The Pastoral Fantasy on the Silver Screen: The Influence of Film on American Cultural Memory of the Agrarian Landscape

Entertainment media are a powerful source of cultural influence. Films are especially adept at capturing and preserving for posterity the attitudes, actions, and landscapes of historical events and eras, making them part of cultural memory — society’s shared recollection of past events as depicted in cultural artifacts. Nowhere is this ability better demonstrated than in cinematic portrayals of American agrarian life. In 2001, the Kellogg Institute found Americans recall agricultural landscapes as a sort of pastoral fantasy of rolling green hills, forests, and pristine fields crisscrossed by dirt roads. These images, which constitute Americans’ shared cultural memory of agrarian existence, may have been influenced by film portrayals of agriculture. For this study, nine films that met criteria for inclusion of agricultural imagery, cultural significance, and release at least 10 years prior to the Kellogg study were content-analyzed for their visual and thematic adherence to the pastoral fantasy described by Kellogg respondents. Of those f ilms, only two presented agrarian imagery that did not conform to the pastoral fantasy, including depictions of a West Texas cattle ranch at the height of summer and a Midwestern farm muddied by fall harvest. The remaining films contained imagery strongly associated with the pastoral fantasy, indicating they may serve as vehicles for traditional agricultural themes

Agriculture at Eleven: Visual Rhetoric and News Media Portrayals of Agriculture

Modern agricultural practices have become increasingly popular topics for news media outlets; thus, the growing scrutiny placed on production agriculture warrants a study of the images incorporated into television news stories of industry-related topics. Using a visual-rhetoric framework, the researchers conducted a survey of college students who were shown still images taken from a CBS Evening News broadcast about drug-resistant pathogens and their connection to antibiotic use in livestock. Participants were asked to identify the topic of the news story based on the images, to describe their affective response to that topic, and to identify the visual cues that led them to choose that topic. Content analysis revealed that no respondents correctly identified the topic of the story and that a majority aligned the images with animal mistreatment, slaughter, or welfare. Most respondents reported indifference or negative feelings about the images and topics. Based on the study, the researchers recommend further analysis of media imagery related to livestock production and increased surveillance of industry-focused stories

Tweeting with Authority: Identifying Influential Participants in Agriculture-Related Water Quality Twitter Conversations

In August 2014, Toledo, Ohio, experienced a dangerous algae bloom that led to a citywide water ban. News media coverage of the incident was widespread, as was social media conversation. Opinion leadership has been linked to news media agenda setting, and social media users are capable of generating considerable social influence within the sphere of their social networks. To better understand the dynamics of the conversation—especially as it pertained to agriculture—both during and after the water ban, the researchers used a social media analysis platform to identify high-influence Twitter users who participated in water-quality discussions about the Toledo water ban. Narrowing the search to agriculture-related discussion, the researchers revealed a dearth of agriculture-related content and also identified three categories of Twitter users in the conversation, including news sources, activists, and agriculture advocates. The researchers also found that Ohio users in post-ban discussions tended to be more influential than those who participated during the water ban. Identifying these users allows practitioners to monitor influential accounts for emerging issues and to engage with authoritative users in their geographic regions. The researchers also recommend that agriculture advocates exercise restraint in publicly speaking out about the industry’s involvement in environmental issues

Crowdsourcing Change: An Analysis of Twitter Discourse on Food Waste and Reduction Strategies

Food waste has emerged as a major issue in the United States as the nation collectively sends more than 133 billion pounds of food to its landfills every year. In September 2015, the USDA and EPA announced an initiative to cut U.S. food waste in half by 2030. Between 2015 and 2016, nearly 100,000 posts about food waste have been published on Twitter, a microblogging platform that has been a hub of “slacktivism” since its inception in 2006. Using a conceptual framework of social cognitive theory, online activism, and crowdsourcing, we analyzed food waste conversation participants’ demographics, online communities, and proposed solutions. Data analysis was conducted with listening software Sysomos MAP and a qualitative content analysis of conversation content. The analysis revealed that more than 2,000 U.S. users engaged in the conversation, forming four discrete conversation communities led by influencers from government, news media, and environmental organizations. Proposed solutions to the food waste crisis included domestic or household behavior change, food-waste diversion and donation, recycling and upcycling, consumer education, and governmental action and policy. We recommend using Twitter to mine, test, and deploy solutions for combating food waste; engage with influential users; and disseminate materials for further research into the behavioral implications of online activism related to food waste

Prince Farming Takes a Wife: Exploring the Use of Agricultural Imagery and Stereotypes on ABC\u27s The Bachelor

The 19th season of ABC’s The Bachelor stars Chris Soules, an Iowa farmer who is pursuing a wife. Soules appears to exhibit all the qualities of a gentleman farmer desired by the contestants: good looks, kindness, strong family values, and courteous manners. However, research of previous reality television programs has concluded negative views of agricultural lifestyles typically are present. The Bachelor aired during prime-time television hours and exposed millions of viewers to agricultural imagery, which is why an analysis of this season is important to agricultural communicators. This qualitative discourse analysis examines the representation of agriculture and rural communities through selected videos and episodes of The Bachelor that show Soules and the bachelorettes in agriculture-related settings. Previous research indicates entertainment media have impacted audience’s perceptions of agriculture and reality television programming is adept at perpetuating stereotypes. Repeated exposure to stereotypes through media representation causes viewers to absorb those images into their social reality and, in turn, impacts their beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors toward the subject of those stereotypes. The Bachelor Season 19 contains both positive and negative agricultural stereotypes, including isolated small-town life, hard-working farmers, and “country” as a personality type. Farm-centric content is used to elicit laughs and to build romantic tension with the effect of minimizing the importance of agriculture. The researchers plan further investigation of the perceptual effects of the program’s televised content and the related social-media conversation surrounding “Prince Farming.

