Agricultural Legislation: The Presence of California Proposition 2 on YouTube

Animal rights movements continue to be a threat to the livestock industry in the United States. In 2008 California voters passed a proposition (2) which outlawed the use of battery cages for laying hens, gestation crates for sows, and veal crates for veal calves by 2015. Similar measures have previously been passed in Florida, Arizona, Colorado, and Oregon. As animal rights activists continue to pressure the livestock industry, it is important to look at their information outlets, especially those targeted toward young voters. The researchers used content analysis to determine the message content and campaign for Proposition 2 posted on YouTube. By using the search term “proposition 2 California,” a usable sample of 103 videos were identified. Results indicate that when dealing with political legislation, agriculture has very little web presence on YouTube. In addition, it indicates that those in favor of the proposition use appeals and biased examples to deliver their message. In order to be relevant to young voters, agriculture advocates must begin using technology to reach non-agriculture audiences. Educators must also be preparing future communicators to embrace such technology in campaigns

Influence of Subjective Norms and Communication Preferences on Grain Farmers’ Attitudes toward Organic and Non-Organic Farming

Interpersonal communication and mass media can influence an individual’s attitude or behavior. International and American studies have shown that interpersonal contacts have influenced farmers’ decisions to adopt or not adopt organic farming while other studies have revealed the communication preferences can differ between organic and non-organic farmers. This study was unique as it combined components of the theory of planned behavior and diffusion of innovations to describe the role subjective norms and communication channels have on forming attitudes toward organic and non-organic farming by non-organic Midwestern grain farmers. Data were collected through a questionnaire sent to 320 members of the Ohio Corn Growers Association or the Ohio Wheat Growers Association. Respondents cared about the opinions of their subjective norms but did not feel pressure from these subjective norms to adopt organic farming. Ohio grain farmers in this study also indicated the importance of communication channels for influencing their decisions to adopt or not adopt farming practices. Interpersonal communication channels (demonstrations, other farmers, meetings, workshops, suppliers, Extension agents) were the most important. The researchers suggested that agricultural communicators and commodity organizations consider the purpose of their messages and select the most appropriate source for delivery. Recommendations were made for further research and teaching by agricultural communication faculty

Agricultural Issues on the Ballot: A Case Study of the 2009 Ohio Issue 2 Campaign

This in-depth case study explored the marketing of the November 2009 ballot initiative that created the Ohio Livestock Care Standards board. Key individuals who were involved in communications campaigns dealing with the ballot initiative were interviewed and media coverage was closely analyzed. The interviews examined questions dealing with the origin of the initiative, the types of media used to promote it, the budget for the media campaign and which types of media were viewed as the most valuable and successful. The information obtained reveals which types of media are most effective in reaching consumers about agricultural issues according to campaign organizers. By examining a successful agricultural communications campaign, insight can be gained about how other groups can best reach the public and persuade them to support legislation benefiting the agricultural industry

The Stuff You Need Out Here : A Semiotic Case Study Analysis of an Agricultural Company\u27s Advertisements

In today’s mediated society, people are continually searching to describe relationships among themselves, the items they encounter in their physical environment, and the cultural and historical contexts in which they reside. By placing meaning-laden visuals in a medium as popular as magazines with rural audiences, advertisers are sending messages as to what rural life is. The 2004-2005 advertising campaign of the Tractor Supply Company utilized photographs of rural life to sell viewers “ The stuff you need out here.” This advertising campaign, which relied heavily on a humorous appeal to play into stereotypical images of rural life, was seen in a variety of magazines that reach rural audiences. Using semiology as the framework of how images construct meanings, this case study sheds light on the various messages behind these advertisements and how they convey the cultures of rural life to farm and non-farm audiences. It is apparent that these advertisements have a tendency to play into the dominant ideology of what farming and farmers look like. Through simplistic images playing into known stereotypes such as male domination, rural work ethic, and freedom, the dominant ideal is enforced through the selling of these products. By utilizing American ideals and colors, the advertisements played into the American ideal of patriotism

Student Publications’ Place in the Agricultural Communication Curricula

Many agricultural communication or journalism programs offer publication production opportunities as a way for students to use their writing, editing, design, and photography skills. This study evaluated the curriculum and make-up of student publications produced through these agricultural communication or journalism programs. The study also described the role advisers have in handling editorial, ethical, and legal issues. Data were collected through a questionnaire sent to members of the Academic Programs Special Interest Group in the Association for Communication Excellence. Fifteen programs identified offering a student-produced publication. The majority of these publications (n = 8) were offered as a course in an agricultural communication or journalism program, while five programs developed their publications as an extracurricular activity. Once the publication was produced, only three of the publications were reviewed and critiqued by industry professionals. While no advisers were concerned with obscenity issues, eight were concerned with a code of ethics, five were concerned with censorship, and four were concerned with libel issues. Recommendations are made for agricultural communication or journalism faculty

Effective First Impressions Online: A Case Study of Working With Industry Professionals to Analyze Web Site Usability

The Internet has opened doors for communicators, giving them new ways to reach a variety of audiences in an unfiltered and timely fashion. However, good Web site design is complex, and an unfriendly or confusing site can easily intimidate or discourage users. This paper describes a recent partnership between researchers in academia and an agricultural organization whose aim is to educate the public about the agricultural industry. Together, they used current usability testing methodology to determine the effectiveness of the organization\u27s Web site. This paper presents the results of the study as well as recommendations for individuals considering such a partnership

Assessing Internet Use in Florida Newsrooms

The Internet has become a major factor in the mass media industry. As a consequence, information sources, including agricultural communicators, are considering the decision to move to Web-based publications and publicity dissemination tools. Rural and agricultural audiences, however, have favored traditional media as a source of news and information, creating something of a “rural-urban digital divide.” In an attempt to assess how mass media news operations are utilizing the Web as a newsgathering and information source, a statewide descriptive survey was conducted of a random sample of local and regional media outlets. Results showed that television, radio, and newspaper newsrooms were using computers and the Internet extensively not only for receiving information and research but also for disseminating news. Respondents indicated that 88.9% of reporters used the Internet on a daily basis, while 72.2% of news units maintain an online presence. These findings indicate that as media outlets increase their utilization of the Web, agricultural industries and higher education institutions need to move more to electronic dissemination of information

Optimization of Lateral Jets for Guiding Supersonic Missiles

This project seeks to improve the guidance of supersonic missiles with lateral jets. This is achieved by quantifying and optimizing the pressure distributions created along the surface of the missile by the jets in different configurations. The jets themselves must be considered as well as turbulent and compressible effects and thermal losses. To explore these effects, flat plate geometry experiments of high-speed jet in cross-flow are considered for validation purpose. Group members are using FLUENT to reproduce experimental results of a jet in crossflow attempting to achieve higher accuracy by use of various solution methods. Two and three dimensional models of air vehicles equipped with jet control created using Creo and corresponding flow simulations generated in Ansys FLUENT