Solutions to Water Resource and Environmental Challenges : Perspectives from the Agricultural Community in the Crooked River Watershed

This research explores how an agriculture-based community in the Crooked River Watershed of Central Oregon responds to a series of water resource and environmental challenges, some associated with projected climate change, amid increasing pressure to change management practices to better accommodate environmental needs. A key part of this research assesses the collaborative capacity of the community to work together toward solutions to these challenges. This semi-arid watershed is vulnerable to a changing climate, with current climate models predicting significant changes in seasonal flows that will negatively impact existing water and agricultural systems and management practices. In addition, the agriculture community in this area is currently struggling to deal with a multi-year drought situation and is under pressure from regulators and other Central Oregon stakeholders to change their management practices to better accommodate environmental needs. This research addresses the following questions: How is the agricultural community in this area responding to these challenges? What are their ideas for responding to the challenges such that the agriculture community maintains, or even improves, its viability, productiveness, and integrity of its values, while also balancing its needs against societal demand for stronger environmental protection?    

Great Yorkshire Livestock Show Attendees’ Attitudes about Agriculture

The purpose of our research was to determine if attending a U.K. livestock show changed attendees’ attitudes about agriculture and to compare those changes in attitudes to attendees of a U.S. state fair similar in size and dynamic. The sample was livestock show attendees at the Great Yorkshire Show (GYS). The mixed-method design included a then and now semantic differential scale with bipolar adjective pairs to measure attendees’ attitudes about agriculture before and after the experience and qualitative interviews with photo elicitation to learn about how attendees developed attitudes about agriculture. Participants had positive attitudes about agriculture before they attended the Show and had more positive attitudes after attending. Participants had more positive attitudes before and after attending the Show than did California State Fair attendees. In addition, participants lacked prior experiences with agriculture, but attending the GYS provided them the opportunity to develop positive attitudes through cognitive, behavioral, and environmental factors. Fair attendance should be promoted because they provide unique opportunities for experiential learning and U.S. fairs should adopt experiential tactics used at the GYS. Further research is needed to better understand how GYS attendees developed positive attitudes about agriculture prior to attending the Show and what elements of the GYS experience were most influential to attendees’ attitude development

Livestock Show Attendees' Attitudes About Agriculture at the Great Yorkshire Show

Society is distanced from agriculture. Therefore, consumers and producers lack opportunities to have firsthand interactions and experiences with each other. Lack of firsthand experiences, which are important to attitude development, creates confusion for consumers and affects their buying and voting decisions. Fairs, however, provide unique opportunities for consumers to experience agriculture up-close and in-person. Although fairs in the United States include agricultural elements, those in the U.K. like the Great Yorkshire Show (GYS) more heavily promote and feature them on their showgrounds. The purpose of this research, therefore, was to determine if attending a U.K. livestock show changed attendees’ attitudes about agriculture and to compare attendees’ attitudes to those of California State Fair (CSF). The population consisted of GYS attendees at the livestock show on July 12 and 13, 2017. This study used mixed methods with quantitative and qualitative components. The instrument used in the quantitative component included a then and now semantic differential table with bipolar adjective pairs to measure attendees’ attitudes about agriculture before and after the experience. Qualitative interviews were conducted using photo elicitation to learn about how attendees developed attitudes about agriculture prior to attending the GYS. Results indicated that GYS attendees had positive attitudes about agriculture before they attended the Show and had more positive attitudes after they attended the Show. Attendees had more positive before and after attitudes than CSF fairgoers. Further research is needed to better understand how GYS attendees developed such positive attitudes about agriculture prior to attending the Show and what elements of the GYS experience were most influential to attendees’ positive attitude development

Livestock Show Attendees' Attitudes About Agriculture at the Great Yorkshire Show

Society is distanced from agriculture. Therefore, consumers and producers lack opportunities to have firsthand interactions and experiences with each other. Lack of firsthand experiences, which are important to attitude development, creates confusion for consumers and affects their buying and voting decisions. Fairs, however, provide unique opportunities for consumers to experience agriculture up-close and in-person. Although fairs in the United States include agricultural elements, those in the U.K. like the Great Yorkshire Show (GYS) more heavily promote and feature them on their showgrounds. The purpose of this research, therefore, was to determine if attending a U.K. livestock show changed attendees’ attitudes about agriculture and to compare attendees’ attitudes to those of California State Fair (CSF). The population consisted of GYS attendees at the livestock show on July 12 and 13, 2017. This study used mixed methods with quantitative and qualitative components. The instrument used in the quantitative component included a then and now semantic differential table with bipolar adjective pairs to measure attendees’ attitudes about agriculture before and after the experience. Qualitative interviews were conducted using photo elicitation to learn about how attendees developed attitudes about agriculture prior to attending the GYS. Results indicated that GYS attendees had positive attitudes about agriculture before they attended the Show and had more positive attitudes after they attended the Show. Attendees had more positive before and after attitudes than CSF fairgoers. Further research is needed to better understand how GYS attendees developed such positive attitudes about agriculture prior to attending the Show and what elements of the GYS experience were most influential to attendees’ positive attitude development