Advertising Agrarian Unreality: College Students\u27 Preferences for Agricultural Commodity Advertising Content

Critics of agricultural commodity groups claim the advertising strategies used by those groups promote unrealistic perceptions of modern agricultural practices. To answer this question, the researchers sought to investigate young consumers’ preferences for realistic versus unrealistic agricultural video content. Using an online survey questionnaire, the researchers compared undergraduate students’ affective responses to content from the “Happy Cows” advertising campaign to those elicited from viewing educational video content pertaining to modern dairy husbandry practices. Subjects reported similar levels of liking for both video sets, while the informational videos scored higher for realism and perceived quality of animal care. Students with less familiarity with agriculture reported greater liking for the educational content. The researchers recommend a movement away from purely entertaining advertising content for agricultural products in favor of more realistic, fact-based promotions

A Little Learning in Dangerous: The Influence of Agricultural Literacy and Experience on Young People\u27s Perceptions of Agricultural Imagery

Agricultural knowledge gaps are forming between American agricultural producers and the consumers they feed and clothe. These divides in agricultural literacy and firsthand experience in the food and fiber industry may affect how consumers perceive images of modern production practices presented in the news media and, subsequently, the industry itself. In a quantitative study, researchers surveyed students at a large public university about their agricultural literacy — knowledge and awareness of and familiarity with agriculture-related issues — and agricultural experience, their firsthand interactions with agricultural production. The students also responded to images taken from a television news broadcast about antibiotic use in livestock production. Using these three variables, an analysis of variance was conducted that revealed significant differences between students experienced in agricultural production and those somewhat inexperienced, indicating that those with minimal exposure to agriculture may have done so in a context related to traditional, rather than modern, production. A regression analysis also revealed agricultural literacy was a significant predictor of reaction score. The researchers suggest, given the ability of agricultural literacy to influence perceptions, agricultural literacy initiatives should be promoted, while experiences with agriculture may be enhanced by hands-on learning at agritourism sites and agricultural fairs and expositions

Exploring the Impact of Ohio Agricultural Organizations’ Social Media Use on Traditional Media Coverage of Agriculture

One of the nation’s most important industries, agriculture, has adopted social media to communicate with consumers and the public. At the same time, traditional news media remains important to the agriculture industry because many consumers still receive information about agriculture from sources such as newspapers and television. Little literature at the time of this study explored how social media is used specifically as a media relations tool. The purpose of this study is to examine how agricultural organizations in Ohio communicate via social media and how the messages could impact central Ohio traditional media outlets’ coverage of agricultural issues. The study is grounded in uses and gratifications theory, and previous social media studies. Data were collected from seven Ohio agricultural organizations’ Facebook pages and four central Ohio news outlets. Researchers found that Ohio agricultural commodity organizations use social media, but not necessarily to communicate with the news media. The industry received limited news coverage during the time studied, and we were unable to discern a relationship between social media and news media coverage beyond a commonality of stories. By communicating the results of this study with agricultural organizations and researchers, effective social media strategies can be developed to guide the future of social media as a media relations tool

Agricultural Communications: A National Portrait of Undergraduate Courses

Considerable research has been conducted regarding competencies needed by agricultural communication program graduates during the past four decades. However, no studies have considered actual program offerings. This study used a qualitative approach to analyze courses offered in agricultural communication programs in the United States. Using content analysis methods, researchers analyzed published course descriptions and discovered 21 categories among 172 courses. Most popular were writing courses, followed by courses introducing students to the major, internship courses, and writing for publication and graphic design courses. Categories with the fewest offerings included research, study abroad, and international focused courses. Findings from this analysis are consistent with previous literature noting the variety existing in agricultural communication programs at the national level. With the current growth of agricultural communication as an academic discipline and the fundamental role agricultural communicators play in sharing information about key societal issues at a time when agriculture has never been under greater pressure, this study is a first step in creating a national portrait of curricular offerings in agricultural communication programs

Where I Come From: Exploring Regional Differences in California Consumers’ Attitudes and Beliefs About Fluid Milk

Guided by the theory of reasoned action and social cognitive theory, this study was conducted to better understand how decisions to purchase organic or conventional milk are influenced by norms and attitudes established via human interactions and how those norms and attitudes vary by geographic region. An online Qualtrics survey was used to gain insight into behaviors, attitudes, and interactions of 308 milk consumers in various geographical regions of [State]. The findings indicate that urban, suburban, and rural consumers differ in some ways in their interactions related to milk information, as well as their perceptions of organic versus conventional milk. Based on the findings of the study, differences in personal networks and exposure to certain messaging in varying regions might perpetuate a more positive, confident, and informed view of organic or conventional milk products in some areas more so than others. The researchers recommend using the results of the study to tailor messages to the specific information needs of consumers in urban, suburban, and rural regions of [State]