Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Adelaide, Dept. of Animal Physiology, 1981. / Typescript (photocopy).

Thesis (M.Sc.(Agric.))(Agricultural Economics)--University of Pretoria, 2007. / Includes summary. Includes bibliographic references (leaves 96-100).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Wisconsin--Madison, 1945. / Typescript. Vita. eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M.Eng.)--University of Wollongong, 2004. / Typescript. Includes bibliographical references: p. 193-209.

Thesis (M.Sc.Agric.(Agricultural Economics))--University of Pretoria, 2000. / Abstract in English. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Masters)--Linköping Institute of Technology, 1989. / "January 1990." Includes bibliographical references (leaves 53-55).

This study analyses the adoption and rejection of some dairy farm innovations by Lower Fraser Valley dairymen. It also analyses use of information sources, length of time spent in the adoption process, reasons for delay in proceeding through the adoption process, reasons for rejection and discontinuance of innovations, and dairyman-district agriculturist contact. Data for the analysis were collected by interviewing a representative sample of the Lower Fraser Valley dairymen. There was a distinct tendency for the earlier adopters to have large farms, a high production per cow, less than 20 years farming experience, a high farm plus off-farm employment income, large numbers of dairy young stock, office visits with the district agriculturist, agriculture courses at vocational schools, and enjoyment from dairying. There were no significant differences between the earlier and later adopters regarding age, years of school completed, social participation, tenure, specialization, use of hired labour and place of birth. A number of the respondents had had no contact of any type with the district agriculturist in the year previous to the interview but on the average each respondent used 2.53 types of contact. When classified by the nature of the activity, the most used sources of information were personal, followed by individual instructional, mass and instructional group. When classified by origin, the most to least used sources were personal, commercial, government and farm organization. The proportions in which the information sources were used for the two groups of innovations differed. On the average each respondent was unaware of 2.19 of the 10 innovations and continuing in the adoption process for 1.57. Rejection had occurred for an average of 4.38, adoption for 1.66 and discontinuance for 0.20 of the 10 innovations. Almost half the decisions to reject innovations were made at the awareness stage in the adoption process. From the laggard to the early adopter-innovator category, unawareness and rejection decreased while continuation in the adoption process, adoption and discontinuance increased. Situational factors made up more than two-thirds the reasons for delay in proceeding through the adoption process but characteristics of the innovations made up more than two-thirds the reasons for rejection and discontinuance of innovations. The rate of rejection and discontinuance was higher and adoption lower when less than one year was spent than when one or more years was spent in the adoption process. An adoption tendency score was derived and compared with the adoption score but it could not be determined that use of one or the other was a more useful way of identifying differences among the respondents. / Land and Food Systems, Faculty of / Graduate

No description available.

Data on 376 farms were acquired from a direct mail questionnaire containing 31 questions. These farms were on a production testing program and employed one or more full time workers who spent 50% or more of their time with the herd. Characteristics on workers, farms, and working conditions were obtained. The average worker was 38.6 years, had 6.8 years of schooling, and 5.9 years of dairy experience prior to their last employment.. About 80% of the workers were married and had 3.6 children. Reasons why workers left dairy farms and where they go for employment were compiled on 262 workers. The average dairy farm had a herd of 69 cows, and 1.9 hired workers. Seventy-eight percent of the farms had loose housing, 71% pipeline milkers, 55% mechanical manure handling, and 32% mechanical silage feeding. Average working conditions on these farms were: starting hour, 5:00 am.; hour per day, 9.75; days off per month, 3; wages per month, $230.48, and benefits per month, $81.65. Farms that provided incentives, 37%; annual leave, 63% and advancement opportunities, 94%. / M.S.

Microcomputer simulation was used to evaluate effects of all combinations of two levels of involuntary culling, heifer rearing, and sire selection against dystocia in heifers on timing and magnitude of net income in dairy cattle. Time to cumulative payoff of expenses and net income per day of herdlife were measured for herds and individual cows. Net income was accumulated monthly, and expressed per day of life and per day to 96 mo. Twenty herds of 80 cows were simulated for 20 yr under eight options in the herd study. More than 1000 cows with complete herdlives, from a single herd, were individually simulated for each of eight options in the cow study, with no voluntary culling of cows. For the herd study, milk yield per cow averaged 6838 kg ± 858 kg/yr, and net income per cow was $671 i $193/yr. Mean time to payoff was 60.0 mo, and mean net income to 96 mo, including salvage value, was $.36/d. Heifers calving at 26 mo had rearing expenses of $1030, time to payoff of 54.6 mo, and net income of $.432/d, compared with rearing expenses of $1200, time to payoff of 70.0 mo, and net income of $.285/d for heifers calving at 32 mo. Options with 12% involuntary culling paid off 2.3 mo earlier and had $.081 more net income per day than 24% involuntary culling. Differences in response variables due to sire dystocia and PD Dollars were minimal. Options with 26 mo age at first calving, 12% involuntary culling, and random mating had earliest time to payoff (54.0 mo) and highest net income ($.485/d). Options with 32 mo age at first calving, 24% involuntary culling, and random mating had latest payoff (74.3 mo) and lowest net income (S.246/d). Herds and years had large effects on time to payoff and net income due to differences in herd production and genetic trend of sires for production over time. Including salvage value for cows surviving 96 mo increased net income $.064/d for herds, and $.25/d for cows. Twenty-one percent of the value of increased milk yield was attributed to increased feed costs. For the cow study, cost of rearing heifers was $141 ± $127, mean time to payoff was 53.4 mo, and mean time to cumulative profit was of 56.5 mo. Cumulative profit represented positive cumulative net income for 12 consecutive mo, which included 69% of cows with time to payoff. Net income was $.19/d for all cows, $.46/d for cows with a first calving, $.60/d for cows surviving 96 mo, and $.85/d for cows surviving 96 mo including salvage value. Heifers calving at 26 mo paid off expenses at 47.1 mo, compared with 60.6 mo for heifers calving at 32 mo. Heifers calving at 26 mo cost $.07/d more to raise to first calving, but paid off by 70 d in milk into their second lactation, compared with payoff by 140 d in milk of the third lactation for cows calving at 32 mo. Regressions of time to payoff and net income per day at 96 mo on cow production were -.0077 d/kg and .00028 $/kg, respectively. The regression of time to payoff on PD Dollars was -.0035 d/PDS, and the regression of net income per day on PD Dollars was .00072 S/PDS for cows that calved. Differences did not exist in time to payoff between levels of involuntary culling and selection against dystocia. Heifer rearing was most important in this study due to large differences in time to payoff and net income as age at first calving changed. Sire selection against dystocia in heifers was least important due to the mating program used, with intermediate differences in payoff and net income between levels of involuntary culling. / Ph. D.