This study investigates existent agricultural communication channels used by an increasingly differentiated farm population. The purpose was (1) to examine which sources and channels of farm production information are utilized by the farm husbands and/or farm wives in the two county district, (2) to determine if small and large-scale operators use the same sources of farm production information, and (3) to determine if farmers use different sources for livestock production than for crop production. / Issues regarding the development of diffusion research in the U.S. are addressed. Shortcomings of the diffusion research tradition in the U.S. and LDCs are also discussed. A qualitative approach was used in conjunction with a quantitative data analysis to describe the existent communication sources and channels used by the 60 farmers comprising the study sample. / The review of literature indicates that farm husbands and wives may be considered joint decision makers, but may constitute different farm sub-groups. It was found that a greater proportion of farm wives use interpersonal information sources, such as family, friends, and neighbors, whereas a greater proportion of farm husbands use interpersonal extension, research-based personnel information sources. / A difference in information usage was also found to exist between small and large-scale farm operators. Large-scale farm operators use interpersonal extension/research-based personnel more than do the small-scale farm operators. Finally, a greater proportion of crop producers use the interpersonal extension, research-based source more often than other sources while livestock producters use the mass media source most often. / This study demonstrates that different social structures existent within an agricultural system use different agricultural information sources. The identification of these social structures may offer new direction to more efficient information dissemination by organizations and agencies attempting to serve the farm clientele. / It is suggested, therefore, that communication researchers attempt to identify different social structures, as well as which information sources are used by the identified groups, as part of any dissemination strategy. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 46-04, Section: A, page: 0827. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1985.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:fsu.edu/oai:fsu.digital.flvc.org:fsu_75528 |
| Contributors | ALLEN, PAMELA JO., Florida State University |
| Source Sets | Florida State University |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Text |
| Format | 198 p. |
| Rights | On campus use only. |
| Relation | Dissertation Abstracts International |
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