Selected characteristics of Tennessee feeder pig producers and their use of recommended swine management practices in relation to the number of contacts producers had with county extension agents

The purpose of this study was to characterize Tennessee swine producers, and determine the relationship between the number of con-tacts producers had with the Agricultural Extension Service and their use of recommended swine management practices. One thousand and eighty-three swine producers were randomly selected and personal interviews were conducted by county Extension agents. Survey and interview schedules were developed by the University of Tennessee Extension Swine Specialists and the Agricultural Extension Education Department. These surveys were administered by county Extension agents during the fall of 1984. Information recorded included the producer\u27s personal characteristics, the size of the operation, the number and type of contacts producers had with Extension during a 12-month time period and their use of recommended swine management practices. The data were coded and punched on computer cards, and computations were made by the University of Tennessee Computing Center. The Chi- Square test and the one-way analysis of variance F test were used to determine the significance and strength of the relationship between the dependent and independent variables. The .05 level of probability was chosen for determining significance. Major findings included the following: 1. Almost 80 percent of the producers were over the age of 36 and had obtained a high school education or less. 2. The majority of the swine producers surveyed operated on a small scale with about 74 percent averaging less than 20 sows, and approximately 80 percent farrowed less than 50 litters per year. 3. Extension contacts made by producers ranged from a high of 77 percent using telephone calls to the Extension office to a low of only 45 percent attending Extension swine meetings. 4. About 4 percent of the recommended swine management practices were used by 85 percent of the producers. 5. Over 50 percent of the producers used more than 66 percent of the swine management practices. 6. Younger producers (under 36 years of age), producers with a college degree, and those who were full-time farmers made signifi-cantly more Extension contacts than the other producers. 7. There was a significant difference between the use of 10 of the following recommended swine management practices and the total number of contacts producers made with Extension: (1) number of times/year sows were vaccinated for leptospirosis, (2) number of times/ year sows were vaccinated for rhinitis, (3) number of times/year boars were vaccinated for parvovirus, (4) used medication in water to treat disease, (5) used sulfa in the water, (6) used antibiotic in water, (7) used medication in sows gestation, lactation ration, (8) frequency with which iron shots were given to pigs, (9) clipped needle teeth, (10) pounds of feed fed sows

Psychological Type and Epistemology in College Freshmen, Elementary Teachers, Preservice Science Teachers and Scientists: Implications for Science Education Reform

This study examined and compared patterns f perception and judgement measured by the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI, Form G) and epistemology in four populations: college freshman, preservice science teachers, elementary teachers, and scientists. The relationship between dual forms of perception delineated by the MBTI and adherence to the four epistemological dimensions assembled by Schommer’s Epistemological Questionnaire (SEQ, 1990) was also investigated. A Chi-Square analysis assessing between-group differences in perception and judgement indicated that scientists were more likely to rely on intuitive perception and thinking judgement compared with college freshman, preservice science teachers, and elementary teachers. An ANOVA procedure to test between-group differences in epistemology revealed that college freshman were more likely to view knowledge as the accumulation of isolated and unrelated facts than were the other groups. Conversely, scientists were significantly more likely to believe that knowledge consists of complex, interrelated concepts and ideas. While college freshman differed from scientists and preservice science teachers in degree of adherence to a naïve perspective on the QUICK learning dimension (i.e., learning occurs quickly, or not at all), they did not differ significantly from the sample of elementary teachers. Elementary teachers were as likely as college freshman to view the acquisition of knowledge as an immediate, all-or-none phenomenon, rather than a gradual process requiring sustained effort. An Independent t-test revealed a significant difference between intuitive and sensory perceptive college students on the SIMPLE dimension of the SEQ. Sensory perceptive students were more likely than their intuitive counterparts to believe that knowledge consists of a collection of concrete, isolated, or unrelated facts. Study findings are interpreted within the context of the effort to reform science education

Patterns of oak advance reproduction in mature oak-hickory forests in the ridge and valley physiographic province of Tennessee

Most oak (Quercus) regeneration research over the past two decades has focused on improving the competitive position and growth performance of established oak reproduction. Less research has been conducted on factors underlying the presence and abundance of oak advance reproduction. Oak reproduction patterns and underlying factors in east Tennessee forests are also poorly documented. The objective of the research was to investigate relationships between the abundance, size, and composition of oak advance reproduction and site factors on six soil associations and three landform positions (ridgetop, northwest slope, and southeast slope) in the Ridge and Valley Province of Tennessee. Topography within the soil associations sampled ranged from hilly and rolling to steep ridges with rolling valleys. Soils included in this study ranged from moderately high productivity to shallow, acidic soils low in productivity and covered 68% of the land area in the Ridge and Valley Province. Two replicate transects were sampled within each soil association-landform position combination yielding a total sample size of 33 transects (transects within the J52 soil association could not be replicated). Size and abundance data were collected for four classes of oak regeneration; 1) 0 to 25 cm in height, 2) 26-50 cm in height, 3) 51-150 cm in height, and 4) greater than 150 cm in height and less than 8 cm dbh. Site factors investigated were landform position, soil association, slope, overstory and understory competitors, seed source, light regime, basal area, and litter thickness. Regression equations for predicting the abundance of oak reproduction for each size class and species of oak were developed using r2 variable selection, response surface analysis, and a general linear models procedure. Eight species of oak were encountered: chestnut oak (Q. montana), white oak (Q. alba), black oak (Q. velutina), northern red oak (Q. rubra), southern red oak (Q. falcata), scarlet oak (Q. coccinea), chinkapin oak (Q. muehlenbergii), and post oak (Q. stellata). Chinkapin and post oak were only found on one site and, therefore, were not analyzed as individual species. Preliminary analyses suggested that both landform position and soil association were important factors influencing the presence of many of the oak species and size classes. Therefore, models for predicting oak abundance were developed within every landform position - soil association combination for all species of oak and all size classes. Except for northern red oak, the smaller size class oak seedlings were more abundant on the more productive soils and landform positions. In contrast, the largest size class oak seedlings were more abundant on the less productive soils and landform positions. Conditions for germination and early growth may be best on northwest slopes, but chances for survival to the fourth size class were apparently greater on the drier, less productive southeast slopes. The regeneration patterns for chestnut oak, black oak, and the scarlet-southern red oak group were consistent with current hypotheses that these species perform better on the drier, poorer sites. Variables such as oak seed source, potentially competing mature canopy trees, potentially competing saplings, and canopy depth were consistently significant throughout all species and size classes of oak. For all oak species, importance value of canopy trees (seed source) was positively related to the abundance of the smaller size classes of oak seedlings. Importance value of competing species was significantly related to the number of larger size class oak seedlings. Dogwood (Cornus florida) saplings consistently had a negative relationship with the abundance of oak seedlings of most species. Canopy depth was expected to have a negative relationship with oak abundance because less light would be available with increasing depth. However, this relationship was variable. Only northern red oak had a negative relationship, white and chestnut oak had positive relationships, and black and scarlet oak had no relationship. Land managers can use these relationships between oak regeneration and soil and site condition as guidelines for making decisions on where to concentrate oak regeneration and management efforts (silvicultural treatments) in the Ridge and Valley Province