Front Matter - Volume 102, Issue 4

Lists JAC Editorial Board, ACE leadership, and information related to each

Front Matter for Volume 102, Issue 2

Overview of the Journal of Applied Communications is provided including the aim and scope of the journal, the list of Editorial Board members, and manuscript submission guidelines. The mission of and the board of directors for the Association for Communication Excellence in Agriculture, Natural Resources, and Life and Human Sciences (ACE) is also included

Front Matter - Volume 102, Issue 3

Front matter for Volume 103, Issue 3 of the Journal of Applied Communication

Front Matter for Volume 102, Issue 1

Overview of the Journal of Applied Communications is provided including the aim and scope of the journal, the list of Editorial Board members, and manuscript submission guidelines. The mission of and the board of directors for the Association for Communication Excellence in Agriculture, Natural Resources, and Life and Human Sciences (ACE) is also included

Preparing for the Next 150 Years of Agricultural Communications

On the 150th anniversary of the land grant system, the authors examined the history, current situation and potential future of agricultural communications as an academic discipline. Their review highlights the past history of the field, focusing on the evolution of agricultural communications from print based journalism to a field that encompasses strategic communications, marketing and branding, public relations and online and social media. The authors also look ahead to the next 150 years, offering ideas as to how students will be prepared academically in the future and how the structure of academic departments may change to focus on inter and transdisciplinary “issue response teams” designed to more effectively address complex issues and problems across disciplinary boundaries

What Are Agriculture Industry Professionals Trying to Tell Us? Implications for University-Level Agricultural Communications Curricula

Two recent activities have solicited the input of professionals on the future of agricultural communications within the agriculture industry. This paper reexamines these industry-based information and research activities for potential themes that could impact the current and future direction of communications-related activities within the agriculture profession. A reexamination of the outcomes of these two activities may provide insight and guidance for curricular and degree changes being considered by university-level agricultural communications educators. The four themes identified and discussed in this article are as follows: (a) the rapidly changing communication needs, wants, and expectations of the agriculture industry; (b) the new stakeholders of agricultural communications activities and products, and their diverse communication needs, wants, and preferences; (c) the shortened response time for communication-related activities; and (d) the increasing importance of the image of the agriculture industry and agricultural communications professionals. The themes that have emerged from industry through this study underscore the importance of researching the employee needs of the 21st century agriculturalist and agricultural communicator. These results may also positively influence university-level curricula and degree programs both within and outside of agricultural communications

Ag Resource Tools & Media Coverage: A Study of Newspaper Coverage of Cotton in Texas

Many Extension professionals work with journalists in order to get their message out to various stakeholders. Some develop agricultural resource tools for the media. The study reported here examined coverage of cotton articles from 534 Texas newspapers following the dissemination of the CottonLink© media resource tool. An overall increase was found in the number of articles, newspapers, and circulation size after the dissemination of the CottonLink© media resource tool, while a decrease was found in the number of judgment sentences during the study. Additional research is recommended

Farm Broadcaster Knowledge and Beliefs of Biotechnology and Genetically Modified Organisms

Farm broadcasting members of the National Association of Farm Broadcasters (NAFB) were studied to determine their knowledge and beliefs about biotechnology and genetically modified organisms. This study used bimodal data collection techniques. Farm broadcasters in this study were described as typically male, over 35 years of age, married, and with at least some college education. Most farm broadcasters had an audience size of more than 50,000 listeners with typically a local distribution. In addition, most deliver a story about biotechnology and genetically modified organisms at least once a week. The majority of farm broadcasters believed that it was important to have a knowledge base of the subject they were reporting on, yet they did not demonstrate a high level of knowledge about food biotechnology, as measured by eight multiple choice questions. The average farm broadcaster only answered five of the eight questions correctly. Farm broadcasters believe that the U.S. food supply is safe and do not feel that GMOs are a risk for future generations. However, farm broadcasters believe that their audiences have a higher perception of GMOs as a potential risk to future generations. Recommendations for future research and evaluation of university agricultural communication curriculum are included

Persuasive Effects of Metaphors Regarding Gene-Editing in Agriculture

Gene-editing provides an opportunity to address the significant challenges of population growth and climate change that impact food production. Given the important role of gene-editing in our food system, exploring opportunities to persuade public acceptance of the technology is needed. The purpose of this study was to investigate persuasive effects of metaphorical concepts regarding gene-editing in agriculture. The Elaboration Likelihood Model was used as the conceptual framework. Metaphors stand to influence public acceptance because metaphors encourage issue-relevant thinking and enhance persuasion. A quantitative, randomized, between-subjects, experimental research design was delivered via an online survey to a nationally representative sample of U.S. residents. The manipulation was four mock news articles differentiated by metaphorical concept for gene-editing in agriculture (creation versus text editor versus tool versus control). Even when controlling for confounding variables, the results indicated no significant differences between the treatments on issue-relevant thinking or willingness to share the article on social media. Future research should explore the impact of metaphorical concepts on attitude and other behavioral outcomes associated with elaboration

An Examination of the International Federation of Agricultural Journalists\u27 Involvement in Agriculture Knowledge Mobilization

It is estimated the global population will reach 9 billion by the year 2050. This growth in population presents a very imposing problem for agriculture. A potential solution to increasing agricultural production is the mobilization of information through agricultural innovation systems. What has not been studied is the role the International Federation of Agricultural Journalists (IFAJ) has in this system. This study sought to describe the IFAJ and its membership’s knowledge mobilization role within Agricultural Knowledge and Innovation System (AKIS), describe the issues facing the membership related to agricultural innovation systems, and record the practices members feel are best to identify stories of interest, create media pieces, and disseminate those media pieces. The results of the study indicate the majority of respondents work as journalists/reporters and a large portion of organizations employ fewer than five people. In respect to the AKIS model, the largest portion of respondents saw themselves as facilitators of knowledge movement. Despite some similarities, differences were revealed between the employment category types found within the IFAJ membership in their perceived objectivity when it comes to their role within AKIS. Talking to stakeholders was the most popular method of identifying stories of interest, involving the farm perspective was most popular strategy for the creation of interesting media pieces, and the use of digital and traditional media was the most popular method to disseminate their work. As IFAJ continues its dedication to providing helpful information to the world ’s farmers, the organization should realize its membership is not unified in its approach