesis will conclude with the implementation and validation of the modified curriculum, lesson plans, as well as activities and materials into the classroom. A post-implementation survey was also given to the teachers to evaluate ease of implementation as well as age-appropriateness. Results revealed an increase of knowledge across all grades in respect to the pre- and post-test. Survey results revealed an ease of implementation as well as age-appropriateness from teacher surveys.